Today, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced more than $436 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Syria during a ministerial level meeting. This new funding, provided through the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will provide additional critical aid to families in need in Syria, Syrian refugees, and host communities in neighboring countries.
USAID’s additional funding will support humanitarian partners providing safe water, hygiene and relief supplies, and cash assistance to help Syrians affected by the country’s economic crisis. The funding will also help address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing health and nutrition assistance, as well as protection services, including mental health support for children sheltering in camps, safe spaces for women and children, psychosocial support, and assistance for survivors of gender-based violence.
This new funding comes at a critical time. On July 10, the United Nation’s current authorization for cross-border operations in Syria will expire. The United States continues to advocate for the UN Security Council to reauthorize the UN’s cross-border access at Bab al-Hawa—the last remaining crossing—and to reinstate other UN border crossings, to ensure the humanitarian community can deliver life-saving aid to the millions of Syrians who rely on aid to survive.
There is no viable alternative to UN cross-border assistance to meet the scope and scale of aid required in Syria, where humanitarian needs are at the highest levels ever seen, stemming from a decade of conflict and compounded by COVID-19 and an escalating economic crisis.
The United States continues to be the world’s largest donor to the Syria crisis response, providing nearly $13.5 billion in humanitarian assistance since the start of the decade-long conflict. Each month, U.S. humanitarian assistance through USAID and the State Department reaches nearly five million Syrians throughout all 14 governorates in Syria, as well as more than a million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries.
For the latest updates on USAID’s humanitarian assistance in Syria visit Syria | US Agency for International Development.