Friend, Though our neutrality means we don’t take sides in any conflict, it should not be confused with complicity.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was founded by a coalition of doctors and journalists who refused to stay silent about the suffering they saw on the ground, and that practice of témoignage—or “bearing witness”—has remained a central tenet of our work to this day.

With 45,000 staff members working around the world, MSF has unparalleled insight into the conditions our patients experience, like those caught in the ongoing conflict in Syria.

MSF has maintained an almost constant presence in Syria since 2011. In areas where access can be negotiated, our teams support war-torn hospitals and provide essential health care and services to forcibly displaced people. For areas that we are prohibited from entering, we maintain support at a distance, including donations of medicines, medical equipment, and relief items.

But treating symptoms isn’t enough—we have a moral obligation to treat the causes, too. That includes calling on Syrian authorities to immediately cease indiscriminate bombings and facilitate urgent access for humanitarian organizations. It includes calling on the international humanitarian community to do more to help people displaced by the ongoing conflict. For our patients in Syria, and more than 70 other countries around the world, we elevate the voices of our patients so that those in positions of power can never say, “We didn’t know.”

Speaking out for our patients has been especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many have suffered from a lack of access to essential care, treatments, and vaccines.That's why we are calling on the Biden administration to donate more vaccine doses and help scale up vaccine production globally, and we encourage you to sign our petition to add your voice.

Read more about the issues our teams bear witness to around the world.