MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK commits additional £3 million to bolster aid to Syria

• FCDO will provide emergency healthcare and protection assistance to women and girls fleeing the conflict in Lebanon.
• £3m package to support those most in need, as 400,000 people are displaced into Syria due to conflict in Lebanon.
• Minister for Development Anneliese Dodds continues UK call for displaced civilians to be protected and given safe passage away from the violence.

The most vulnerable civilians fleeing the Lebanon conflict into Syria will be provided with life-saving emergency assistance and healthcare, as the UK boosts its humanitarian support with a £3 million package.

Taking refuge from the escalating conflict, more than 400,000 people – over half of whom are women and children – are estimated by the UN to have been displaced from Lebanon into Syria since September. The majority of those who have been displaced are Syrians, who initially fled to Lebanon after the Syrian civil war which began in 2014.

The UK funding will help trusted aid organisations to deliver immediate healthcare at border crossings, including trauma and injury support, as well as targeted protection assistance for women and girls.

Minister for Development Anneliese Dodds said:

The humanitarian situation in Lebanon and the wider Middle East is extremely concerning. It is critical that vulnerable civilians fleeing the conflict in Lebanon are given safe passage, and for their lives to be protected.

Today’s package of emergency assistance will provide support to those most in need as they continue to risk their lives to make this dangerous journey.

Of the £3 million in funding, £2 million has been allocated to the UN OCHA led Syria Humanitarian Fund, with £500,000 given to both the International Medical Corps UK and UNFPA.

International Medical Corps UK Country Director Wafaa Sadek said:

This new contribution builds on the generous support from the FCDO, helping the International Medical Corps to deliver essential healthcare and humanitarian aid to people crossing from Lebanon into Syria.

Thanks to FCDO funding, International Medical Corps has already deployed three Mobile Medical Teams to address the growing needs—one serving Damascus and Rural Damascus, another covering Latakia and Tartous, and a third focusing on Hama and Homs governorates.

This announcement follows more than £4 billion of funding that the UK has contributed since 2011 in lifesaving and life-sustaining assistance for the victims of the crisis in Syria – its largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

In Lebanon, we have already announced £10 million of aid to respond to a widespread lack of shelter, and reduced access to clean water, hygiene and healthcare. This is in addition to £5 million already provided to UNICEF. The government is also supporting the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, with the government aid matching up to £10 million raised by the public. 

The UK is clear that a wider regional conflict must be avoided at all costs and is committed to working with partners to secure a ceasefire on all sides.

Notes to Editors:

• Today’s allocation of funding comes from the UK’s annual Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) package for Syria, which is totalled at £97m for FY 24-25.
• In addition, £6m will be released from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) – to which the UK contributes centrally and is a leading donor– for the UN response to new arrivals from Lebanon in Syria.
• Syria remains an unsafe destination for vulnerable people, including Syrian refugees, who should only return to Syria voluntarily in a safe and dignified manner.
• UK commits additional £10 million of aid to Lebanon – GOV.UK