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The European Union contributes over €8 million towards UNICEF programmes for the most vulnerable children and families in Syria

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Syria
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UNICEF
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More than one million people to benefit from access to life-saving services across the country

DAMASCUS, 10 February 2019 - The European Union has contributed €8.3 million in 2018 towards UNICEF support for the most vulnerable children and families in Syria. This funding will help provide over one million conflict-affected people, mainly children and women, with access to protection, health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation services.

“Even as the Syria crisis approaches its eighth year, the humanitarian needs remain acute for more than 5 million children across the country. UNICEF is committed to reaching children in need in Syria wherever they are,” said UNICEF Representative in Syria, Fran Equiza. “We thank the people of the European Union for their generous and continued support which will help us to urgently respond to the needs of the most vulnerable children and their families, especially those displaced by the conflict, in hard-to-reach areas and newly accessible locations.”

Since 2012, the European Union has provided more than €48 million in funding for UNICEF’s programmes for children in Syria.

“Our partnership with UNICEF has helped millions of children stay fed and healthy, ensuring that they are protected from harm and returning them to school,” said Christos Stylianides, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management. “Investing in Syria’s most vulnerable children today is not only an immediate necessity, it will also help build a brighter future for an inclusive Syria and the region as a whole.”

The EU's humanitarian contribution will help UNICEF reach:

  • 5 000 children through child protection programmes, including the provision of structured psychosocial support activities through outreach teams and child-friendly spaces;

  • 6 000 vulnerable children and parents with mine risk education, especially those returning to conflict-ridden cities and newly accessible areas; 11 800 children and teachers through learning programmes and the provision of essential learning material in non-formal education to help get children back to learning;

  • More than 870 000 vulnerable children and families with much-needed hygiene supplies, emergency water system repairs and essential drinking water disinfectants to provide them with access to safe drinking water.

  • 200,000 children, women and health workers through improved access to life-saving health and nutrition services and supplies. ###

About the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO), the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

Media Contacts

Salam Al-Janabi
Communication Specialist
UNICEF Syria
Tel: +963 931 471840

Email: sabdulmunem@unicef.org