IOM – International Organization for Migration

Published purpose

September 2013 - The humanitarian situation in Syria has rapidly deteriorated over the past year as a result of the civil war in the country. The United Nations estimates that 100,000 people have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more wounded, due to the violence. Within Syria, some 6.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, 4.25 million of whom are internally displaced. In addition, close to 2 million Syrian refugees are living in host countries in the region. By the end of 2013, the United Nations estimates that 10 million people in Syria will need humanitarian assistance and a further 3.55 million refugees from Syria will have fled to host countries, where resources are increasingly overstretched by the influx of people needing assistance. With the support of DFATD and other donors, the International Organization for Migration is providing emergency assistance to up to 500,000 internally displaced persons in Syria, and up to 700,000 refugees in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, and to people in host communities. Project activities include providing shelter and non-food items such as clothing and hygiene kits and other services to meet people’s immediate humanitarian needs.