Syrian Arab Republic: Cross-Border Humanitarian Reach and Activities from Türkiye (January 2023)

CONTEXT

North-west Syria started the new year with the extension of the UN cross-border mechanism. On 9 January, the Security Council adopted resolution 2672, extending UN cross-border assistance from Türkiye to north-west Syria for an additional six months until 10 July 2023.

Snow, wind and flooding incidents were reported in the month of January. The situation is particularly dire for the 1.8 million people living in camps or informal settlements with limited to no access to basic services such as clean water, electricity or health services. More than half of the camp population are children. 800,000 people live in tents in overcrowded conditions, unfit to protect families against harsh weather events.

The humanitarian community started winter aid delivery as early as October 2022. Progress on dignified shelters continued since the launch of its Action Plan in March 2022. However, the humanitarian community stressed a glaring funding gap in the Winterization and Flooding Preparedness Response Plan.

Cholera cases continued to rise since the first case was identified in north-west Syria in September 2022. 19 new lab-confirmed cases were recorded in January bringing the total to 567 cases. 2.1 million people live in at-risk sub-districts while all healthcare facilities are overstretched.
Amidst the harsh winter season, hostilities and security incidents continued to be reported in north-west Syria. Shelling, airstrikes and clashes were reported in the month resulting in the loss and injury of civilians.