The economic situation was further worsened by the February 2023 earthquakes The UN estimates that 16.7 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance in 2024 TOKYO: The government of Japan has committed approximately 915 million yen in partnership grant aid to support activities of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Syria. The assistance aims to support humanitarian early recovery in regions affected by the crisis and the February 2023 earthquakes. The Syria crisis entered its fourteenth year, and the situation continues to deteriorate, leading to further displacement and increasing hardships for the people. The economic situation was further worsened by the February 2023 earthquakes, resulting in a significant loss of livelihoods and heightened vulnerabilities across the country. The UN estimates that 16.7 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance in 2024, the highest number since the onset of the crisis. While continuing to deliver life-saving support, UNHCR has also expanded its humanitarian early recovery activities to improve socioeconomic conditions and resilience of affected people. With the support from the government of Japan, UNHCR will enhance capacity-building and self-reliance of internally displaced people, returnees, and host communities in Aleppo, Homs, and Hama governorates affected by the crisis and earthquakes. The initiatives encompass the rehabilitation of vocational training facilities to produce skilled workers, the small business start-up support to empower vulnerable people toward economic self-sufficiency, and the rehabilitation of civil registries and cadastral offices to facilitate access to critical legal services, enabling people to exercise their basic rights. These initiatives represent a significant step toward improving the socioeconomic situation of the people in Syria. UNHCR will continue to work closely with the government of Japan and the international community to further strengthen humanitarian early recovery in Syria.