THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD

Published purpose

February 2016 – The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate as a result of the civil war and intensified violence in the country. The United Nations (UN) estimates that 13.5 million people inside Syria, including 6 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance. Of this total, 6.5 million are internally displaced; 4.5 million reside in hard-to-reach areas and an estimated 8.7 million are in need of food assistance. Basic social services, particularly health care and education, are heavily disrupted. 11 of 14 Governorates raise sexual and gender-based violence as a concern. Psychosocial distress as a result of the crisis is reported at a significant scale. The UN estimates that four out of five Syrians live in poverty and nearly two-thirds in extreme poverty. With the support of GAC and other donors, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is providing food assistance and livelihoods strengthening activities to up to 4.25 million vulnerable crisis-affected people in Syria. Project activities include: (1) providing supplementary feeding to address the critical nutrition needs of young children and pregnant and lactating women; (2) identifying vulnerable conflict-affected people and improving monitoring to ensure assistance reaches those most in need; and (3) supporting logistical efforts to reach people in besieged locations.