Staff from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delivered 200 metric tons of tents and blankets from its central warehouse in Copenhagen to a civilian airport near Latakia on the Syrian coast, and then transported them by road, the agency’s spokesperson, Adrian Edwards, told reporters in Geneva.

He added that the strictly humanitarian operation was possible thanks to the logistics support of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, the agreement and cooperation of the Syrian Government, and facilitation by the Syrian National Coalition. “Most children I saw were showing signs of distress. It is extremely important that we reach as many of these children as possible with the support they need to cope with their traumatic experiences,” he said.

Also speaking to the press, the Director of UNHCR’s Middle East and North Africa Bureau, Yacoub El Hillo, said that while international assistance had been distributed before, this was the first time UNHCR – and perhaps the UN – had deployed its own national and international staff in that region.

Mr. El Hillo reiterated the urgency of the situation. “It is an appalling situation in Syria today, appalling, and all these figures are not capturing the true story of how Syria, the people, but also Syria the country, are facing systematic destruction.”

More than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in early 2011. Recent months have witnessed an escalation in the conflict, which has also left more than 4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

UNHCR also reported that the number of Syrians taking refuge in neighbouring countries reached 728,553 this week. Syrians are either registered as refugees or awaiting registration in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt and North Africa, according to the agency.

In the western Syrian governorate of Homs, approximately 420,000 people – half of them children – need urgent humanitarian aid, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said, following a recent inter-agency mission to the country.

“Children are the worst affected,” said UNICEF Emergency Specialist Mark Choonoo. “Most children I saw were showing signs of distress. It is extremely important that we reach as many of these children as possible with the support they need to cope with their traumatic experiences.”

The mission found that about 635,000 people in Homs have been displaced, some taking refuge in schools. Out of 1,500 schools in the governorate, 200 were damaged and 65 are sheltering children and families with dire consequences on the students’ attendance and quality of education.

Widespread flooding has occurred, swamping tents and overwhelming the drainage system in the Za’atari camp, with deep mud making it harder to drain the water and for water-removal trucks to access the camp, UNICEF noted in a news release.

Areas containing several so-called child friendly spaces – where children can play, learn and receive psychosocial support – have been flooded, and a tent used to shelter unaccompanied minors has collapsed.

“The next 72 hours will be a critical test of our ability to meet the basic needs of children and their families at Za’atari,” said the UNICEF Representative in Jordan, Dominique Hyde. “Alongside the Government of Jordan and our other partners, we are doing everything possible to ensure services are maintained and that children stay warm and dry.”

The deteriorating situation at the Za’atari camp comes amid a continuing influx of refugees from across the border, fleeing the violence in Syria, where more than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in early 2011.

Recent months have witnessed an escalation in the conflict, which is now in its 23rd month. Since the beginning of January this year, close to 10,000 Syrians have sought safety in Jordan.

Mr. Hyde added that a lack of funding was a major constraint on relief activities.

“The resources we raised in 2012 have been exhausted, and no fresh funds have come for this year,” he said. “We urgently appeal to the international community and donors in general to commit fresh funding as soon as possible.”

UNICEF stated that it and its partners are working “around the clock” to sustain the provision of services to people in Za’atari camp, and in particular, to ensure that all refugees have access to water, latrines and showers.

The UN agency has distributed emergency warm clothing along with sleeping mats to replace mattresses soaked by the rain. Heaters have been distributed to families now living in prefabricated buildings within the camp.

In relation to funding for relief activities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will chair a high-level conference later this month to raise funds to alleviate the worsening plight of millions of Syrians affected by the ongoing conflict.

The conference, to be held on 30 January in Kuwait, follows a $1.5 billion appealed launched in December by the United Nations and its partners, who have been hampered in their efforts to carry out relief activities due to lack of funds.

The bulk of the appeal – $1 billion – is to support refugees fleeing Syria to Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt. It is based on planning estimates that up to a million Syrian refugees will need help during the first half of 2013.

Another $519 million will be needed to support an estimated four million people inside Syria who need urgent humanitarian assistance, including an estimated two million internally displaced persons.

The camp is one of five sites that have swollen with new arrivals since the recent upsurge in violence in the region.

North Kivu province has been the site of relentless fighting for over a decade. Since April, the beginning of the current crisis, an estimated 500,000 people have been displaced in the province. Many of these families had already been displaced and were living in sites for displaced persons or with host families, only to be displaced yet again.

