UNICEF in Syria
Syria remains one of the most complex humanitarian situations in the world. Millions of children and families continue to face dire conditions amid ongoing instability and a slow recovery following 14 years of civil conflict. UNICEF is there, working with partners to meet urgent needs.
Paving the road to recovery in Syria
For well over a decade, children in Syria lived under the constant threat of violence, deprivation and extreme emotional duress, the result of a protracted civil war that erupted in 2011.
Many homes, schools, hospitals and water treatment facilities in Syria were destroyed, and millions of children and families are uprooted by fighting. The socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic hit children and families extremely hard, further eroding access to essential services.
Video: UNICEF stands committed to helping restore essential services, protect children as Syria enters new chapter
In February 2023, powerful earthquakes struck both Syria and Türkiye, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions more, and the country is still grappling with the aftermath.
A collapsing health care system, lack of access to safe water, poor sanitation and increasing food insecurity have heightened risks of fast-spreading waterborne and vaccine-preventable diseases, while also driving increases in malnutrition rates among children.
Millions of Syria's children have been living as refugees in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye for years. For those who remain inside the country, displacement, hardship and fear is a way of life.
The tattered economy has left families struggling to afford food and other basics, while contributing to the normalization of gender-based violence and child exploitation. Around 90 percent of families in Syria live in poverty — many of them resorting to negative coping mechanisms.
An entire generation of children has missed out on at least some education. Nearly half of the 5.5 million school-aged children — some 2.4 million children aged 5 to 17 — remain out of school, with more than 1 million at risk of dropping out, further heightening protection risks.
In late November 2024, Syria entered a period of significant military, economic, social, and political changes, culminating in the collapse of the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024.
More than 7.2 million people remain displaced, many enduring harsh winters in makeshift shelters. The continued economic crisis has pushed more than 85 percent of families into poverty.
An estimated 16.7 million people, including 7.5 million children, need humanitarian assistance.
UNICEF remains on the ground inside the country, working with Caretaker Authorities and exploring new opportunities for collaboration around humanitarian assistance and recovery efforts alongside other UN agencies, civil society partners and others. Instability, disorder and multiple deprivations remains prevalent across the country. Protection risks for children remain high.
UNICEF remains steadfast in its commitment to deliver critical support — and to bring hope for the future — as Syria embarks on the road to recovery.
How UNICEF is helping children in Syria
A significant proportion of the population of Syria remains in need of humanitarian assistance. UNICEF is there, delivering support and protection.
Priorities include:
- improving access to safe drinking water and sanitation services, distribute hygiene kits and promote safe hygiene practices
- reaching millions of children with essential nutrition services, while strengthening malnutrition prevention
- vaccinating children against measles, polio and other preventable diseases, including those living in hard-to-reach areas through mobile teams, while also strengthening infection prevention and control at the community level
- helping out-of-school children get back to learning and to catch up on their education
- providing mental health and psychosocial support activities to hundreds of thousands of children and caregivers in need
- strengthening violence prevention and response, teaching children about unexploded ordnance and how to stay safe
- expanding social protection for the poorest families through humanitarian cash transfers
- expanding life-skills programs, vocational education and entrepreneurship training for adolescents and young people
Continued support from the international community is critical for restoring systems that deliver essential basic social services, like education, water and sanitation, health, nutrition, child and social protection, ensuring that no child in Syria is left behind.
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