syrian refugees inter-agency regional...

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SYRIAN REFUGEES

INTER-AGENCY REGIONAL UPDATE December 2015

HIGHLIGHTS

The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2016-2017

The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) 2016-2017 in response to the Syria crisis was released on 7 December as part of the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview in Geneva.

The 2016-2017 3RP covers the activities of some 200 partners including UN agencies, inter-governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. It is composed of country chapters developed under the leadership of national authorities with support from the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in each country. It draws together the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), Jordan Response Plan (JRP) and country chapters in Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

United Nations agencies, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs) and NGO partners are appealing for up to USD 4.55 billion to support those national plans, an increase of 5 per cent compared to the revised 2015 appeal. This small increase reflects continued efforts to make the response more effective, targeted and efficient, including through cash-based interventions to provide assistance for food and other basic needs such as rent and household items. Agencies are undertaking improved targeting of resources and assistance to the most vulnerable.

Key strategic directions in the 3RP 2016-2017 include greater investment in education and increased opportunities for vocational training and livelihoods for refugees and host communities. The partners behind the programme are also calling for more support to the most vulnerable refugees to meet their food and other basic needs, alongside increased support to national capacities and systems for the delivery of health, education, water and other services.

The Regional Strategic Overview of the 3RP 2016-2017 is available at: http://www.3rpsyriacrisis.org/

KEY FIGURES

4.6 million Syrian refugees have fled to

neighboring countries and North

Africa

1.8 million Syrian refugees with updated registration records including iris scan enrolment

599,566 Children (5-17 years old) enrolled

in formal education (primary or

secondary) in 2015

95,027 Households received unconditional, sector-specific or emergency cash assistance in 2015

75,808 Households outside of camps received assistance for shelter or shelter upgrades in 2015

3RP 2015 FUNDING

USD 4.5 billion (agency total

requirements requested for 2015, not

including government funding)

3RP 2016 OVERVIEW

Funded58%

Gap42%

USD 4.55 billion total

funding requirements

4.7 million refugees

(Projected December 2016)

4 million members of host communities - direct beneficiaries

targeted

http://www.3rpsyriacrisis.org/

Inter-Agency Regional Update-Syrian Refugees

Syria Regional Refugee Response Inter-agency Information Sharing Portal - data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees

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OPERATIONAL CONTEXT

The number of Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries currently stands at 4,603,363 people.

Tragically, and with no end in sight to Syria’s war which is heading towards a sixth year, the crisis is intensifying and the numbers of refugees are rising. Based on the most recent trends in displacement and population growth, and with access to safety in some coun-tries becoming increasingly managed, it is expected that some 4.7 million Syrian refugees will be registered in the region by the end of 2016.

Since late 2015, there have been a marked increase in the number of Syrians seeking refuge further afield, notably in Europe. One in every two of those crossing the Mediterranean in 2015 – half a million people – were Syrians escaping the war in their country.

During the month of December, the Security Council adopted two major resolutions on Syria. On 18 December, the Security Council endorsed a road map for a peace process in Syria, setting out an early-January timetable for United Nations-facilitated talks between the Government and opposition members, as well as an outline for a nationwide ceasefire to begin as soon as the parties concerned had taken initial steps towards a political transition. Unanimously adopting Resolution 2254 (2015), the Council reconfirmed its endorsement of the 30 June 2012 Geneva Communiqué, and endorsed the ‘Vienna Statements’ in pursuit of the Communiqué’s implementation as the basis for a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political transition to end the conflict.

In efforts to ensure that humanitarian assistance reached people in need throughout Syria by the most direct routes, the Security Council on 22 December unanimously adopted Resolution 2258 (2015), thus renewing for a period of 12 months two decisions taken in Resolution 2165 (2014) that authorized passage of aid into the country. It further decided to establish a monitoring mechanism, under the authority of the United Nations Secretary-General, to monitor, with the consent of the relevant neighbouring countries of Syria, the loading of all humanitarian relief consignments of the United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners at the relevant United Nations facilities, also with notification to the Syrian authorities.



