Attachments
Highlights
• Hostilities were reported in northwest Syria, including shelling and airstrikes, killing three children. Explosions caused by improvised explosive devices, as well as fire incidents, killed ten people (including one child) and injured 40 others. Two humanitarian workers, one of whom was a UNICEF implementing partner, were among those killed.
• Major humanitarian needs persisted across all sectors and were exacerbated by the continued economic downturn and COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has also affected children and teachers after re-opening of schools in September. Despite these challenges, UNICEF continued to respond across the country, while also scaling up emergency WASH and Nutrition responses in northeast Syria.
• The Whole of Syria response faces a 43 per cent funding gap. Additional flexible funding is urgently needed to ensure children in Syria continue to receive life-saving assistance. In particular, UNICEF urgently requires US$ 22.44 million to reach 435,000 children with winter clothing kits.
Funding Overview and Partnerships
In 2020, UNICEF is appealing for US$ 294.8 million to continue its response across Syria. UNICEF would like to express its gratitude to the Governments of Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF), United Kingdom, United States of America, and UNICEF national committees for the generous contributions provided.
Currently, UNICEF has an overall funding gap of 43 per cent; additional flexible funding is urgently needed to support the ongoing response for over three million people, especially in health, nutrition and child protection. Without more funding, an estimated two million children and women will not be reached with nutrition interventions, one million will not receive primary health care and about 300,000 will be deprived of psychosocial support and case management.
In addition, UNICEF urgently requires US$ 22.44 million to reach 435,000 children with winter clothing kits from October 2020 to March 2021. Timely contributions are essential to enable UNICEF to procure and deliver the clothing kits before the onset of the cold winter weather.