Attachments
Highlights
- More than 627,000 people including more than 275,000 children remain newly displaced across the country, mostly in Idleb and Aleppo governorates. Approximately 522,000 people who were displaced after 27 November have returned to their areas of origin.
- Damages to the critical infrastructure at Tishreen Dam and Al Khafseh water station have significantly reduced water supplies to Aleppo city and its surrounding areas. Tishreen Dam remains non-operational, affecting water access for over 400,000 residents.
- UNICEF has successfully completed the testing of the Ein Al Baida station, which will provide safe drinking water to over 260,000 people in Al-Bab City and surrounding villages in Aleppo governorate.
- During the reporting period, 12,124 individuals received primary healthcare consultations, including 6,935 children (3,488 girls and 3,447 boys) and 5,189 adults (4551 women and 638 men).
- UNICEF reached 4,864 people, including 4,063 children (1,765 girls and 2,298 boys), through the cash-plus programme.
- UNICEF and its partners supported access to quality formal and non- formal education and provision of supplies for 32,069 children (17,666 girls and 14,403 boys).
Situation in Numbers
627,000 Internally displaced people (IDPs) As of 7 January
OCHA Flash Update No. 10
Over 275,000 children are displaced
UNICEF estimates based on OCHA IDP figures
25,800 people in Northeast Syria
are living in Emergency Collective Centres
OCHA Flash Update No. 10
UNICEF Appeal 2025
US$ 488 million
Funding Overview and Partnerships
UNICEF Syria’s Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal for 2025 requires US$ 488 million. Currently, only 11 per cent of this amount has been secured.1 The situation is critical, with rising needs among newly displaced individuals and growing vulnerabilities. UNICEF will update its funding requirements once more accurate data and needs assessments are available, ensuring the funding requirements align more closely with the updated needs.
To address the immediate needs arising from the recent escalation and displacement, a three-month Emergency Response Plan (ERP) is being developed. This plan will outline the additional needs and associated funding requirements for a rapid and scaled-up response.
UNICEF expresses its gratitude to all public and private partners for their support. The flexible humanitarian funding and core resources provided by these partners enable UNICEF to respond effectively to urgent and unforeseen needs.2 In particular, UNICEF would like to thank the Governments of Austria and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for their generous and timely contributions to the ongoing response. UNICEF also acknowledges the valuable humanitarian contributions made by partners in 2024, including its National Committees.
Without additional resources, UNICEF’s ability to provide essential assistance to children will be hindered, leading to increased protection risks and impacting UNICEF’s capacity to deliver life-saving interventions.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
Syria is grappling with severe economic and humanitarian crises amid ongoing insecurity. Hostilities have been reported in Aleppo, Deir-ez-Zor, Hama, Homs, Lattakia, Quneitra, Rural Damascus, and Tartous governorates, resulting in civilian casualties. In Aleppo, hostilities, criminal activity, and sniping in certain areas pose significant challenges for UNICEF and its partners. Armed clashes persist in Menbij, Ain al-Arab, and around the Tishreen Dam. The security situation in rural Aleppo remains unstable, restricting access to essential services such as education and child protection. Damage to schools and a lack of resources for transport and supplies are disrupting education, although children in Aleppo and rural areas still attend school. The instability also heightens risks for IDPs and vulnerable populations, with power and telecom outages further complicating operations. In Homs and Hama, increased violence and the establishment of new checkpoints are limiting movement in some neighbourhoods of Homs City.
In northeast Syria, the security situation remains fluid and unpredictable, and the humanitarian crisis continues to be dire. Although the number of IDPs in 193 emergency collective centres has decreased from 40,000 to 25,800 over the past week, significant challenges remain. This includes severe shortages of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in several collective centres in Qamishli, including inadequate water supply and limited sanitation facilities. Additionally, women have reported feeling unsafe in these conditions. Moreover, the UNHAS flights are still non-operational limiting access to the Northeast Syria.
The economic crisis in Syria is marked by limited financial liquidity, declining public services such as water and electricity, and soaring oil and transportation prices. These factors limit humanitarian operations in some areas, while key infrastructures still require rehabilitation. For example, the Tishreen Dam in Aleppo has been non-operational since 10 December, depriving 413,000 people in Menbij and Kobani of water and electricity.
This situation has dire humanitarian consequences, particularly for children and their ability to attend school. Many schools and education facilities require rehabilitation after years of conflict, with those in high-risk areas needing mine clearance and unexploded ordnance (UXO) removal. Fuel shortages also complicate the winterisation response, further affecting children’s ability to attend school regularly. In parallel, Syrian teachers, particularly in rural areas, face significant transportation challenges due to limited and costly public transport.
Population Movement
Since 27 November, more than 627,000 people including over 275,000 children remain displaced across the country, primarily in Idleb and Aleppo, according to the IDP Taskforce. From the peak of 1.1 million newly displaced persons (over 483,00 children) on 12 December, it is estimated that approximately 522,000 people had returned to their areas of origin by 2 January. In Northeast Syria, approximately 25,800 IDPs remain in over 183 collective centres, many of which lack sufficient water, sanitation facilities, and privacy.
Since 8 December, a total of 58,350 Syrians (26 per cent men, 28 per cent women, and 46 per cent children) have returned to Syria, mainly from Lebanon, Jordan, and Türkiye. The primary destinations for these returns are Ar-Raqqa, followed by Aleppo, Homs, and Dar’a. While still limited in scale, this reflects a continued, gradual increase in refugee returns over recent weeks. The Government of Türkiye has announced the establishment of a mechanism for temporary "go-and-see" visits from 1 January to 1 July 2025, allowing heads of households to visit Syria up to three times during this six-month period. As of 29 December, an estimated 419,200 Syrian refugees have returned to Syria since the start of 2024.