The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO , OSE
Earthquakes Turkiye - Syria: One year after - UNHCR - WHO - OSE Syria
STORYLINE
One year after a series of devastating earthquakes hit Türkiye and Syria, the plight of millions of displaced people - and that of their hosts - has deteriorated, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
“Türkiye is one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting countries, while Syria, where millions had been displaced by the 13-year crisis even before the earthquakes hit, is suffering a severe economic crisis,” said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) when briefing journalists at the UN in Geneva. She added that “in Syria, an estimated 90 per cent of the population live in poverty, 12.9 million are food insecure and 7.2 million are internally displaced.”
In the early hours of February 6, 2023, a catastrophic earthquake struck the border region between Türkiye and Syria claiming over 50,000 lives in Türkiye and more than 5,000 in northwest Syria, with thousands more injured. The destruction was extensive, with thousands of buildings, including key infrastructure like schools and hospitals, collapsing under the quake's force.
“Türkiye hosts 3.4 million refugees, and the earthquake impacted a region that is home to some 1.75 million of them,” Ms. Mantoo said. “Despite Türkiye’s impressive and inclusive humanitarian response, supported by NGOs, the UN and the international community, the impact of the earthquakes is still being felt by both refugees and their Turkish hosts,” she added. With the increasing needs, many refugees are resorting to survival strategies cutting food spending and borrowing more, said the UNHCR spokesperson.
“The catastrophe has already taken an excruciating toll on the mental and emotional well-being of a long-suffering population. Many have lost family members and friends,” stressed Ms. Mantoo. “Almost 60,000 deaths were reported in the two countries as a result of the earthquakes, with tens of thousands injured and entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the consequences of the catastrophe will last many years to come with a lot of people continuing to live in temporary shelters.
“In Türkiye, the earthquake created new and urgent health needs in the communities affected, including both refugee and host populations,” said Tarik Jasarevic, WHO’s spokesperson. “The disaster disrupted access to health services, including maternal and newborn health care, vaccination, non-communicable disease management, mental health support, disability and rehabilitation services.”
For over a decade, Syria has been grappling with a complex array of issues including prolonged conflict, economic instability, health crises like COVID-19 and cholera, in addition to last year’s seismic disaster. These compounding factors have plunged Syria into an unprecedented humanitarian and protection emergency, now in its 13th year. This complexity of challenges, coupled with the recent earthquake, has significantly exacerbated food insecurity in Northwest Syria.
Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria (OSE) said that “after the earthquakes, we saw the lowest level of hostilities in a decade, and fresh diplomatic attention to the Syrian tragedy. This, however, did not translate into real progress. Tragically, 2023 later saw the worst eruptions of violent conflict in years, further exacerbating the worsening humanitarian situation, and a lack of meaningful progress on the political process.”
-ends -
STORY: Earthquakes Türkiye, Syria: One year after: UNHCR, WHO, OSE Syria
TRT: 2:46”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 6 February 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley
- Wide shot: speakers at the podium during a press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “Türkiye is one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting countries, while Syria, where millions had been displaced by the 13-year crisis even before the earthquakes hit, is suffering a severe economic crisis. In Syria, an estimated 90 per cent of the population live in poverty, 12.9 million are food insecure and 7.2 million are internally displaced.”
4. Medium shot: press room with journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “Türkiye hosts 3.4 million refugees and the earthquake impacted a region that is home to some 1.75 million of them. Despite Türkiye’s impressive and inclusive humanitarian response, supported by NGOs, the UN and the international community, the impact of the earthquakes is still being felt by both refugees and their Turkish hosts.”
- Medium shot: journalists listening
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “The catastrophe has already taken an excruciating toll on the mental and emotional well-being of a long-suffering population. Many have lost family members and friends; almost 60,000 deaths were reported in the two countries as a result of the earthquakes, with tens of thousands injured and entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble.”
- Wide shot: press room with journalists and speaker on screen
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for the UN Health Agency (WHO): “In Türkiye, the earthquake created new and urgent health needs in the communities affected, including both refugee and host populations. The disaster disrupted access to health services, including maternal and newborn health care, vaccination, non-communicable disease management, mental health support, disability and rehabilitation services.”
- Wide shot: press room with journalists and speakers at the podium
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for the UN Health Agency (WHO): “The disaster resulted in massive infrastructure damage, displacements, and wreaked havoc on the economy. Increasing tensions within the country and the region continue to exacerbate the already precarious health situation of nearly 50 million people across the country.”
- Wide shot: press room with journalists and speakers at the podium
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria (OSE): “After the earthquakes, we saw the lowest level of hostilities in a decade, and fresh diplomatic attention to the Syrian tragedy. This, however, did not translate into real progress. Tragically, 2023 later saw the worst eruptions of violent conflict in years, further exacerbating the worsening humanitarian situation, and a lack of meaningful progress on the political process.”
- Medium shot, camerawoman with cell phone
- Close up, journalist listening
- Wide shot, journalists listening
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
A little over one year since a ceasefire agreement was announced between Hamas fighters and Israel, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds more injured, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Six weeks after Nepal’s deadly flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild their lives, but they will need sustained help as global warming increases the risk of another Himalayan catastrophe, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In suspected Russia plague death, testing and monitoring underway – WHO
The death of a lab worker in Russia’s Siberia region has sparked concerns about plague being the cause, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, adding that it was following the situation closely.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on the human rights situation in Haiti.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated delays in bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and more from Israel into Gaza risk having devastating consequences on Palestinians who urgently need them in the wartorn enclave, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. “A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives. That's the question that actually matters," said Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the OPT.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: Early access to care and oxygen decisive for Ebola patients’ survival – WHO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers fighting the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak are struggling to overcome critical challenges to patient care, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UN
Civilians in Iran are continuing to feel the consequences of months of conflict and military escalation, the UN’s top official in the country has said, as loss of life, damage to civilian infrastructure and mounting economic pressures leave many facing continued uncertainty.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Aid agencies in Yemen highlighted the growing hunger emergency sparked by renewed fighting between Houthi opposition forces and Government troops, after mobile health clinics reported that hundreds of children displaced by the violence are suffering from the most deadly form of malnutrition.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Displacement on the rise in Yemen as fighting continues - UNHCR
As hostilities worsen in Yemen, more people have been fleeing their homes, further intensifying the humanitarian crisis within the region, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.