UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said Wednesday that 6.9 million children in Syria urgently need humanitarian assistance. The UN agency is working with the Syrian government and local partners to restore essential services and rebuild systems that support children.
Children’s essential services
Russell made the remarks in an exclusive interview with SANA during her official field visit to Syria. She said the mission focused on reviewing UNICEF’s operations, strengthening technical partnerships and expanding institutional capacity to address children’s needs.
UNICEF’s programs in Syria include school rehabilitation, routine childhood immunization campaigns and nutritional support for vulnerable families. The agency is also providing technical support to reactivate the Jobar water pumping station in Damascus. That effort restored access to safe drinking water for more than 1 million residents in the capital and surrounding countryside, Russell said.
Access to quality education, primary healthcare, clean water and adequate sanitation remains fundamental to children’s well-being and development, Russell said. She also described formal schooling as important to children’s long-term economic prospects. UNICEF’s work, she said, covers health, education, nutrition and water, along with support for children’s development.
Return and reintegration
Russell said every refugee or displaced person she had met expressed a strong desire to return home. Facilitating families’ voluntary return to Syria is critical, she said, while helping state institutions support returnees as they reintegrate into normal life remains a key challenge, particularly for children.
The agency’s work doesn’t stop at primary education. It also includes vocational skills training and youth empowerment, Russell said. Investment in children is essential to Syria’s recovery, she said, reaffirming UNICEF’s commitment to strengthening government capacity and institutional systems serving children.
The agency draws on its global expertise and long-standing experience in Syria to support children across the country, Russell said. UNICEF gets its strongest results when it works directly with national governments, she said, because they bear ultimate responsibility for their young populations.
Government partnership
Russell described UNICEF’s partnership with Syrian authorities as strong and expressed appreciation for continued coordination in health, education and child protection. The agency is working with the government and local partners to rebuild child-support systems and restore essential services, she said.
“I’ve seen a strong sense of optimism and enormous potential across Syria,” Russell said. International partners must work together to create an environment where children can grow and thrive, she said, reaffirming UNICEF’s commitment to helping secure a better future for Syria’s next generation.
The needs she cited include immediate humanitarian support and the systems required to deliver services: schools, primary healthcare, clean water, sanitation and child protection. UNICEF’s stated work includes direct programs, such as immunization and nutritional support, as well as technical and institutional support intended to help services reach children. Russell said strengthening government capacity and supporting state institutions are part of that effort, including assistance for children among families returning to Syria.