SYRIA / MENA Newswire / — Syria is in a promising but fragile phase that requires sustained international support to strengthen recovery and stability, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council, as humanitarian agencies warned that funding shortfalls are limiting aid for millions of people still affected by years of conflict, displacement, economic hardship and damaged public services across the country.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said conditions have improved in parts of Syria, citing lower levels of violence, wider humanitarian access, easing sanctions and the return of displaced families as signs of progress. He said those gains remain limited by severe humanitarian needs, weak infrastructure, unexploded ordnance and shortages in aid financing that continue to affect food, health, shelter, water and protection services.
The United Nations said 15.6 million people in Syria require assistance this year, most of them women and children. Current resources are sufficient to reach only about half of those in need. The 2026 humanitarian response plan for Syria requires about $2.9 billion, while received funding stands at roughly $480 million, leaving agencies unable to maintain several essential programmes at full scale.
Aid funding gap widens
Fletcher told the Security Council that recovery support must be tied to practical needs facing communities, including mine clearance, basic services, livelihoods and support for safe returns. He said unexploded ordnance remains a major risk for civilians in areas where families are trying to return, rebuild homes and reopen schools, clinics and local markets after prolonged displacement.
Food assistance has also come under pressure. The World Food Programme has reduced emergency food support in Syria from about 1.3 million people to about 650,000 because of funding constraints. A bread subsidy programme that had supported hundreds of bakeries was also halted, affecting access to subsidized bread for large numbers of families already facing high prices and limited incomes.
Returns raise recovery needs
The United Nations said cross-border returns have increased, including movements from Lebanon into Syria since early March. More than 390,000 people crossed into Syria from Lebanon during that period, including more than 86,000 who declared an intention to remain permanently. Humanitarian officials said returning families require shelter, identity documentation, education, health care, water systems and protection from mines and other explosive remnants.
Deputy Special Envoy Claudio Cordone told the Security Council that accountability, transitional justice and inclusive political processes remain central to Syria’s transition. He also cited continuing security concerns, economic pressures and violations of Syrian sovereignty as factors affecting stability. The briefing underscored a central UN message that Syria’s current opening requires coordinated international assistance focused on humanitarian relief, early recovery and durable public services.