ISTANBUL, Turkey — Today, Syria is facing what the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) terms “one of the world’s most complex humanitarian emergencies.” Already devastated by 12 years of violent conflict, Syria also grapples with mass displacement, widespread poverty, economic slump and the spread of preventable disease. Most recently, the aftermath of a devastating earthquake highlighted the main impediments to international aid in Syria.
A Compounding Crisis
According to the UNHCR 2022 reports, the Syrian crisis accounted for the largest forced migration toll in the world, having displaced more than 12 million people — half the population — both within and outside Syria. The last year also saw a cholera outbreak in Syria causing thousands of acute cases.
The year 2023 then bore witness to a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria in early February, resulting in widespread devastation and further displacement. Amnesty International reported that the affected Syrian governorates housed a minimum of 4.5 million people who had already been largely dependent on humanitarian aid for survival. Furthermore, faced with political, financial and logistical barriers, foreign aid in Syria was late, uneven and scarce, highlighting impediments preventing international aid from reaching those in need.
According to the European Commission, even before February 2023, the Syrian population had unprecedented humanitarian needs and the compounding crises after the earthquake have pushed Syria’s humanitarian needs to an all-time peak.
Aid Challenges
According to Amnesty International, the earthquake affected the northwestern governates, where the U.N. had already been providing a significant amount of aid, most severely. However, in the aftermath of the earthquake, logistical and political challenges prevented an augmentation of the U.N.’s response to match aggravated needs. While the first shipment of aid to enter northwestern governorates came from a U.N. convoy, it arrived three days after the earthquake.
Since 2014, armed opposition groups have largely controlled the governorates in northwestern Syria. The Syrian government has in response blocked humanitarian aid to the rebel-held areas, with the exception of U.N. aid arriving via land passage from Türkiye as authorized by the United Nations Security Council. In the course of recent years, routes to northwest regions open to U.N. aid have been further reduced to only the Bab al-Hawa crossing, whose accessibility hinges on extensions of Security Council authorization.
While two additional land-crossings eventually opened for the passage of aid, the land-crossings became operational more than a week after the earthquake, with their utility limited to three months. Moreover, after the earthquake, donor states most frequently opted to channel assistance via established frameworks regulated by the central government, hence limiting the quantity of aid allocated to the northwest.
Foreign Aid in Syria After the Earthquake
In the aftermath of the earthquake, several international and local entities stepped up to provide substantial support and assistance. The European Commission alone donated €170 million to Syria while the IFRC launched an emergency appeal of CHF 650 million for the aid of both affected countries.
The Borgen Project spoke to Mey El Sayegh, the head of communications for the IFRC in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, who provided invaluable insight into the situation of the reception and provision of IFRC aid in Syria.
The IFRC’s Experience in Syria: First on the Field
As Sayegh corroborated, the IFRC had been active in Syria prior to the earthquake, coordinating with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) in response to the humanitarian needs arising from compounded crises through aid as well as livelihood and medical programs. In 2021, around 80% of the Syrian population benefited from at least one of the SARC’s services, according to IFRC. Hence, the IFRC through its various national societies, happened to be the first responders on the ground after the earthquake.
When asked about the IFRC’s immediate response after the earthquake, Sayegh told The Borgen Project that the MENA regional office of the IFRC convened first, leading the coordination between all its national societies in support of the SARC. National IFRC societies from Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, among others, quickly sent their personnel to disaster-stricken Syria. In addition, the IFRC mobilized funds through the IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund, which enabled the SARC’s operations.
The IFRC aimed to identify the needs on the ground and coordinate the disbursement of aid accordingly. According to Sayegh, early efforts included the sending of rescue and search teams as well as food parcels and fuel. She further indicated the significant role of donor states after the earthquake, including the Gulf countries and the EU national societies, among others, in mobilizing funding and comprehensive support for the IFRC’s activities.
Main Impediments to IFRC Aid in Syria
Sayegh also indicated a number of significant impediments that made it difficult to mobilize and support Syria. Firstly, despite generous contributions, significant deficits and fluctuations in funding remained. The IFRC Emergency Appeal aimed at supporting the SARC fell short of 57% of the requested amount, with only CHF 42.6 million received.
A contributing factor to the deficit of aid in Syria is the sanctions on Syria. Although humanitarian aid, including the operations of the IFRC, is exempt from sanctions, sanctions impede the delivery of equipment and medication especially on a larger scale. The ambiguity of the sanctions in the Caesar Act caused banks and other potential donors to become reluctant to engage in transactions and hampered the entry of large equipment required for rescue operations entailing the lifting of collapsed infrastructure. This ultimately restricted the IFRC’s efforts to the alleviation of suffering for those above the rubble.
A Complicated Situation
Sayegh highlights additional complications — Syria’s harsh weather conditions at the time, the absence of fuel needed by the ambulance vehicles of the SARC, the ongoing cholera epidemic, poor infrastructure, issues with the water network and the majority of health institutions being out of service.
Finally, in accordance with its mandate, the IFRC works through national societies, and in the case of Syria, this is the SARC, which is mainly present in the governorates under government control. The national societies of the IFRC all over the world have an auxiliary role to the authorities in the humanitarian field. From the very first day, Sayegh indicated, the IFRC did call on the humanitarian agencies with a strong presence in the northwest to take action in responding to growing needs in the region. Similarly, the IFRC is using its collective resources in the affected areas of northwestern Syria. However, as per the movement’s principles, the consent of the SARC is necessary for any other national society to operate in the territory of Syria.
Looking Ahead
Along with continuing livelihood programs and efforts to augment them, the IFRC seeks to emulate in Syria its cash assistance programs already running in Türkiye. “We already have a cash [program]in Turkey. We are going [to]be doing the same in Syria. And also, we already have a livelihood [program]and [are]trying to scale it up,” Sayegh told The Borgen Project. In the long run, Sayegh recommends a focus on rehabilitation programs that serve to build resilience and preserve the dignity of vulnerable populations in both Türkiye and Syria.
The international community is called to take action not only in delivering more decisive and timely responses but also to address the other barriers that impede the prompt delivery of aid to crisis-affected regions.
– Nadia Asaad
Photo: Courtesy of the IFRC