Response strategy:
Persistent uncertainty continues to be the most significant challenge in planning the movement of humanitarian supplies and equipment across Syria. The security environment remains unstable, shaped by a fluid and unpredictable political landscape both within the country and across the region. In response, the Logistics Cluster will keep scaling up its support for humanitarian operations in Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa, and Deir-ez-Zor. With Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa, and Deir-ez-Zor now incorporated into the broader response coordinated from Damascus, the Cluster is prioritizing the resolution of critical logistics gaps and bottlenecks.
Logistics Cluster’s strategic objectives for the July-December period remain focused on strengthening logistics planning and advocacy, conducting joint assessments to identify and address operational needs, and expanding cargo-handling capacity to meet the increasing demands of humanitarian operations. To achieve these goals, the Cluster will sustain a network of humanitarian logistics personnel, facilitate coordinated operations among humanitarian organizations, and disseminate critical information related to the customs procedures, logistics infrastructure, and access conditions.
Key activities planned for this period include continued support for cross border operations from Türkiye, and the provision of essential logistics services on-demand basis. The LC will continue supporting cross-border activities from Türkiye into the northern parts of Syria by facilitating access to free-to-user transshipment services at Bab al-Hawa to the humanitarian community. Priority will be given to make use of local available logistics capacity and advocate for the pooling of resources among partners when and where possible. To complement the cross-border operation, the LC will work on improving the customs processes relating to the importation/ exportation of humanitarian assistance across/from Türkiye to Syria through its partnership with the Turkish Customs Officers. Additionally, the Cluster maintains a limited stock of Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) available for loans to partners requiring additional storage capacity, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness in the face of evolving humanitarian needs.
Ensuring the continuity of cross-border logistics support is a critical priority for the Logistics Cluster in the July-December period. The transshipment hub serving UN agencies plays a critical role in facilitating the timely and cost-effective delivery of humanitarian aid into northwest Syria. Despite funding was challenging for the past period, the Cluster maintained its functionality as provider of critical services enabling partners to sustain supply corridor from Turkiye to Northwest Syria. However, depleting funding may result in the Cluster resorting to compromising on its services quality and amounts. Preserving this cross-border mechanism is vital to maintaining a streamlined, collaborative, and impactful humanitarian response in one of Syria’s most vulnerable regions.
To better align logistics support with operational realities, the Logistics Cluster will conduct a Gaps and Needs Analysis exercise in the third quarter of the year. This initiative will engage partners across the sector to assess current logistics capacities, identify gaps in humanitarian response, and highlight operational challenges. The findings will support strategic planning, resource allocation, and coordination efforts for the remainder of the year and beyond.
The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) Syria will continue to ensure safe, reliable, and sustainable air access to beneficiaries for the humanitarian community. UNHAS as well provides the required capacity for medical and security evacuation of humanitarian workers. Scheduled operations for July-December 2025 will be conducted on a cost-recovery basis.
Priority activities remain the same for the remainder of 2025:
- Facilitate cross-border activity for trucks movement into Northwest Syria.
- Provide free storage and transport for partners inside Syria
- Serve the international community with air transport services within Syria.
- Provide a platform for partners to coordinate the response through regular sub-national meetings.
- Provide partners with access to up-to-date, useful, and relevant logistics information.
- Organize quarterly steering committee meetings for overall guidance on the running of the UNHAS.
- Organize monthly UNHAS user-group meetings to ensure a platform for partner needs to be shared.