UN continues efforts to stem COVID-19 and maintain humanitarian aid in Syria

The Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Imran Riza, has said that the United Nations and humanitarian partners are doing everything they can to support a comprehensive effort to stem the impacts of COVID-19 in the country while continuing vital humanitarian assistance programmes that provide a lifeline to millions in need.

“The past weeks have starkly demonstrated how even the world’s best health systems can stagger under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr. Riza said in a statement. “Here, in Syria, nine years of the crisis has resulted in a fragile health system, too few qualified health personnel, and damaged essential infrastructure. Millions of people, whose lives have already been marked by suffering, live in camps, collective shelters and informal sites where social distancing and regular handwashing are luxuries.”

The UN and humanitarian partners reach millions of families across Syria each month with life-saving assistance. With COVID-19 now in Syria, those programmes are now more challenging than ever to safely deliver.

Mr. Riza said that while COVID-19 is, first and foremost, a health crisis, it will have far-reaching implications.

“These impacts – including loss of jobs, suspension of essential schooling, disruption to supply chains, and a greater risk of food insecurity – will disproportionately affect the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. If not adequately addressed, the consequences may be felt for years to come,” he said. “This is also why the UN is determined, alongside our partners, to keep delivering the humanitarian assistance Syrians need, now more than ever.”

Original source: UNOCHA
Published on 14 April 2020