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UPDATE ON ACHIEVEMENTS

Protection

A recent study ‘The Welfare of Syrian refugees’ by the World Bank Group and UNHCR explores the socio-economic profile, poverty, and vulnerability of refugees, evaluates current policies and discusses prospects for policy reforms. It exploits a wealth of survey and registry data on Syrian refugees living in Jordan and Lebanon to assess their poverty and vulnerability status, understand the predictors of these statuses, evaluate the performance of existing policies toward refugees, and determine the potential for alternative policies. Findings point to a complex situation. In the absence of humanitarian assistance, poverty is extremely high among refugees. Current policies including cash transfers and food vouchers are effective in reducing poverty but they remain short of providing economic inclusion and self-reliance of refugees. Social protection on its own does not foster a transition to work and self-reliance if access to labour markets and economic opportunities are not available. The focus must shift beyond social protection for refugees to include economic growth in the areas hosting them so that refugees and local communities can share in economic progress. This will require continued close collaboration between humanitarian and development agencies and international partners in order to transform a humanitarian crisis into a development opportunity for all. The report is available for download at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23228

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), over half of the refugees are children. They suffer immensely as a result of conflict and displacement – children have often been wounded or killed and suffered the consequences of conflict, destruction and violence. When fleeing into neighbouring countries, refugee children may find safety but also uncertainty and daily struggles that are distressing both for the children and for their families. Separation from family members, difficulty accessing basic services, and increased poverty make it more likely that children will marry early, work before the legal age or in dangerous and exploitative conditions, drop out of school or face violence in their homes, communities or schools. The UNHCR report titled ‘Protection of refugee children in the Middle East and North Africa’ outlines a range of good practices undertaken by UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA and other United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and other partners across MENA, together with States, that demonstrate the progress made in protecting refugee children in the region. The report is available here: http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23228

http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php



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LEBANON

An estimated 70 per cent of refugees in Lebanon are now living below the Lebanese extreme poverty line of USD 3.84 per day, according to the 2015 annual Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees (VASyR) in Lebanon formally launched in December by WFP, UNHCR and UNICEF. In addition to the sharp increase in poverty, the study’s key findings indicate a heightened reliance on debt and humanitarian aid coupled with reduced quality of food consumed and expenditure due to limited resources. Nearly 90 per cent of the more than one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon are today trapped in a vicious cycle of debt. The vulnerabilities of Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been compounded by additional requirements that have been in place since January relating to their stay in Lebanon. Residency must be renewed every six months, and to do so, registered refugees of working age have to sign a notarized pledge not to work. Most Syrian refugees who work do so informally, finding jobs in agriculture or construction for a few days each month, typically earning no more than USD 15 for a 12-hour working day. Women and children earn as little as USD 4 for a day’s agricultural work. The vulnerability survey was based on an assessment of more than 4,000 refugee households and over 100,000 family visits this year. The full VASyR can be found here: http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/admin/download.php?id=10006

The recently issued Oxfam discussion paper titled ‘Lebanon: Looking ahead in times of crisis’ aims to bring together the key areas of displacement economics, poverty and governance in Lebanon and from a Lebanon perspective, highlight some of the challenges that the country and the people in its territory are confronted with. In doing so, the paper deliberately raises difficult realities for populations within Lebanon, reflecting policy and programme challenges drawn from Oxfam’s programmes, partnerships and community consultations over the past year. Oxfam attempts to reconcile its response to poverty with a humanitarian response to displacement, using a comprehensive rights based approach relevant to all segments of the population. The paper also outlines policy propositions rooted in national and international rights frameworks as a basis for dialogue which, if used to build a more comprehensive framework for engagement in Lebanon, could help to re-think approaches to long-term solutions for Lebanon as a whole, and for the displaced populations living there. It can be accessed here: http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/lebanon-looking-ahead-in-times-of-crisis-taking-stock-of-the-present-to-urgentl-583642

http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/admin/download.php?id=10006

http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/lebanon-looking-ahead-in-times-of-crisis-taking-stock-of-the-present-to-urgentl-583642






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JORDAN

On 9 and 10 December, in cooperation with UNHCR the Public Security Directorate/FPD, and the National Council for Family Affairs organized a regional conference on Sexual and Gender based Violence and Child Protection under the Patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abd. The conference highlighted the principle of best interests and the importance of survivor-centered approach to strengthen national protection systems in refugee settings. The conference brought together 100 government and non-government representatives from national and international agencies from the MENA region.

