Highlights
UNICEF and other humanitarian actors in Syria have called on all parties to the conflict to lift sieges and allow unconditional and sustained UN access to deliver humanitarian assistance without removals or restrictions. In Syria, the first round multi-antigen routine vaccination campaign has reached 475,549 children under one from Damascus, and 410,396 children through cross border immunization.
In Syria in May 2016, UNICEF reached around 230,650 people in 39 hard to reach locations with life-saving interventions and critical WASH, education, health, nutrition and child protection services and delivered supplies for at least 42,500 beneficiaries in 12 besieged areas. In the same period, UNICEF participated in inter-agency crossline convoys to besieged area of Harasta (estimated reach: 8,000 beneficiaries) and the besieged areas of Qaryatin, Bludan, Qudsaya and Hameh (estimated reach: 52,000 beneficiaries).
In Jordan, in response to the rapid increase in refugee population in Azraq camp population (close to 20,000 arrivals since early March), UNICEF has supported the rehabilitation and expansion of WASH infrastructure.
UNICEF programmes across the region are supporting over 584,000 children in formal education opportunities from a target of 844,000, however only 175,000 children of 845,000 targeted have been reached with Non-Formal education.
Across the region over 558,000 children and women have been screened for malnutrition against a 1.36 million target. Routine vaccination programmes however have only reached 92,000 children of 663,000 targeted.
The UNICEF response inside Syria remains gravely underfunded with a 60% funding gap, or US$ 191 million.
Humanitarian Overview
In Syria, heavy clashes and internal confrontations amongst Non-State Armed Groups continued in East Ghouta, with active conflict affecting access and resulting in high numbers of casualties. Douma and Daraya have recently been reached after several years but access is not sustained. The humanitarian situation inside Moadamiyeh ElSham continued to deteriorate over the last two months, with serious health, nutrition and protection risks to the population. As fighting intensified In Idleb, humanitarian space became more constrained.
Some districts suffer water shortages due to continuous increases in fuel prices, which seriously affect the provision of public water services. Furthermore, IDPs in Al Safsafa and Al Taacky camps suffer from water shortages, with cases of water-borne diseases reported in Al Taacky camp due to the consumption of unsafe water. Cases of leishmaniosis and lice were reported across the governorate. In Homs city, the shelling of Al Wa’er neighbourhood continues, with access to the area restricted since March. Al Wa’er has been included by the UN in the list of besieged areas since June. Power supply continues to be disrupted in Aleppo as a result of conflict and the consequent water scarcity is affects over 2 million people. On May 27 parties to the conflict deliberately cut off fuel supplies to the two main water pumping stations in Eastern Aleppo, Sulaiman al Halabi and Bab al Nierab.