An NGO Perspective on the Response to the Syria Crisis, a mission report by ICVA & InterAction

Two years since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, nearly 6.8 million people need humanitarian assistance,1 representing over 20% of the Syrian population, and more than 70,000 people have been killed. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 2.5 million are internally displaced, while over 1 million have fled to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and North Africa. The length, intensity and severity of the conflict has led to the structural disintegration of Syria’s public and social services, including the collapse of the economy, spikes in food prices, shortages of medical supplies and personnel, and fuel shortages.Read more<

Where the war still echoes, a series on Syrian Refugees by IRIN

Selim and Leila were farmers in Dera'a, southwest Syria, until the day their village was shelled by government forces and they decided to leave the country. This entailed a terrifying nighttime journey on foot through government-held territory, escorted by the Free Syrian Army. To keep the children quiet and avoid detection, they gave them sleeping pills. Many of their relatives are still stuck in Syria.Read more<

Tensions High After Riot at Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan, says NYT

Jordanian demonstrators restricted access to the region’s largest camp of Syrian refugees for several hours on Saturday, delaying water delivery, after a riot in the camp injured 10 Jordanian security officers, one of them critically, officials said.

Kilian Kleinschmidt of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who is the director of the refugee camp, which is called Zaatari and is near the Syrian border, said Saturday afternoon that the situation was tense but under control after hours of stone-throwing on Friday night.Read more<

U.S. Doubling Non-lethal Assistance to the Syrian Opposition and New Humanitarian Aid for the Syrian Crisis, announces U.S. Department of State

Following his meetings with Syrian Coalition President al-Khatib, members of the Coalition’s leadership, and international partners supporting the Syrian opposition, Secretary of State John Kerry announced the United States’ intention to double non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, as well as provide additional humanitarian aid to Syrians in need.Read more<

UN expects Syrian refugee number to triple in Jordan by year-end, reports Agence France-Presse

The number of Syrian refugees in Jordan is expected to triple to 1.2 million by the end of the year, the UN said Friday, lamenting a dire lack of funding for aid operations in the country.

The UN estimates that around 385,500 Syrians have already sought refuge in Jordan, including nearly a quarter of a million children.Read more<

Joint NGO/UN briefing of the current shortfalls in aid and ability to meet humanitarian needs of refugees from Syria in Jordan

The scale of the humanitarian crisis
 Around the region there are more than 1 million refugees, and the shortfall in support for all countries cannot be ignored. The number of internally displaced Syrians, as well as Iraqis and Palestinians trapped in Syria, demostrates the huge potential for the refugee crisis to escalate.

 Read more<