Humanitarian Agenda

Jordan is now facing a threefold challenge—Covid-19, rising unemployment, and a deteriorating situation for refugees—that threatens the country’s stability.

The UN humanitarian chief plays a significant role in the global coordination of humanitarian aid. With the departure of the incumbent, Mark Lowcock, Secretary-General Guterres should conduct an inclusive and transparent process in choosing his successor.

The U.S. policy approach to assistance in Syria is missing a critical opportunity to foster resilience, support early recovery, and engender self-reliance for Syrian communities—particularly for women, whose lives and livelihoods have been transformed by the crisis

Millions of Syrians have been forcibly displaced by conflict, including an entire generation of children. The United States has an opportunity to mirror ambitious initiatives to help refugees by supporting displaced communities in their countries of origin and first asylum.

After ten years of crisis, the humanitarian, protection, and human rights challenges in Syria are at their apex. The humanitarian response and policy must be revitalized and revamped to achieve peaceful, long-term solutions for the people of Syria.

The Syrian conflict continues to create protection risks for millions across the country. The U.S. government must make policy and programmatic changes to support a more resilient population through engaging with local organizations and increasing funding for protection.

A decade of conflict in Syria has been defined by a flouting of international humanitarian law and deliberate harm to civilians. Accountability is needed to break a cycle of impunity and prevent the war in Syria from setting a precedent for conflicts across the globe.

Counterterrorism policy, sanctions programs, and overly burdensome bureaucratic and administrative impediments restrict humanitarian agencies’ ability to reach Syria’s most vulnerable people.

As humanitarian needs persist in Syria’s decade-long conflict, the needs of Syrians must be the guiding compass for policymakers to ensure there is unimpeded access to all Syrians across the entire country.