Syria Humanitarian Fund allocates over US$16 million to respond to East Ghouta and Afrin emergencies [EN/AR]

Damascus 24 April 2018 –The Syria Humanitarian Fund allocated US $16.3 million to 21 projects to respond to people displaced from East Ghouta and Afrin. This allocation will finance food and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, shelter and core relief items in addition to providing protection services to people in need.

“Through national and international humanitarian partners and UN agencies, immediate assistance will be provided to people who have been displaced from East Ghouta and Afrin, and those who have remained in east Ghouta,” said Ali Al-Za’tari, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria.

Following a call for applications, 39 project proposals were evaluated based on technical merit and strategic alignment by humanitarian sectors and partners before being approved by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria. 21 projects were prioritized for funding; 10 projects will be implemented by national and international NGOs and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the remaining 11 by UN agencies.

Approved projects will respond to both the East Ghouta and Afrin emergencies with 49 per cent of the budget to be allocated to Afrin while 51 per cent will be used in the East Ghouta response. “With this reserve allocation, the UN and partners are able to scale up the response to the crises in East Ghouta and Afrin. However, the Syria Humanitarian Fund has depleted all of its resources,” said Al-Za’tari. “We continue to appeal for funding to allow the humanitarian community to respond to those in need,” he added.

With the allocation process completed, most projects will begin as soon as mid-April. Organizations receiving funding through this allocation are: ADRA, COOPI, DRC, GOPA, HELP, IMC UK, OXFAM, PU, SARC, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNHCR and WHO.

About the Syria Humanitarian Fund

The Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF) was initiated in June 2014 after the decentralization of the Syria Regional Emergency Fund, which covered Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The SHF is led and managed by the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) for Syria to support the delivery of country-led response plans. The SHF is primarily aligned to support the delivery of strategic humanitarian response identified under the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) while retaining the flexibility to allocate funds to unforeseen events or special requirements.