UN Security Council: Syria Humanitarian Appeal Only 16% Funded, WFP Halves Food Assistance

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher briefed the UN Security Council on Syria's severe humanitarian funding gap. Key findings: 15.6 million people — two-thirds of Syria's total population — require humanitarian assistance. The $2.9 billion 2026 Syria humanitarian appeal has received only $480 million, representing just 16% of required funding and leaving a $2.4 billion gap. The World Food Programme has been forced to cut emergency food assistance by 50%, reducing beneficiaries from 1.3 million to 650,000 people. Since early March 2026, over 390,000 people entered Syria from Lebanon (90,000 since April's Security Council briefing), adding pressure to already strained services. Economic conditions are deteriorating for ordinary Syrians: diesel prices are up 17%, electricity costs have risen several hundred percent in some areas, and government-subsidized bread loaf sizes have been reduced by 12%. Despite the political transition, Syria's humanitarian situation remains critical and chronically underfunded.