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

CONTEXT

The month of June marks five months since the earthquakes first struck Türkiye and Syria. The UN and partners have responded to needs in north-west Syria, driven by 12 years of conflict and the impacts of the earthquakes, through humanitarian and early recovery interventions. A sharp increase in hostilities was recorded in June with the results of deaths, injuries and temporary displacements. Altogether, since the beginning of this year, at least 21 civilians have been killed including four women and five children, and at least 51 civilians injured, according to monitoring carried out by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Strides in health have been made. On 5 June, the cross-border referrals of cancer patients via Bab Al-Hawa resumed following a temporary disruption by the earthquakes. A second cholera campaign was launched on 10 June bringing the total of people vaccinated against cholera to 2.8 million people in north-west Syria. However, the health system remains fragile. Nealy a third of 601 health facilities in the area are reportedly non-functional, 67 of which were damaged by the earthquakes to varying degrees.
The UN cross-border aid operation continued without impediment. By the end of June, 3,290 trucks loaded with UN aid had crossed from Türkiye to north-west Syria using three border-crossing since the first earthquake struck. By the end of June, the UN has also completed 146 cross-border missions to north-west Syria.