OCHA says reconstruction, vital repairs underway in Syria, as ‘security conditions’ permit

UNITED NATIONS – UN and partners on Thursday said t

hat over 1.3 million Syrians have received food aid in the past 3 weeks across Syria as the restoration of key services begins in some of the relatively stable areas.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York at the daily briefing on Thursday that bakeries in Aleppo are at near full capacity “but partners report that they have seen long queues and crowding.”

UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported that the rehabilitation of key facilities has begun in the northwest of Syria

The first area to fall to opposition fighters on the road to Damascus from their powerbase around Idlib including hospitals in Homs and road repairs in Aleppo.

UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross said that water supplies have been fully restored in Aleppo after a six-day suspension.

UNICEF chied Tom Fletcher is in Türkiye after visiting many areas across Syria earlier in the week.

Mr. Fletcher met families in Idlib “who voiced their need for immediate services and for the rehabilitation of their homes and land before they could return to their places of origin,” said Mr. Dujarric.

Fletcher said that unexploded ordnance poses a major risk to civilians, including children, and must be cleared as a priority.

“We and our partners are responding as security and logistical conditions permit,” the UN Spokesperson added.

Over 1.3 million people have received food aid across the country, including hot meals. However, the rapid devaluation of the Syrian currency is impacting food availability.

In Hama, 30 health facilities remain non-functional while in northeast Syria, 14 health facilities continue to be suspended due to reports of vandalism, looting, and lack of access.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that other health facilities maintain only basic services due to severe shortages of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, “making a horrific situation even worse for the 44,000 displaced people in that region.”

Humanitarians said evacuation orders by the Israeli army have triggered displacements in southern Syria.

OCHA repeated that those fleeing fighting must be allowed to do so safely and return voluntarily when the situation allows.

UNICEF said many Syria’s villages, towns and cities are empty and uninhabitable after 14 years of war.

The ahgency said that after a three-day assessment mission to Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo that the international community needs to provide rapid support for Syria, so that children and their families can return safely to their former homes:

Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, engaged in a virtual townhall with over 200 young Syrians half of whom were women from Syria and the diaspora.

It highlighted the critical role that young people will play in Syria’s transition, focused on their aspirations and their concerns for the future, said Dujarric.

UN independent rights expert or Special Rapporteure on torture, Alice Jill Edwards has raised the alarm about the potential loss of crucial evidence of torture in Syria.

Ms. Edwards published a position paper relevant to the International Court of Justice’s upcoming case against Syria as families search desperately for their missing loved ones.

The paper documents extensive allegations of torture and inhuman treatment since the civil war began in 2011.

Ms. Edwards highlighted severe abuses under the Assad regime, including beatings, electric shocks, and sexual torture. She emphasized the systemic nature of these crimes, with reports from infamous prisons like Sednaya.

The lack of basic necessities and medical care has exacerbated the suffering.

Ms. Edwards called for justice and rehabilitation for victims, stressing the need for an independent body to investigate these crimes.

She warned about the contamination of crime scenes could hinder future prosecutions. The full position paper is available for review.