• News
    • Latest news
    • News search
    • Health
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Career news
    • Content series
    • Try Devex Pro
  • Jobs
    • Job search
    • Post a job
    • Employer search
    • CV Writing
    • Upcoming career events
    • Try Career Account
  • Funding
    • Funding search
    • Funding news
  • Talent
    • Candidate search
    • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Events
    • Upcoming and past events
    • Partner on an event
  • Post a job
  • About
      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Contact us
Join DevexSign in
Join DevexSign in

News

  • Latest news
  • News search
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Career news
  • Content series
  • Try Devex Pro

Jobs

  • Job search
  • Post a job
  • Employer search
  • CV Writing
  • Upcoming career events
  • Try Career Account

Funding

  • Funding search
  • Funding news

Talent

  • Candidate search
  • Devex Talent Solutions

Events

  • Upcoming and past events
  • Partner on an event
Post a job

About

  • About us
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising partnerships
  • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Contact us
  • My Devex
  • Update my profile % complete
  • Account & privacy settings
  • My saved jobs
  • Manage newsletters
  • Support
  • Sign out
Latest newsNews searchHealthFinanceFoodCareer newsContent seriesTry Devex Pro
    • News
    • In the news: MENA

    Another humanitarian challenge in Syria: Refused visas

    In a country where providing much-needed humanitarian assistance has been riddled with challenges, aid workers now have to face another obstacle.

    By Jenny Lei Ravelo // 17 July 2012
    U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Operations Director John Ging at the fourth Syrian Humanitarian Forum in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo by: Jean-Marc Ferré / United Nations – Geneva / CC BY-NC-ND

    In a country where providing much-needed humanitarian assistance has been riddled with challenges, aid workers now have to face another obstacle.

    John Ging, operations director at the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said visas for the agency’s international staff who are seeking entry to Syria have been pending or refused, Reuters reports.

    It is not clear why the visas are being blocked, but Ging said the U.N agency has been clarifying the issue with Syrian authorities “on a daily basis,” Agence France-Presse reports. But what is clear is that preventing foreign aid workers from entering the conflict-afflicted country goes against the Syria humanitarian response plan, which the government claims it has “largely respected.”

    The government agreed to a $180 million humanitarian plan in June, which includes allowing some aid agencies to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by fighting in the country. But humanitarians continue to face “tremendous” political obstruction from the government, an “incredibly” dangerous operational environment and capacity issues among organizations, according to Ging.

    Ging disclosed all these to reporters Monday (July 16) at the fourth Syria Humanitarian Forum in Geneva, where he again appealed for donors to fund efforts meant to address the increasing needs of Syrians in and outside the country. U.N. response plans for both Syrians in the country and those who fled to neighboring countries remain significantly underfunded.

    The appeal has received “positive reaction” at the forum, Ging said. Some donors pledged to come forward with more funding, while others such as the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, made “specific pledges,” Ging said. The money will be crucial for aid agencies to scale up their operations.

    Whether these promises will translate “concretely” and “specifically” will be seen in the days ahead. Most donors, European Institute for Security Studies senior researcher Luis Peral said in an interview with DW, are not “supplying the money they had pledged.”

    Read more news on Syria and development aid online, and subscribe to The Development Newswire to receive top international development headlines from the world’s leading donors, news sources and opinion leaders — emailed to you FREE every business day.

    • Humanitarian Aid
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).

    About the author

    • Jenny Lei Ravelo

      Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo

      Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.

    Search for articles

    Related Jobs

    • Communications Professional
      Bogota, Colombia | Colombia | Latin America and Caribbean
    • Head of Mission (Ukraine)
      Kyiv, Ukraine | Ukraine | Eastern Europe
    • Social Support Worker
      Brussels, Belgium | Belgium | Western Europe
    • See more

    Most Read

    • 1
      Opinion: Mobile credit, savings, and insurance can drive financial health
    • 2
      How low-emissions livestock are transforming dairy farming in Africa
    • 3
      Strengthening health systems by measuring what really matters
    • 4
      Opinion: India’s bold leadership in turning the tide for TB
    • 5
      How AI-powered citizen science can be a catalyst for the SDGs

    Trending

    Financing for Development Conference

    The Trump Effect

    Newsletters

    Related Stories

    United NationsUN air service faces cuts, jeopardizing aid access to remote areas

    UN air service faces cuts, jeopardizing aid access to remote areas

    HumanitarianOpinion: Why we don’t mix humanitarian aid with military operations

    Opinion: Why we don’t mix humanitarian aid with military operations

    SyriaChange is coming to Syria. Can the aid sector seize the opportunity?

    Change is coming to Syria. Can the aid sector seize the opportunity?

    HumanitarianWhy has UNOCHA set a lower target for humanitarian spending?

    Why has UNOCHA set a lower target for humanitarian spending?

    • News
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Talent
    • Events

    Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

    A social enterprise, we connect and inform over 1.3 million development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.

    • About us
    • Membership
    • Newsletters
    • Advertising partnerships
    • Devex Talent Solutions
    • Post a job
    • Careers at Devex
    • Contact us
    © Copyright 2000 - 2025 Devex|User Agreement|Privacy Statement