Febe Bushu and her family have been displaced twice. In September, they fled their home in Pinga, some 80 km northeast of Walikale in North Kivu. “We left Pinga because of the war. Everyone was fleeing,” she says. Constantly pushed south by fighting, the family walked for a full two weeks before they reached Goma, where they found temporary refuge with a host family.

Two weeks ago, she and her family had to leave again because food was too scarce. “The family had nothing at all, so we felt it was best to leave,” says Ms. Bushu. Today, the family live at Bulengo.

Most of the displaced population have left their homes or places of refuge quickly, with few belongings. Many have been forced to sleep in makeshift shelters. The improvised shelters provide little protection from the frequent, seasonal rain, especially during the night.

“Many still lack proper shelter to keep themselves dry and warm,” says UNICEF Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Barbara Bentein. “When children get wet and cannot change their clothes, they become more at risk of falling sick and suffering from infectious diseases such as pneumonia.”

Bulengo is one of the sites where displaced persons have found refuge around Goma. According to humanitarian coordinator for Oxfam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Tariq Riebl, the residents of the camp are a mix of people from different areas affected by various factions involved in the conflict. “The needs are intense because all of them have fled conflict, and all of them have suffered from the trauma of having to move, often several times,” he says.

Ms. Bushu collects her relief kit. The relief kits contain 10 essential items, including plastic sheeting, blankets, sleeping mats, clothing, a wash basin, a jerry can, a kitchen set and soap. “The tarp will help cover my tent,” she says. “I’ll be protected from the sun and I won’t have to hear all the noise outside. Cooking pans also mean I can cook by, and that’s really important.

The mass distribution of relief kits to assist families like Ms. Bushu’s is the largest operation to be carried out in North Kivu in recent years. UNICEF has coordinated the operation, which has involved 13 local and international NGOs, as well as other United Nations agencies, including AIDES, AVSI, Care, Caritas Goma, Concern Worldwide, Handicap International, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam Great Britain, Première Urgence, Save the Children, Solidarités International, OCHA, UNHCR and UNOPS. The distribution has been made possible with support from donors including the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) and the Governments of Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Sweden.

On the ground, more than 210 staff have been steadily working to ensure that the families receive their kits before the Christmas holiday.

“People arrived in Bulengo two to three weeks ago,” says UNICEF Emergency Officer in Goma Ulrich Wagner. “Insecurity delayed the distribution. Now, we aim to be as quick as possible to get these kits to the families, as long as the security allows it.”

A calm has prevailed over the Christmas period, which allowed UNICEF and its partners to intervene swiftly, undertaking a census and registration of families in preparation for the distributions. All told, over 1,000 tonnes of supplies have simultaneously been distributed in multiple sites to more than 20,000 displaced families over the course of four days.

“I welcome the announcement that the next group of 400 residents are willing to commence the move from Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya immediately after the Eid holiday,” the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Martin Kobler, said in a news release issued by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), which he also heads.

A Muslim holiday marking the end of the month of fasting known as Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr is observed on Monday in various countries around the world.

In line with a memorandum of understanding signed in December by the UN and the Iraqi Government, some two-thirds of the residents, or nearly 2,000 people, have been relocated from Camp Ashraf – now known as Camp New Iraq – to a temporary transit location near Baghdad, known as Camp Hurriya, where a process to determine refugee status is being carried out by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Close to 1,300 individuals – Iranian exiles, many of whom are members of a group known as the People’s Mojahedeen of Iran – are still awaiting transfer from Camp Ashraf to the transit centre.

“I request the Government of Iraq to be generous with regard to the humanitarian needs of the residents,” Kobler said. “I also reiterate my appeal to Member States to accept the residents for resettlement in their countries.”

In addition to Kobler, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also previously urged all parties to avoid violence and work together to peacefully conclude the transfer of the remaining Iranian exiles.

The UNAMI news release also noted that there has been continuous progress in efforts to improve the living conditions in Camp Hurriya.

“The United Nations continues to support a peaceful solution to the issue of Camp Ashraf, continues to monitor the relocation process, and provides 24/7 monitoring in Camp Hurriya,” the Mision stated, adding that it calls upon the remaining residents of Camp Ashraf to “also start preparations for additional convoys to Campy Hurriya, in order to peacefully complete the relocation process.”