Syrian Arab Republic
Post-conflict Needs, 16 Mar 2022
| Allocation | $24,976,355 |
|---|---|
| Emergency type | Post-conflict Needs |
| Window | Underfunded Emergencies |
| Recipient UN Agencies | FAO, OHCHR, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO |
| Group(s) of people targeted | Host communities, Refugees, Returnees, Internally displaced persons, Other affected persons |
| Number of people targeted | 1,712,226 |
| Status | Report Available |
| Allocation code | 22-UF-SYR-52447 |
| Title | Syria UF Application Mar 2022 (Protracted needs) |
Overview of the humanitarian situation
Syria remained one of the largest and most complex humanitarian crises in the world, with over 14.6 million in need of humanitarian assistance, the great majority of them women and children. Eleven years of conflict have resulted in the forced displacement of over 11 million people and the large-scale destruction of homes, public infrastructure, and services, including health care, education, and water and sanitation. The conflict, combined with the impact of economic collapse, the effects of climate change, and repeated natural disasters, including both drought and floods, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic, had deepened humanitarian needs and given rise to increasing food insecurity, financial hardship, and eroded coping capacities. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of people in need increased by over 9 percent, despite the conflict becoming increasingly localized. As outlined in the Humanitarian Needs Overview for Syria, needs have risen across almost all sectors. Food insecurity remains at a high, with 12 million people facing acute insecurity and another 1.9 million at risk, while almost 80 percent of people report an inability to meet basic needs. This is an increase of 65 percent over a five-year period, with the largest increase taking place in 2020 and 2021. As a result, over half a million children were estimated to be chronically malnourished and a quarter million were acutely malnourished. For comparison, in 2021, 90,000 children were estimated to be acutely malnourished. In addition, over 260,000 pregnant and lactating women suffered from acute wasting. Almost 2.4 million children remain out of school, and basic services remain limited, with only 65 percent of hospitals and 56 percent of public health care facilities fully functional. For millions of Syrians, life remained a daily struggle with limited prospects for the near future.
CERF-funded assistance
The UN and its partners planned to bridge critical and urgent gaps and needs across the country under three strategic objectives. First, this includes a dedicated focus on: (i) addressing basic food and livelihood needs through an integrated approach; (ii) ensuring adequate shelter for people displaced by conflict and hostilities; (iii) supporting the delivery of critical services, including health care, education, protection and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Under the second strategic objective, UN partners focused on strengthening resilience and early recovery in areas of the greatest need, including areas that have seen recent returns of internally displaced people, to support reintegration and mitigate the risk of renewed displacement. Finally, under the third strategic objective, there were two priorities: (i) strengthening prevention and response to gender-based violence and supporting reproductive health, and (ii) improving protection monitoring and reporting. In all cases, the allocation focused on people most at risk and on vulnerable groups, with particular attention to women, children, internally displaced persons, and persons with disabilities. The allocation, which spanned across several sectors that have worked in close coordination, focused on the most vulnerable people in 10 agreed top-priority locations, including camps for internally displaced people, that had particularly high levels of need, especially among women and children. The allocation directly targeted 1,712,226 million people in 10 priority locations, all of which had a high concentration of severe needs, especially among women and children, with a concentration in areas with high severity needs.
CERFs Strategic Added Value
This $25 million CERF UFE allocation was critical in addressing chronically underfunded humanitarian operations in Syria, through integrated food security, livelihoods, health, protection and WASH interventions. With a collaborative effort of the humanitarian actors, a total of 1.9 million affected people were reached with humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, thanks to CERF's flexibility, the implementing agencies were also able to adapt the dynamic operational context on the ground and expand the area of coverage based on identified needs through reprogramming activities to ensure the maximum impact and positive results in the lives of those affected. Nevertheless, as of the reporting date humanitarian needs in Syria continue to rise inexorably, further exacerbated by the February 2023 earthquakes and deterioration of the socioeconomic situation negatively impacting social cohesion and amplifying vulnerabilities. Finally, the CERF allocation enhanced localization of humanitarian response; recipient agencies channelled $4.8 million to 18 NNGOs for the implementation of CERF-funded projects. These local partnerships also strengthened the capacity of local actors and the communities receiving humanitarian services.