The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an expanded emergency response in southern Syria to reach the entire population of As-Sweida Governorate, as well as crisis-affected families in surrounding areas, with vital food assistance over the coming weeks. This scale-up builds on ongoing WFP support across As-Sweida, Dar’a, and Rural Damascus, in response to a recent surge in violence that has displaced thousands, disrupted markets, and exacerbated food insecurity.
Hostilities in As-Sweida and neighboring regions have created widespread displacement and worsened humanitarian conditions. WFP plans to distribute emergency food baskets, fortified wheat flour for bread production, and specialized nutrition products to nearly 600,000 people—the entire population of As-Sweida Governorate—along with additional families in adjacent areas. This effort aims to prevent further deterioration of food security and to maintain social cohesion at a critical time.
“Families in Syria have been hit by crisis after crisis which has prevented millions from achieving food security,” said Marianne Ward, WFP Country Director in Syria. She emphasized that food security underpins social cohesion, peace, and stability, making the scale-up of this response essential to prevent a broader humanitarian crisis.
Bread remains a central component of WFP’s strategy, with fortified wheat flour supplied to bakeries to ensure affordable bread for millions of Syrians. This approach provides flexibility, allowing WFP to scale up during emergencies and scale down as conditions improve, bridging immediate crisis response with longer-term recovery efforts.
After more than a decade of conflict, Syria continues to face severe humanitarian challenges, including displacement, drought, wildfires, and growing insecurity. Over half of the population is food insecure, with around 3 million people projected to face severe food insecurity.
Across the country in 2025, WFP has assisted over 5.2 million people, including 3.5 million reached monthly through its prioritized response plan targeting the most food-insecure populations. This includes 1.2 million receiving emergency food assistance and 2 million benefiting from daily subsidized fortified bread in the hardest-hit areas.
Sustained donor support is critical for WFP to continue delivering food assistance and support early recovery from shocks. Over the next six months, the organization urgently requires US$132 million to maintain emergency and resilience programs across Syria.
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