Statement by Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on the one-year anniversary of the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria [EN/AR]
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6 February 2024
A year since a series of earthquakes killed 50,000 people in Türkiye and 5,900 people in Syria, thousands of families have yet to heal from the impact of the devastation. Survivors live with the loss and trauma of those frightful days.
As I saw firsthand in both countries, entire communities lost their homes and thousands of buildings were flattened, with schools, hospitals, mosques and churches destroyed or damaged.
In Syria, the earthquakes compounded an already dire humanitarian situation caused by a conflict about to hit the 13-year-mark. Across the country, some 16.7 million people need humanitarian assistance this year – the most since the start of the conflict.
In the north-west, more than 43,000 people displaced by the earthquakes have still not returned home – 40,000 of them are living in 70 reception centers and 3,000 in camps.
Working with our partners, we continue to assist millions of people across Syria each month, including those affected by the earthquakes.
Today, our thoughts are again with the survivors and those who lost loved ones. And for those who still need humanitarian assistance, our pledge remains to do all we can to continue to help.
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