IRAQ

Although less and less Syrians are admitted as asylum seekers when arriving in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (3 per cent of arrivals in December), Syrians continue to cross into KR-I at a steady pace with 4,773 individuals entering through the Peshkhabour border this month, bringing the total 2015 arrivals in KR-I at 61,374 Syrians. Most Syrians enter as visitors or for medical reasons and later eventually approach UNHCR to change their status from visitor to asylum-seeker. Increasing financial difficulties for a number of refugee families make them more vulnerable, fostering relocation of some families from urban accommodations to camps and fuelling returns to

Photo and story credit: UNHCR/Christopher Herwig

Nada and Ibraheem Fareed, from Homs (Syria) are living in Amman, Jordan, with their five children. Their last three months’ rent were covered by loans, they are living in fear of eviction. Every day Nada leaves the house in search of charity, “I can’t meet my children’s demands and sometimes we are going through days where we can’t even eat bread. I have nothing. If there is no assistance how can we live here in Jordan? We will have no option but to return to Syria.”

Ibraheem said, “We are living, only due to the absence of death. We have seen things that nobody should ever see. When we left Syria, we took nothing with us, expecting to stay for just a few weeks in Jordan before returning home.”



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Syria or departures to Turkey and Europe. However, the number of spontaneous returns continued to decrease throughout December confirming a downward trend which started in September 2015. A total of 915 registered asylum seekers returned to Syria in December; a 44 per cent decrease compared to November, and the lowest number in 2015 after a peak in August. The total number of returns recorded in 2015 reaches 24,709 individuals.

In Erbil Governorate, UNHCR’s new digital protection monitoring tool was first field-tested. Paper questionnaires will be replaced by tablets in the field and protection teams will be able to upload their findings directly to the protection database, referring persons of concern to service providers in real time and saving hours of paperwork. Trainings will follow in early 2016 in order to implement the tool across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

(L-R) Aden, Amare (8), Ali (4), Ibrahim (3). Photo and story credit: Tracy Manners/Save the Children

Imani* is from Syria and fled to Tripoli, Lebanon, with her husband and four children – Aden, Amare, Ali and

Ibrahim. Her husband feels the strain of living in Lebanon without having registration papers. His employers

assaulted him when he asked for payment. Once, their house was broken into, and for days afterwards their

children were scared and unable to sleep. They are scared and they always cry. Imani and her husband are

struggling to feed the family and pay rent. Imani said: “My husband and I were highly affected [by the war].

My children were affected as well and Aden used to cry all the time. He told us that he wants to live like we

used to live before.

The Child Protection teams at Save the Children Lebanon provide psychosocial support to vulnerable

children ages 6-13 through structured resilience-building sessions. These are conducted in centres as well

as community spaces via mobile activities. For adolescents aged 13-18 years old, life skills activities are

provided, coupled with designing and delivering adolescent-led community projects. *All names changed



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Education

With four million Syrian refugees as of September 2015, there is urgent need to develop both short-term and long-term approaches to providing education for the children. The report ‘Education of Syrian refugee children‘ by Rand Corporation reviews Syrian refugee education for children in the three neighboring countries with the largest population of refugees — Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan — and analyzes four areas: access, management, society, and quality. Policy implications include prioritizing the urgent need to increase access to education among refugees; transitioning from a short-term humanitarian response to a longer-term development response; investing in both government capacity to provide education and in formal, quality alternatives to the public school systems; improving data in support of decision-making; developing a deliberative strategy about how to integrate or separate Syrian and host-country children in schools to promote social cohesion; limiting child labour and enabling education by creating employment policies for adults; and implementing particular steps to improve quality of education for both refugees and citizens. This research was supported through philanthropic contributions and conducted under RAND’s Initiative for Middle East Youth (IMEY) within the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy (CMEPP), part of International Programs at the RAND Corporation. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. The report is available here: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR800/RR859/RAND_RR859.pdf

Educate a Child (EAC), a global programme of the Education Above All Foundation, and UNHCR, are launching a

new three-year partnership that will provide access to education for 710,000 children affected by conflict and

forced displacement in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Building on a partnership that has given more than

260,000 vulnerable children access to primary school since 2012, the new EAC-funded programme will continue

to support the education of these children and help enrol a further 450,000 in schools over the next three years.

