Syria Cross-Border Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2023

In early February 2023, a series of earthquakes hit southern Türkiye and northern Syria, with the strongest measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, resulting in over 4,500 fatalities and 10,400 injuries in north-west Syria alone. This worsened an already dire humanitarian situation, with 4.1 million out of 4.5 million people relying on aid for survival and basic services. Furthermore, hostilities in October displaced around 123,000 people in Idleb and western Aleppo, exacerbating the crisis. The operational landscape remained complex throughout the year, marked by challenges like the expiration of the UN Security Council Resolution and the transition to the consent model for humanitarian access. With the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) securing only 50 per cent of required funds, the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF) covered 14 per cent of the HRP funding, allocating USD 140 million to its implementing partners, assisting 2,8 million people in need.

In 2023, the SCHF completed its tenth year of operations, having allocated since its inception approximately one billion dollars. The Fund continues playing a catalytic role in supporting the response to north-west Syria, with the Syrian NGOs at the forefront receiving 55 per cent of direct funding and 66 per cent including sub-grants. Under the leadership of the Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, the SCHF steers the response in north-west Syria with innovative interventions such as the dignified shelter approach, supporting expansion of water stations/networks, supporting dam rehabilitation to prevent large-scale cholera outbreak, enhancing multipurpose cash interventions.

In 2024, after 13 years of conflict, the humanitarian situation in north-west Syria is at its worst, with 3.4 million people being internally displaced - up from 2.9 million people last year. Almost half of the 4.2 million people in need are children, many of whom live in overcrowded camps and 89 per cent of children in north-west Syria in need of protection assistance. The cross-border response is facing the worst funding crisis in its history, with critical functions of hospitals being temporarily suspended, and contributions to the SCHF being at a record low (paid contributions received to date: USD 5,4 million).