Syria's civil war may be the worst humanitarian crisis of our time, yet far too little is being done to bring the conflict to an end. And because you are entitled to your opinion but not to your own facts, we have compiled some food for thought.
Since March 2011, more than 280,000 Syrians have been killed and over one million injured. Some 4.8 million have been forced to leave the country, while 6.6 million are internally displaced. Worse still, the development situation has regressed to the point that four out of five Syrians now live in poverty.
The human cost is mirrored in the country's collapse. Life expectancy among Syrians has fallen by more than twenty years, and the nation has seen reversals across all twelve Millennium Development Goal indicators. The economy has contracted by an estimated 40 per cent since 2011, stripping the majority of Syrians of their livelihoods.
The economic toll of the conflict is put, so far, at 225 billion US dollars. Yet even if the United States, Europe and other advanced economies were to give generously, the collapse of oil prices, and the austerity budgets that have followed in oil-exporting countries, means finding the necessary resources will be close to impossible.
Behind the figures lies a vast unmet need. According to the UN, 11.5 million Syrians require health care, 13.5 million need protection support and 12.1 million require water and sanitation. Some 5.7 million children need help with their education, including 2.7 million who are out of school altogether. About 2.48 million people are food insecure, while more than 1.5 million need shelter and basic household goods.
