Opinion

14 years in, it's time to rethink how we support Syrians

It is incumbent upon us all to better understand what is really needed from Syrians themselves and to devise long-term, sustainable solutions to improve lives

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Ann Snow
last update on

14 years in, it's time to rethink how we support Syrians

Ann Snow
last update on

I was surprised to see Syria improve its ranking from 176 to 171 in this year’s Women Peace and Security Index (WPS), which ranks countries on women's security, justice, and inclusion.

The situation for Syrian women has, in fact, worsened over the last year. The ranking shift is due to the deterioration of other crises and the emergence of new global conflicts.

It's a familiar story for Syrians—with attention drifting due to the protracted nature of the conflict and other crises attracting headlines. But it’s important to keep our focus on the Syria conflict, now in its 14th year.

What happens in Syria matters not just to Syrians but also to neighbouring states, the region and beyond. Recent events should serve as a reminder to all of us of the risks of this protracted conflict and the space it cedes to state and non-state actors to inflict yet more suffering on the Syrian people.

The conflict has also disproportionately affected Syrian women and girls, who make up half of those requiring humanitarian aid in the country.

A priority country

Support for women and girls is at the heart of the UK’s policy and programmes in Syria, which is a priority country in our National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. We want women and girls to have a seat at the table and for our humanitarian response to empower them.

Yet, with humanitarian needs rising and given half of those in need in Syria are women, there is clearly more work to do.

We want Syrian women and girls to have a seat at the table and for our humanitarian response to empower them.

As the UK Special Representative for Syria, a highlight of my job is meeting and working with women advocates and activists. Their courage and determination for a better future for Syrians is a daily inspiration.

At today's Day of Dialogue in Brussels, I spoke with many women civil society actors from inside Syria, the region, and the wider diaspora to discuss the challenges faced by Syrians and how the UK can help. In addition to wanting a renewed focus on Syria, these women are asking for more sustainable solutions.

Early recovery

I agree. We need to be smarter with how we spend our assistance to build resilience and reduce dependency on aid in the long run. That is why we are committed to early recovery. We want to help ordinary Syrians—particularly women—build better futures for themselves and their families. 

I recognise that there are different interpretations of early recovery. For the UK, it seeks to find sustainable solutions to help meet needs.

So, rather than handing out imported food parcels, our early recovery work is providing quality inputs, like seeds, fertiliser and feed for livestock, fixing water irrigation systems and linking farmers to markets so that Syrian farmers can boost their incomes and produce more food for themselves and their communities.  

And there are some brilliant examples of where my team are working with partners to do this, empowering women in the process.

To give just one example, Faten Feghali, in rural Hama, is the only female artificial insemination technician for cattle in Syria, following support from the UK through one of our partners, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).   

This is just one example of how UK assistance is helping women overcome challenges by providing them with animal health services through training, knowledge, and information.

Our partner, FAO, is collaborating with 66 experienced veterinarians to provide animal health and artificial insemination services to more than 25,000 livestock-owning households in Aleppo, Deir-ez-Zor, Hama, Homs, and Rural Damascus.

We are committed to early recovery. We want to help ordinary Syrians—particularly women—build better futures for themselves and their families. 

Not only are we trying to increase women's participation in agriculture and vocational trades, but we also have programming that aims to reduce violence against women and girls in Hassakah, Homs, and Rural Damascus.

We are testing whether awareness sessions on gender-based violence (GBV), in parallel with support for local women to pursue income-generating activities, will have an impact on reducing violence against women and girls.

This also includes facilitated discussions at household and community levels on difficult topics such as child marriage. The programme is ground-breaking and the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa.   

Our early recovery work also focuses on education and learning—particularly for girls.  Since 2018, the UK-funded "Syria Education Programme" (SEP) has reached over half a million children.

Learning gains

Despite tremendous challenges, SEP continues to demonstrate excellent learning gains, with girls making up 51% of our students.

In February, the UK launched the new 'Syria Education Programme II', an extension of the initial SEP programme, which will provide quality, equitable education for over 100,000 vulnerable children in Northwest Syria each year. 

"I have a dream now, a future to look up to; I want to be a teacher to inspire others, same as my teacher did me," says Nour, a 5th grader who lost her father a few years back in Syria.

Nour received additional support through our SEP, benefitting from mental health and psychosocial support from her school-teachers. In addition to supporting girls' self-esteem and academic achievement, I like to think this work helps foster hope for future generations. 

Yet, there is still a long way to go.  

Fourteen years into the conflict, it is incumbent upon us all to remain focused on Syria and to work with Syrians to do things differently, to better understand what is really needed from Syrians themselves and to devise long-term, sustainable solutions to improve lives. 

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