UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

07 March 2025

Urgent support needed as 1 million displaced in north-west Syria yearn for home

Celine Schmitt, Senior Communications Adviser for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), speaking from Damascus, stated that up to 1 million internally displaced people (IDPs) living in camps and displacement sites across north-west Syria intended to return to their areas of origin within the next year, 600,000 of them in the next six months, according to a new survey. The survey showed that 51 per cent of households intended to return to their areas of origin, with 93 per cent planning to go home within three to 12 months. It was carried out between 26 January and 23 February. UNHCR and partners surveyed 4,800 households – more than 29,000 individuals – in 514 IDP sites across north-west Syria. As of January, more than 3.4 million IDPs were in north-west Syria, including 1.95 million in 1,500 camps and other displacement sites across the governorates of Idleb and Aleppo. Intentions to return were particularly strong among IDPs. Former frontline areas in the Idleb and Aleppo governorates are the primary intended destinations for return, especially the Al Ma’ra and Jebel Samaan districts. Overall, 23 districts could see their populations at least double, placing additional strain on overstretched services and infrastructure.

This week, at IDP sites in Idleb, UNHCR witnessed the emotional desire and determination of internally displaced Syrians to go home and rebuild, as they now felt safe. For that to be dignified and sustainable, they needed jobs, housing, schools, hospitals and basic services like electricity and clean water. They also needed support to remove landmines; they cited fear of explosive remnants as their biggest security concern. Access to housing was among the biggest needs. The survey – conducted by UNHCR revealed that 80 per cent of asked IDPs said their homes were severely damaged or destroyed, rising to 95 per cent among the 350,000 IDPs planning to return to the former frontline districts of Al Ma’ra (Idleb) and Suqaylabiyah (Hama).

UNHCR and its partners were providing transport, legal assistance and support in repairing damaged homes as well as mattresses, blankets and winter clothing for the tough months ahead. Nearly 14 years after the crisis began, Syria was at a crossroads, urgently needing support for rebuilding as years of conflict had devastated the economy and infrastructure, leaving 90 per cent of the population reliant on aid. UNHCR called on the international community to make a firm commitment to support Syrians with essential aid for returnees and by investing in early recovery. With an injection of support, the international community could help end the world’s largest displacement crisis. International partners needed to step up to meet these needs and support immediate and long-term recovery.

Responding to questions from the media, Ms. Schmitt stressed that USD 170 million were needed for immediate assistance, and that a call was made to development partners for funding long-term assistance in Syria, implementing basic services such as water and electricity. She also called the international community to ease the international sanctions on Syria to help relief humanitarian action. She added that as of now, less than 10 per cent of the UNHCR appeal was funded.

Ms. Schmitt emphasised that mines were a major security issue across the country. People were particularly concerned by this issue in the regions of Idlib, Aleppo and Daraa. UNHCR was providing mine prevention sessions in 122 community centres across Syria, with the aim to avoid accidents involving children – which were the main victims of mine explosion.

Aid efforts in Burundi buckling as more Congolese arrive in largest influx in decades

Faith Kasina, Regional Spokesperson for East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), speaking from Bujumbura, stated that as conflict in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continued, thousands of people were still crossing the border into Burundi in what had become the largest influx the country has experienced in decades. Nearly 63,000 people had arrived in less than a month, with over 1,100 crossing on 5 March. Despite a slight decline in arrivals this past week, hundreds of refugees continued to arrive in Burundi every day through 11 border crossings, most of which were unofficial. The majority were women, children and the elderly. Most of them walked for hours, traversing difficult terrain at night without stopping to rest, fearful of getting caught up in hostilities. Many children were arriving alone or separated from their families.

