ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Humanitarian needs in Syria remain high despite a year of reduced violence and political change, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council on Thursday, warning that funding shortages and fragile security continue to threaten recovery.

Briefing ambassadors, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya said Syrians have seen tangible progress since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 but stressed that the country’s recovery remains uneven.

Msuya said more than two million people displaced inside Syria have returned to their home areas over the past year, while about 1.3 million refugees have returned from neighboring countries. Many returnees, however, are coming back to damaged or destroyed homes with limited access to electricity, water, healthcare, and jobs.

Millions of Syrians remain displaced, she said, with many families reluctant to return due to poor living conditions and a lack of basic services, particularly during the winter.

Humanitarian assistance, therefore, remains critical, even as the UN seeks to reduce one of its largest aid operations worldwide. Msuya said aid agencies are currently reaching about 3.4 million people per month, around 25 percent more than last year, despite reduced funding.

She warned that the UN’s 2025 humanitarian appeal is only about 30 percent funded, forcing difficult prioritization decisions and leaving many people without assistance.

“With the scale of the needs and the time required for development efforts to take hold, we also need support to sustain and expand humanitarian assistance in the near term,” she observed.

On the political front, DiCarlo said Syria has made progress in restoring state institutions, forming a new cabinet, issuing a constitutional declaration, and holding indirect legislative elections in October. However, she warned that security remains fragile after years of conflict.

She cited deadly violence in coastal areas earlier this year, a suicide attack on a church in Damascus, and clashes in the Druze-majority province of Suwayda that displaced more than 155,000 people.

Israeli airstrikes and incursions in southern Syria have further worsened the security situation, UN officials said, prompting renewed calls for respect for Syria’s sovereignty.

Both officials stressed that long-term stability will depend on accountability, reconciliation, and inclusive governance, urging the international community to maintain support to help Syria move from fragile progress toward lasting recovery.