GENEVA, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday said that it is appealing to the international community for 207 million U.S. dollars to continue its lifesaving assistance to Syrians.
IOM said that these funds are necessary to continue assistance in Syria and neighboring countries in 2019.
Joel Millman, spokesperson for IOM, told a UN briefing here that the Syrian crisis, entering its ninth year this week, has displaced more than 11 million people and further insecurity and continued displacement, as well as large-scale humanitarian and protection needs, are expected in the year ahead.
He said that as of February 2019, it is estimated that 5.7 million people remain displaced within Syria, and an additional 5.6 million Syrians, nearly half of whom are children, have sought refuge in countries throughout the region.
Herve Verhoosel, for the World Food Programme, also told the UN briefing Tuesday that nearly nine years of war in Syria have pushed millions of Syrians into hunger and poverty.
There are 6.5 million people who are food insecure inside Syria, and despite ongoing challenges, among them WFP is able to reach over 3 million people every month, he said.
