THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD

Published purpose

March 2015 - The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate as a result of the civil war and intensified violence in the country. The United Nations estimates that 12.2 million people inside Syria, including 5.6 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance. Combined with 3.8 million Syrians seeking refuge from the conflict in neighbouring countries, this is the largest number of people displaced from conflict in the world. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of the conflict and host countries are increasingly overstretched by the influx of people fleeing the conflict. With DFATD’s support and other donors, the United Nations World Food Programme is providing food assistance (food, cash or vouchers to purchase food when appropriate) to 645,000 people in Jordan and 1.4 million people in Lebanon. This includes Syrian refugees, Palestinian refugees from Syria, Lebanese and Jordanian returnees, and host communities.