Free Syrian Army fighters walk along a street in Deir al-Zor
Free Syrian Army fighters walk along a street in Deir al-Zor, eastern Syria, December 12, 2013. Picture taken December 12, 2013. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS CONFLICT)
People hold heaters as they walk along a damaged street in Deir al-Zor
People hold heaters as they walk along a damaged street in Deir al-Zor, eastern Syria, December 12, 2013. Picture taken December 12, 2013. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi (SYRIA - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)
WFP Provides Internally Displaced Syrians With Fuel For Stoves As Temperatures Plummet
DAMASCUS - As Syrians face a harsh winter amid civil war for a third consecutive year, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distributing close to 10,000 litres of fuel to internally displaced families living in ten shelters in Damascus. The fuel is used in stoves for both cooking and heating. Further distribution of fuel is planned for an additional 35 shelters in Homs, Hama and Rural Damascus in the next few days.
U.N. changes tack to slow worsening hunger, poverty in Sahel
Despite good harvests, an estimated 16 million people are at risk of hunger in the Sahel next year, up from 11.3 million this year, raising questions over the effectiveness of the current humanitarian and development approach
Refugee Congress gathering brings new voice to US policy debate
The 48 delegates signed a letter calling on the US authorities to invite refugees and other affected persons to participate meaningfully in discussions on asylum policy.
Syrian refugees from the town of Qara gather around a fire to keep themselves warm in a Syrian refugee camp on the Lebanese border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley
Syrian refugees from the town of Qara gather around a fire to keep themselves warm in a Syrian refugee camp on the Lebanese border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley December 12, 2013. The season's first snow settled in parts of Lebanon on Wednesday and refugee children who have fled the war in Syria took the opportunity to have a snowball fight outside their tents. But the worst of winter is yet to come for 2.2 million refugees living outside Syria and millions more displaced inside the country. A storm named Alexa is sweeping across Syria and Lebanon, bringing with it high winds and freezing temperatures - and marking the beginning of the third winter since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011. REUTERS/Alia Haju (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST ENVIRONMENT)
A child refugee from the northern province of Raqqa in Syria, reacts from the cold weather in a Syrian refugee camp beside the Lebanese border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley
A child refugee from the northern province of Raqqa in Syria, reacts from the cold weather in a Syrian refugee camp beside the Lebanese border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley December 12, 2013. The season's first snow settled in parts of Lebanon on Wednesday and refugee children who have fled the war in Syria took the opportunity to have a snowball fight outside their tents. But the worst of winter is yet to come for 2.2 million refugees living outside Syria and millions more displaced inside the country. A storm named Alexa is sweeping across Syria and Lebanon, bringing with it high winds and freezing temperatures - and marking the beginning of the third winter since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011. REUTERS/Alia Haju (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT ENVIRONMENT)
A Syrian refugee from the northern province of Raqqa places a scarf around a snowman in a Syrian refugee camp beside the Lebanese border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley
A Syrian refugee from the northern province of Raqqa places a scarf around a snowman in a Syrian refugee camp beside the Lebanese border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley December 12, 2013. The season's first snow settled in parts of Lebanon on Wednesday and refugee children who have fled the war in Syria took the opportunity to have a snowball fight outside their tents. But the worst of winter is yet to come for 2.2 million refugees living outside Syria and millions more displaced inside the country. A storm named Alexa is sweeping across Syria and Lebanon, bringing with it high winds and freezing temperatures - and marking the beginning of the third winter since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011. REUTERS/Alia Haju (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT ENVIRONMENT)