Humanitarian Action for Children 2025 - Syrian Refugees and Other Vulnerable Populations

HIGHLIGHTS

• Fourteen years into the Syrian crisis, more than 12.5 million people, including 5 million children,1 in Egypt, Jordan and Türkiye are in need, relying heavily on humanitarian assistance provided by the international community.
• UNICEF’s humanitarian response in 2025 will focus on inclusive service delivery, providing urgent relief and also addressing long-term needs for refugees, host communities and other vulnerable populations. This includes cash transfers to vulnerable families, integrating out-of-school children into education systems, delivering mental health and psychosocial support services and ensuring access to WASH services. UNICEF will also deliver essential health and nutrition services, including immunizations to prevent disease. The UNICEF response will strengthen services for survivors of harmful practices and of sexual and gender-based violence, while creating pathways for livelihood skills development.
• UNICEF requires $282.3 million in 2025 to support 2.9 million people, including 2.1 million children, in Egypt, Jordan and Türkiye, using a coordinated approach to crisis preparedness and response.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS

Fourteen years into the Syria crisis, nearly 5 million Syrian refugees reside in the Middle East and North Africa region, with more than 3 million in Türkiye, 774,697 in Lebanon, 621,182 in Jordan, 292,419 in Iraq, 158,406 in Egypt and 43,283 in North Africa.9 Host countries struggle to integrate refugees due to existing macroeconomic challenges. At the same time, anti-refugee sentiment is rising in Türkiye.10 In Jordan, poverty among refugees has increased significantly since 2021 – by 10 per cent in host communities and 22 per cent in camps.11 Female-headed households make up one fourth of the camp population in Jordan and face heightened vulnerabilities.12 This difficult socioeconomic landscape poses serious risks to children's wellbeing, increasing the likelihood of negative coping strategies including child labour, child marriage and school dropout.

While host governments continue to generously accommodate Syrian refugees, achieving selfreliance and durable solutions for these refugees remains challenging. Legal status, restrictive policies and limited access to documentation hinder refugees' participation in society and their socioeconomic inclusion. Access to basic services and livelihood opportunities is inconsistent, and social protection schemes are often limited and hard to access. Consequently, long-term solutions are scarce, complicating life for both refugees and host communities.

New conflicts and natural disasters have compounded the ongoing Syria crisis in the region. In Türkiye, since the onset of the Syria crisis, the government has shown its commitment to hosting Syrians under temporary protection, bearing most of the financial burden related to the refugee response. However, as the displacement situation persists, with few prospects for durable solutions, Türkiye requires ongoing international support to share these responsibilities. The conflict in the Sudan forced more than 1 million people to flee to neighbouring countries, including Egypt, where many refugees, especially children and individuals with disabilities, face increased vulnerabilities. Additionally, rising irregular migration from the Syrian Arab Republic has strained community networks and public services in Egypt. Meanwhile, escalating hostilities in the State of Palestine have spilled over into Lebanon, raising concerns about broader regional impacts in Egypt, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic.1

Ecological degradation, water insecurity, desertification and rising temperatures threaten natural resources and infrastructure, exacerbated by population growth, poverty and displacement. Climate change continues to heighten needs and vulnerabilities, which could potentially result in escalating tensions between refugees and host communities. Ongoing conflicts and other humanitarian crises, along with climate change, deepen gender disparities, disproportionately affecting women and girls