GOAL, with 800+ staff and major aid footprint in NW Syria is tracking ramifications of regime collapse and ensuring staff safety, whilst also working to ensure continuity of aid operations.

(Sunday 8th Dec @ 1400 hrs) GOAL has been one of the leading humanitarian actors in northwest Syria since 2012 and delivers aid to over two million people every year, primarily in Idleb and Aleppo Governorate. Now with the reignition of the war in Syria, the collapse of the regime and a highly fragile political and security landscape which is evolving hour by hour, the safety of our staff and continuity of operations is paramount.

Speaking in Dublin this morning, Colin Lee, GOAL’s Director of Programme and Operations for the Middle East said,

“As the ceasefire in Lebanon barely holds, a new and unexpected offensive has been shaking Syria for the past two weeks, after almost five years of relative truce, or so-called ‘frozen conflict’. And now the precarious balance of the fragmented country could revive an even more widespread conflict or a pathway to resolution. No one knows.”

A woman holds her child, as they wait to cross into Syria from Lebanon (image source: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh).

“More than 12 million Syrian people have been displaced in this war since 2011 and with this unanticipated collapse of the regime, thousands and thousands of those people will be trying to get back to what they once called home. So, for GOAL, our focus is on the safety of our 800+ staff, who are all Syrian, and their families. Therefore, in partnership with our Syria programme management team, led by long-term humanitarian, Tamer Kirolos, we are tracking all our staff and assessing their potential relocation needs” continued Colin Lee.

Since GOAL started working in NW Syria in 2012 and aiding internally displaced people, our programmes have focused on emergency response, health, and food and nutrition security. With this reignition of war, and as thousands of already internally displaced people flee active conflict zones, GOAL will be exploring opportunities for expansion of these programmes into new areas, such as Aleppo city, rural Idlib and Damascus.

Speaking about GOAL’s management of the ever-evolving situation, Tamer Kirolos, GOAL’s Syria Country Director, added,

“GOAL is also well-positioned to leverage its regional presence and resources if developments necessitate broader engagement. We remain in regular contact with key and long standing donors, and other regional stakeholders based in Amman, to align our strategy with emerging funding priorities, operational requirements, and associated requirements regarding access to working in Syria.”

ENDS