The Burundian authorities had established reception and transit facilities to register, shelter, and provide emergency assistance to those arriving. UNHCR and partners were rushing to support relief efforts with emergency aid. Over 45,000 refugees were still sheltering in a local stadium in Rugombo, a few kilometres from the DRC border, awaiting relocation to designated refugee sites. The stadium had surpassed its hosting capacity, and many families were now staying in open fields within the community or with well-wishers. This week, UNHCR had set up a protection desk to provide critical psychosocial support and to assist in identifying specific needs among the new arrivals. However, resources available for follow-up care were extremely limited. Inadequate sanitation facilities and poor waste management were making the situation even more precarious, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

Relocation had started to the new refugee site identified by the authorities to ease pressure at the border. However, significant logistical challenges, including vehicle shortages and long travel times, were challenging efforts to move refugees to better equipped locations. In the Musenyi refugee site, in the south of the country, new arrivals were settling down. The site, which could host 10,000 people, was now 60 per cent full. Refugees were receiving food and water and could access local health facilities. However, medical services, as well as psychosocial support to help address trauma, were urgently needed. To ensure refugee children could continue learning, UNHCR was also looking to build additional classrooms in local schools and other educational facilities.

In the current constrained funding environment, Burundi was one of many countries where an urgent injection of support was needed. Without it, more lives would be put at risk. As of 5 March, some 85,000 people had fled to neighbouring counties from the DRC following the recent escalation of fighting. By comparison, less than 7,000 people fled to neighbouring countries in the first two months of 2024.

Answering questions, Ms. Kasina said that a significant number of children fled alone, without family. The reason behind this was that separation of families during the escape from DRC was practically inevitable due to the fear of being caught up in hostilities. People were fleeing by foot, walking during hours in very harsh conditions, which worsened children’s and families’ situation.

US funding cuts

William Spindler, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), responding to the media, stated that UNHCR had been working closely with the United States for decades. The US had been leading in refugee protection and had been a generous contributor to UNHCR programmes. UNHCR was actively and constructively engaged with the US government to continue supporting refugees and people forced to flee.

Special Commemoration of International Women’s Day 2025 with UN Women

Sofia Calltorp, Chief of Humanitarian Action of UN Women, announced that the Special Commemoration of International Women’s Day 2025, “Intergenerational Dialogue on Beijing +30. For all women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” would take place today, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm in Room XIX at the Palais des Nations. This event was co-organized by UN Women, UNOG and the EU Delegation, and would reflect on the 30^th Anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action by engaging dialogue with UN senior officials, representatives from permanent missions and young voices from Afghanistan, Kenya and Peru. This year marked the 50^th anniversary of the UN establishing International Women’s Day on 8 March 1975 and the 30^th anniversary of the 4^th World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

This year’s theme was “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment”, and stand as a powerful reminder of progress made and a call for collective action – a pivotal moment to push forward, to mobilize global solidarity, and to honour decades of hard-fought advances. Central to this vision was the empowerment of the next generation as catalysts for lasting change. As part of this year’s International Women’s Day, UN Women was launching the “March Forward” digital campaign, highlighting the vital role of young women and men in advancing gender equality and women’s rights. UN Women called for action and encouraged everyone to share its own video using the hashtags #IWD2025 and #ForAllWomenAndGirls. Further details on how to participate can be found here.

Responding to questions, Sofia Calltorp informed that since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the proportion of women in Parliaments had doubled and the maternal mortality rates had declined by third. However, she also mentioned that 25 per cent of governments were reporting a backlash in terms of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and of women's rights.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that a specific page was created on UN Geneva website for today’s Special Commemoration of International Women’s Day 2025. Interviews with women in Ukraine and Lebanon could be found here.

Ms. Vellucci quoted the Secretary-General’s statement for International Women’s Day, which stated that when the doors of equal opportunity were open for women and girls, everyone would win. On this International Women’s Day, said the Secretary-General, we recognize thirty years of progress and achievement since the landmark United Nations conference in Beijing. This transformed the rights of women – and reaffirmed those rights as human rights. Together, urged the Secretary-General, let’s stand firm in making rights, equality and empowerment a reality for all women and girls, for everyone, everywhere.

353^rd session of ILO Governing Body

Zeina Awad, for the International Labour Organization (ILO), informed that ILO Governing Body would hold its 353^rd session from 10 to 20 March at ILO headquarters in Geneva. During this meeting, members would discuss key policy matters and country-specific developments under the Organization’s supervisory procedures. The agenda would include discussions on the strategic outcomes foreseen under the Programme and Budget proposals for 2026-27 and crucial policy areas concerning the world of work, including a draft resolution pertaining to the Second World Summit for Social Development, for transmission to and possible adoption by the International Labour Conference. The Governing Body would also discuss the ILO’s strategy on decent work in supply chains, and the Global Framework on Chemicals for a planet free of hazardous waste. The Governing Body would examine country-specific developments, including follow-ups on the implementation of resolutions related to Belarus, Myanmar, Venezuela, Bangladesh and Nicaragua. The Governing Body was meeting three times a year – in March, June, and November – to take decisions on ILO policies, the agenda of the International Labour Conference, and the ILO Programme and Budget.

