Just six months after the World Food Programme was forced to cut aid for a third of Syrian refugees due to a severe lack of funding, a surge in support from donor countries has triggered a massive breakthrough.
On February 4, 2016, world leaders gathered in London and raised more than $10 billion USD in pledges for the Syrian response - the largest amount ever raised in a single day for a humanitarian crisis.
As part of this conference, $675 million USD was pledged to the WFP. Thanks to this unprecedented funding commitment, the WFP has announced it can restore full food provisions for Syrian refugees in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt, as well as people trapped in Syria .
“On behalf of the Syrian people whose lives have been torn apart by the conflict, we thank those world leaders who stepped up in London,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.
Equipped with the funds to feed millions of Syrians, the WFP will also provide increased school meals for children in Syria, helping to ensure that lack of food is not a barrier to access to education.
This is a major step forward. Over 4.5 million Syrians inside the country and 1.8 million refugees outside of it, rely on food assistance every day. Cuts to food aid at the end of last year left thousands of Syrians in deteriorating conditions. The Guardian reported that urban refugees in Lebanon and Jordan had to survive on food vouchers worth only $14 USD per person each month, less than 50 cents a day. The increasing desperation left many with no choice but to flee to Europe, intensifying the largest refugee crisis since World War II.
The food crisis in Syria has gained global attention. Images of starving children from the besieged town of Madaya are still seared into people’s minds after shocking photos made front pages across the planet. While international outrage enabled the UN to push through and deliver aid to Madaya and other starving Syrian towns, a long term settlement has not been agreed.
Right now, Syria is in the midst of a truce that is allowing UN agencies to deliver aid to besieged or hard to reach areas. The precarious ceasefire has been riddled with complaints of alleged violations, but the UN has stressed it must continue.
“We can continue to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to many people, at least 400,000 people who are living in besieged areas”, said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. “So, it is absolutely important and crucial that the parties keep their promise.”
As Syria's tragic conflict drags on and approaches its fifth anniversary, this breakthrough in funding is a vital lifeline for Syria’s people.