Mr. Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria, 15 May 2026

Country: Syrian Arab Republic Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. New York, 15 May 2026 Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you to the Deputy Special Envoy [Claudio Cordone] for his briefing. As I briefed you last month, Syria is at a critical yet promising moment. We must consolidate humanitarian gains and invest in recovery. I will cover three points today. Firstly, progress is real, but fragile. Violence has decreased, sanctions have eased, humanitarian access has improved, returns of refugees and internally displaced people are increasing, but funding is still falling faster than needs, and if recovery is delayed, it will end up costing more lives and more money. Humanitarian needs remain significant. About two thirds of the population, over 15 million people, most of them women, girls, and children, require help this year. We prioritize women, girls and children in all our humanitarian action because they are so often on the front line of these crises. But current funding levels mean we will only reach about half of those in need. Large-scale returns to Syria are a very positive sign of change, but they are also increasing pressure on already limited services, housing, livelihoods and infrastructure. And pressure on the humanitarian response continues to rise. More than 390,000 people have crossed the border from Lebanon since early March. That is 90,000 [people] since we briefed you a month ago. More than 80 per cent of those arrivals are Syrian, and more than 86,000 have indicated an intention to stay permanently. Many need some level of support. At the same time, the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz means that the cost of food and fuel is rising, with immediate consequences for communiti...

Original source: Relief Web