More information could be requested to newsroom@ilo.org.

Activities for World Glaciers Day, State of the Global Climate report, and World Meteorological Day

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), informed that 23 March was World Meteorological Day and that the theme was Closing the Early Warning Gap Together. There would be a ceremony at 3 pm. Details would be provided in due course. She added that 21 March was the first World Glacier Day and that glaciers were also the theme of World Water Day on 22 March. The International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation was launched at WMO in January and the main ceremonies for World Glacier Day would be in New York and at UNECO headquarters in Paris.

WMO and the World Glacier Monitoring Service would hold an embargoed press conference at the Palais on 13 March at 2 pm with new findings on glacier retreat and its implications. UNESCO in Paris was also planning briefings on glaciers and the World Water Development report.

The WMO State of the Global Climate 2024 report would be released on 19 March. This would give information on key climate indicators, including temperature, ocean heat, sea level rise, glaciers and sea ice. On that topic, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service issued its February climate bulletin. It said that daily global sea ice extent reached a new all-time minimum in early February and remained below the previous record of February 2023 for the rest of the month. Arctic sea ice reached its lowest monthly extent for February, at eight per cent below average. This marked the third consecutive month in which the sea ice extent had set a record for the corresponding month. Antarctic sea ice reached its fourth-lowest monthly extent for February, at 26 per cent below average. It was the third warmest February on record, continuing the extraordinary streak of high temperatures. This was despite the presence of a weak La Niña event.

Ms. Nullis added that WMO’s El Niño/La Niña Update issued yesterday said that the current cooler than average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific were expected to return to normal. There was a 60 per cent probability that conditions would shift back to ENSO-neutral conditions (neither El Niño nor La Niña) during March-May 2025, increasing to 70 per cent for April-June 2025.

Responding to the media, Clare Nullis stressed that WMO was celebrating its 75th anniversary as a UN agency, marking a significant milestone in its history of facilitating international collaboration and data exchange for the global good. For the past 75 years, the United States had been a vital and vibrant Member of the WMO community. This unique international collaboration, coordinated and standardized by the WMO, was the basis for accurate global weather predictions, which in turn were the basis for protecting people and livelihoods everywhere, all the time. There was no way for a single country to protect its people without a global effort to manage data from local to regional to global platforms. The US provided on average three per cent of globally-shared land surface meteorological observations. It also provided 20-25 per cent of the flow of meteorological satellite information used in operations worldwide.

WMO valued US leadership in meteorology, climate, hydrology, oceanography and atmospheric science. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operated numerous WMO-recognized global centres, which were vital to protect public safety and support key economic sectors like aviation and agriculture, both in the United States and around the world. Thanks to support from the US and other Members, WMO’s work had saved billions of dollars in disaster relief, generated substantial economic revenue, and saved millions of lives.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that the Secretary-General would convene the two Cypriot leaders, as well as Greece, Turkey and United Kingdom, for an informal meeting on Cyprus at United Nations in Geneva. This meeting would take place on 17 and 18 March. The meeting was being held in the context of the Secretary-General's good offices efforts on the Cyprus issue and in line with his commitments from 15 October 2024. The informal meeting would provide an opportunity for a meaningful discussion on the way forward on the Cyprus issues, as the UN remained committed to supporting the Cypriot leaders and all Cypriots.

Ms. Vellucci also announced that Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), would hold a press conference on 10 March at 5 pm to update on the work of UNRWA across its areas of operation: Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

She informed that the Human Rights Committee, which continued its 143^rd session from 3 to 28 March at Palais Wilson, was concluding this morning its review of the report of Zimbabwe. Other countries reviewed would be Montenegro, Burkina Faso, Mongolia, Albania and Haiti.

The 32^nd session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, from 3 to 21 March, was concluding this morning its review of the report of Viet Nam. Other countries reviewed would be Tuvalu, Dominican Republic, Viet Nam, Canada, European Union and Palau.

***