Today, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya announced nearly $535 million in additional U.S. humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people. This life-saving assistance from the American people includes more than $235 million through the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and nearly $300 million through the United States Agency for International Development's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
The humanitarian assistance announced today includes:
- Assistance provided through international organization partners to help meet the needs of the most vulnerable refugees, internally displaced persons, and host communities. These needs include emergency shelter; food assistance; access to health care and education; water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies; support for livelihoods; and protection for those in situations of vulnerability.
- Support through partnerships with international and local non-governmental organizations as they work with governments around the region to provide life-saving support and protection to host communities, refugees, and asylum seekers.
The United States remains the single largest humanitarian donor to the Syria response, contributing nearly $1.2 billion to the response in Syria and the region in FY 2024 and more than $18 billion since the start of the 13-year crisis. This new assistance comes amid increasingly dire humanitarian needs, with 16.7 million Syrians requiring assistance within Syria and more than five million Syrian refugees across the region. The United States continues to uphold our commitment to the Syrian people, and we urge other donors to join us in stepping up to fill the significant funding gaps so partners can continue to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.
In her remarks, Under Secretary Zeya emphasized conditions inside Syria do not allow for safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable refugee returns and that a political solution in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 remains the only way to ultimately end the suffering of the Syrian people. She also stressed the United States will continue to promote respect for the dignity and human rights of all Syrians and continue to support Syrian civil society in its pursuit of justice and accountability for human rights violations and abuses.
