Despite the worsening humanitarian situation across war-ravaged Syria, it’s been getting tougher every year to raise money from global donors.

The aid community is bracing for significant shortfalls ahead of a donor conference that starts Monday in Brussels and is being co-hosted by the United Nations and the European Union.

Pledges were already dropping off before the coronavirus pandemic mainly due to donor fatigue.

Officials fear that with the global economic downturn spurred by the pandemic, international assistance for Syria is about to take a new hit just when it is needed most.

Across Syria, the pandemic has compounded the worst economic crisis since the conflict began in 2011.

The local currency has crashed and food prices have soared — increasing by 222% from last year.

Nine out of 10 people live below the poverty line and in northwest Syria, close to three-quarters of the 4.3 million residents are food insecure.

According to the UN, 13.4 million people in Syria, more than half the country’s pre-war population, need assistance. That’s a 20% increase from last year.

The UN and other aid groups are seeking more than 4 billion US dollars for aid within Syria at this year’s conference, their biggest appeal yet.

Another 5.8 billion is requested for nearly 6 million Syrian refugees who fled their homeland.

Over the years, pledges have typically fallen short.

The humanitarian appeal for 2020 was 45% below its 3.82 billion US dollars target — nearly a 14% drop from the year before.

War, weather and economic crisis have compounded in Syria, leaving the most vulnerable in an even worse situation this year.

AP