NEW YORK (September 23, 2014) — As news breaks about airstrikes in Syria by the United States and five Arab nations, World Vision warns the immediate humanitarian needs in the region have been continuing to grow.
World Vision is gravely concerned about the impact of the Syrian crisis, already into its fourth year, on a generation of children. More than half of people needing humanitarian assistance are children, with 1.5 million children having now fled Syria. Twice that number remain, many under direct threat of violence, says World Vision.
With world leaders gathering in New York today for the United Nations General Assembly – where the crisis in Syria and Iraq is expected to dominate discussions – the child-focused aid agency is calling for all parties to the conflict, and those states with influence over them, to urgently focus on reaching a peaceful agreement to end the bloodshed and take immediate steps to protect children and enable humanitarian access.
“The international community is not doing enough. The children affected by the conflict in Syria need to become a priority for world leaders, particularly those with influence over parties to the conflict,” says World Vision’s director of external advocacy, Chris Derksen Hiebert.
Approximately 6.5 million children have now been affected by the Syrian conflict, and 1.5 million have become refugees. World Vision is working in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Kurdish Region of Iraq, meeting the needs of hundreds of thousands of people and appealing for more funds to assist the most vulnerable.
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About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.
Highlights
- More than half of people needing humanitarian assistance are children.
- Three million children remain in Syria, many under direct threat of violence.
- World Vision urges leaders at UN General Assembly to focus on peace, child protection and humanitarian access.