Syrian Arab Republic

The United Nations in Syria

The United Nations common system in Syria is composed of 16 resident entities and offices (FAO, OCHA, OSE, UNDOF, UNDP, UNDSS, UNFPA, UNHABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNMAS, UNOPS, UNRWA, UNTSO, WFP, WHO) and 7 non-resident entities (ESCWA, IFAD, ILO, OHCHR, UNEP, UNESCO, UNIDO, and UNODC ).

The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) ensures full participation of all UN entities in the decision-making process concerning strategic and programmatic priorities, taking into consideration the dire humanitarian needs of the people in Syria and ensuring a principled and transparent approach to the design and delivery of UN assistance.

The UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator chairs the Syria UNCT in his capacity as Resident Coordinator. The Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) in Syria provides secretariat, advisory and coordination support to the country team and the inter-agency coordination groups.

The guiding programmatic framework that governs the UNCT’s engagement in Syria is the UN Strategic Framework (UNSF), signed with the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and consulted with a wide range of national and international partners.

Through multi-year resilience and recovery programmes and projects, the UNSF complements the Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs) that set out the framework within which the humanitarian community responds to the large-scale humanitarian and protection needs in Syria, on the basis of the prioritization undertaken across and within sectors.

Milestones

1. The UN collaborates with over 200 humanitarian partners to provide life-saving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people through the  Humanitarian Response Plans, meeting the needs of millions of people across the year.
2. The UN and humanitarian partners are working to improve the protection context for millions of people who face protection threats, operating at sub-district, municipality, neighborhood and community level.
3. Over the years, the UN has increased the resilience of affected communities by improving access to livelihood opportunities and basic services, especially among the most vulnerable households and communities.
4. The UN Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF) was established in 2014, covering critical gaps in humanitarian operations and increasing access through funding projects and response across Syria.
5. The UN country team in Syria also supports livelihoods opportunities and access to quality basic services for over 5 million people a year, through multiyear programmes under its UN Strategic Framework (SF).The current SF is covering the period 2016-2021.
6. The UN facilitates the Syrian-led political process, based on the Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), through the work of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria and his team.

To learn more visit: https://syria.un.org/.