Syria Humanitarian Emergency
Nearly 15 years of conflict have left an enduring scar on the Syrian Arab Republic, decimating lives, livelihoods and infrastructure, and displacing millions. Today, an estimated 16.7 million people – two of every three Syrians – require humanitarian assistance in one of the world’s most protracted and complex crises. Critical infrastructure has collapsed, and the health system has been hollowed out. Just over half of hospitals and a third of primary health centres are fully operational, while 15.8 million people require urgent healthcare. Chronic shortages of medicines, equipment and personnel continue to restrict access to services. In the north-west region, over half of maternity hospitals have suspended operations since September 2024, following severe funding cuts.
Displacement remains a defining feature of the crisis. Approximately 11 million Syrians have been uprooted – 7 million internally and 4.5 million as refugees abroad. Renewed violence since late 2024 has displaced more than 460,000 people, heightening risks of gender-based violence, exploitation and early marriage in overcrowded shelters and camps where food, privacy and safe sanitation are limited. Conditions for refugee women and adolescent girls in Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye are similarly deteriorating. Deepening economic strain, shrinking asylum spaces and overstretched public services compound protection risks, while rising costs, legal barriers and declining humanitarian funding constrain access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Across the region, UNFPA programme data points to increased intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation and child marriage, particularly among households coping with prolonged displacement. As host communities grapple with inflation, service cuts and climate-related shocks, refugee women and girls often sit at the intersection of multiple vulnerabilities, navigating insecurity, discrimination and reduced opportunities, with few safety nets to rely on.
UNFPA plays a leading role in restoring and sustaining reproductive health and protection services inside Syria and across the wider region hosting Syrian refugees. Within the country, UNFPA supports a network of health facilities, safe spaces and mobile teams that deliver medical care, psychosocial support and gender-based violence case management, reaching displaced communities and those in hard-to-reach areas. Across the region, UNFPA works with national systems, local non-governmental organizations and women-led organizations so that refugee women and girls can access essential sexual and reproductive health services, clinical care for survivors of rape, and safe spaces for counselling and protection. It distributes reproductive health and hygiene supplies to displaced and host-community women. Youth empowerment, life skills training and resilience-building initiatives help to restore stability and agency for those navigating long-term displacement.