About half of the beneficiaries are expected to be children displaced by the Syria crisis. The USD 57.9 million

donation from EAC will focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning; ensuring safe learning

environments for children; promoting awareness and advocacy on the importance of education for refugee

children; and strengthening capacity and partnerships with ministries of education and other actors to enable

more refugee children to access educational opportunities. Education projects will include innovative activities,

tailored to address key gaps which limit access to quality education for out-of-school children.

JORDAN

In December, the Ministry of Education (MOE) confirmed that 145,458 Syrian students had access to formal education in schools in camp and host community settings for the 2015/2016 academic year. For the first time, this data was compiled and analyzed through the Education Management Information System (EMIS), which UNICEF supported through the provision of laptops in the camp schools. As part of the Learning for All Campaign, outreach activities continued in December through UNICEF’s network of partners in camps and host communities. A total of 1,905 students enrolled in non-formal education during 2015 including Syrian, Jordanian and children of other nationalities. UNICEF conducted 13 trainings to guide schools on how to integrate children with disabilities into formal education which benefitted a total of 342 MOE staff. For the first time, parents also

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR800/RR859/RAND_RR859.pdf



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joined the trainings, which proved beneficial as both parties had the opportunity to interact and learn from one another.

The latest report by the International Peace Institute ‘Educating Syrian Youth in Jordan: Holistic approaches in emergency response’ offers three recommendations for how to improve youth programming in emergencies:

o A Holistic Approach: emergency responses should develop a youth strategy that addresses the needs of youth and their connection to other areas such as education, health, and livelihoods. This could take place through youth taskforces at the local, national, or even regional levels.

o Minimum Standards for refugee education programs should be established from the start. Such standards could tie into an international system for certifying learning achievements.

o A Transition Plan for what will happen next in refugee graduates’ lives should be developed. This could include long-term vocational training, income-generating projects, and opening particular employment sectors to refugees. Read the full report: http://reliefweb.int/report/jordan/educating-syrian-youth-jordan-holistic-approaches-emergency-response

As of December, 168,003 children (52 per cent girls) are registered at Makani spaces and/or child and adolescent friendly spaces through which they have access to life skills and informal education in addition to the quality structured psychosocial support offered at all UNICEF-supported child protection centres. A total of 12,419 children (11,955 in Makani) were newly registered for psychosocial support in the month of December alone. UNICEF and partners implementing the Makani approach in host communities have reached 38,222 young people with life skills activities (16,493 boys and 21,729 girls) between the ages of 10 to 24 years (Syrians and Jordanian), while 9,258 young people (4,804 boys, 4,454 girls) accessed the life skills programme in camps. Capacity building activities continue to be provided to partners implementing life skills to enhance the quality of the programme and to be able to measure the impact on young people.

EGYPT

Under the auspices of His Excellency Dr. El-Helaly El-Sherbiny, Minister of Education and Technical Education in the Arab Republic of Egypt, UNESCO organized on 15 and 16 December the ‘First Arab Regional Meeting on Education 2030’, under the theme ‘Towards Collective Action in Achieving Education 2030 Goal in the Arab Region’. The meeting was attended by over 90 participants, including high level officials from Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs, Parliamentarians in charge of Commissions on Education from 17 Arab Member States, UN co-convenors, regional organizations, civil society organizations and private foundations. The objectives of the meeting were to articulate the inter-connectedness of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the central role of education in achieving it, to discuss the Education 2030 (SDG 4) Framework for Action as well as to agree on a roadmap to its operationalization in the Arab Region. During the meeting, participants highlighted emerging and pressing educational issues common to the region, which need to be

http://reliefweb.int/organization/international-peace-institute

http://reliefweb.int/organization/international-peace-institute

http://reliefweb.int/report/jordan/educating-syrian-youth-jordan-holistic-approaches-emergency-response





