Syria: Humanitarian Response Plan Monitoring Report 2017

Humanitarian needs remain staggering in terms of scale, severity and complexity indicating little overall improvement in the humanitarian situation in Syria. Against the continued backdrop of high levels of violence and systemic violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL), no amount of humanitarian assistance and protection services can substitute for a political solution.

Hostilities remain the principal cause of Syria’s humanitarian crisis, resulting in countless deaths and injuries, mass internal displacement, lost livelihoods and widespread poverty and destitution. In this context protection needs should remain a priority, with the implementation of the Whole of Syria (WoS) Protection Strategy essential in fostering an inter-sector approach that enhances the overall protective environment in Syria.

With the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) only 33.4 per cent funded as of August 2017, humanitarians have prioritized helping those people in the most critical need of humanitarian aid. Continued under-funding will likely interrupt life-saving emergency assistance programmes, adversely affecting the ability of humanitarian organizations to reach these people. In this context, the support of member states is essential to i) make effective all pledges and ii) increase their financial commitment to principled and coordinated action in Syria.