After a devastating conflict that lasted almost 14 years and over 13 million people forced to escape from their home, today Syria is at a crossroads. Since the beginning of last December, 350 thousand people have returned to the country and since the end of November over 885 thousand indoor displaced people have returned to their communities. The signs of hope are not lacking, but the humanitarian crisis remains dramatic. More than 16 million Syrians still need urgent aids – primarily food, accommodation, health care – and more than 7.4 million Syrian remain internal displaced people, most of whom live in extremely difficult conditions. Thousands of houses and the most important infrastructures have been razed to the ground or damaged. The economy is on their knees, there are no food, electricity, job and income opportunities. Families struggle to afford even the most elementary assets. These concerns are further aggravated by the recent wave of violence in the west of Syria, which caused the death of hundreds of civilians and pushed other people to flee from their homes.
To help respond to this situation, UNHCR Italia launches an urgent fundraising appeal to support the Syrian people: «After years lived away from their homes, many families are returning with determination and courage – declares Laura Iucci, director of the fundraising of UNHCR Italia. But the difficulties remain enormous, the crisis is not over: there are no houses, schools, hospitals, electricity, food and drinking water. We are working tirelessly in the country, the priorities are to repair the many damaged homes and restore the infrastructures of the basic services, but the resources are not sufficient. Without adequate support, millions of Syrian refugees and displaced people could see their dream of a better future blend. We cannot let this hope vanish. For this we launch an appeal to everyone’s generosity: we do not leave the Syrians alone in this crucial moment, just a little help to make the difference is enough».
The lack of funds remains a crucial issue: without sufficient funding, 1.5 million Syrian will remain without basic necessities and 75,000 among the most vulnerable people will remain without an emergency accommodation. The system of international humanitarian aid risks entering the most serious crisis ever seen for decades. We will see the most immediate effects of this crisis on millions of human beings, which will not be possible to guarantee basic necessities such as food, water, emergency accommodation. But not only that: humanitarian aid are also fundamental to guarantee stability and safety all over the world.
UNHCR investigations show that 80% of refugees hopes to return one day, with 27% that expresses their intention to do it within the next year, a figure in clear growth compared to almost 2% preceding the fall of the past government. In another survey carried out between January and February, which this time involved about 29,000 displaced people, it emerges that up to one million among those who live in the fields and sites for displaced people in the north-west of Syria they intend to return to their areas of origin within the next year, 600,000 of which in the next six months. UNHCR reiterates that all refugees have the fundamental right to return to their country when they want it and that all repatriations must be voluntary, safe and dignified.
Like many organizations that provide humanitarian assistance, UNHCR is also affected by cuts to international funding for humanitarian aid. To continue supporting refugees who choose to return voluntarily, providing assistance and ensuring that their decisions are free, informed and based on accurate information on the conditions in Syria, as well as to intervene in support of damaged homes, UNHCR then asks for a hand. You can contribute with a donation by connecting to the site https://sostieniunhcr.it/campagna-iaria-la-crisi-non-finita
