UNITED NATIONS, April 22 (Xinhua) -- UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said Wednesday that Syria could be a success story for the world contingent on international support.
Briefing the Security Council on the situation in Syria, Fletcher said he was in a position to share a more positive trajectory.
During his visit to Syria last month, he saw progress: millions of people returning home, markets growing, and more lights coming back on, said Fletcher.
But he cautioned that Syria faces three major risks: the spillover effect of conflict across the region, enormous humanitarian needs in the country, and a lack of funding for humanitarian relief.
"The world needs a success story right now. Syria could be that story -- but only if this (Security) Council helps us overcome the three risks I have outlined: through sustained diplomatic engagement, immediate humanitarian support, and long-term investment in the future," said Fletcher.
Conflict across the region in March put immense pressure on Syria. As of Sunday, nearly 300,000 people had crossed into Syria from Lebanon, adding to the estimated 1.6 million Syrian refugees who have returned to Syria from across the region since the end of 2024, he said.
While the ceasefire between Iran and the United States holds, tensions in the region remain high. The risk of ongoing disruptions to critical supply routes persists, threatening to destabilize the fragile internal momentum and potentially setting back return and recovery efforts by years, he warned.
In Syria, some 13 million people are in need of food, 12 million in need of clean water, and nearly 13 million need health care support, said Fletcher.
He called for sustained diplomatic energy to resolve remaining flash points and allow people to return safely, voluntarily and with dignity -- both inside Syria and across the region. He also called for more money, as the total humanitarian appeal of 2.9 billion U.S. dollars is only over 15 percent funded. ■