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addressed for a successful implementation of the new Agenda. These issues include effective coordination and partnership, increased financing and efficient use of resources, good governance, institutionalized capacity development, and sound monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The participants also expressed concern about the negative impact of crises on the national education development gains that have been achieved in the previous years in the region. The meeting culminated in the adoption of ‘Arab Regional Roadmap for Education 2030’ which sets out immediate actions to be undertaken in 2016 by Member States and partners in order to operationalize the Education 2030 agenda in the Arab Region. With this adoption, UNESCO will continue to lead the coordination process together with UN co-convenors, regional organizations, civil society organizations and private foundations, and reaffirm its commitment to accompany and support Member States throughout the implementation process of the Agenda for the fourth Sustainable Development Goal.

Food Security and Nutrition

TURKEY

WFP continued to support approximately 150,000 Syrians through its e-card programme in eleven camps in the south-east of Turkey. In December, beneficiaries received a one-time winterization bonus of USD 16/person along with their regular monthly entitlement. Off-camp operations started in Kahramanmaraş and 4,518 beneficiaries were included in the programme. In 2016, contingent on funding, the programme is planned to expand beyond the south-east Turkey to large urban areas hosting a high concentration of Syrians.

LEBANON

In December, WFP reached 642,466 individuals including Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese with food assistance. To expedite the identification of the most vulnerable households, WFP continued to work closely with the American University of Beirut to develop a desk-based targeting formula.

Around 10,000 Lebanese and Syrian students will benefit from a pilot school feeding programme to be launched in January 2016. WFP and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education are working to finalize the selection of schools.

JORDAN

In urban communities, WFP reached 436,499 beneficiaries through e-cards with the extremely vulnerable receiving USD 21 and the vulnerable USD 14. In camps and transit centres, WFP provided USD 28 per person reaching a total of 92,017 people. Furthermore, in camps, 84,142 beneficiaries were reached with bread. WFP reached 16,279 students in formal and informal schools in Zaatri and 1,081 students in informal schools in Azraq camp with daily nutritious snacks.

EGYPT

In December, distributions took place in six governorates (Obour, 6th of October, Alexandria, Marsa Matrouh, Mansoura, and Damietta) reaching 61,362 beneficiaries (2,878 Palestinian refugees from Syria and 58,484 Syrian Refugees). The reduced food voucher value continues to be USD 17 per person per month instead of the planned USD 24. Though, there has been no exclusion based on targeting in the December distribution cycle, the socio-economic assessment informing the shift from geographic to vulnerability targeting has so far resulted in 41,600 exclusions. More than 8,000 were re-included through the appeals review process.

IRAQ

In December, WFP provided food assistance through paper vouchers to 49,305 Syrian refugees across KRI. Vulnerable refugees are receiving a paper voucher valued USD 10 and the extremely vulnerable continued to receive voucher of USD 19. For non-camp refugees, data collection for the food security and vulnerability assessment has been completed. The assessment aims at establishing levels of food security and the vulnerability status of Syrian refugees living in the community and will inform WFP’s support to the refugees in 2016.



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In Anbar Governorate, UNHCR through the Iraqi Salvation Humanitarian Organisation (ISHO) continued to distribute two pieces of bread per refugee per day for the entire camp population of Al Obaidy in addition to a complementary food assistance of USD 16 to over half of the estimated refugee population in the camp.

Health

TURKEY

IOM continues to support Doctors Worldwide Turkey and their clinic in the Fatih district through the provision of primary health care services to Syrian refugees. The clinic provides basic health services, including paediatric, women’s pathogenesis, internal diseases, general surgery, and laboratory analysis services. Additionally, the clinic also provides free medicine through its pharmacy. Since the start of the project, the clinic has assisted a total of 6,392 patients.

Photo credit: WFP Amina hails from Saida village near Daraa, Syria. She escaped the conflict along with her husband and five children four years ago. “When we first came here, my son was so reckless about going to school and doing his homework. Fortunately, we’ve come a long way since.” She credits part of that positive change to WFP’s school feeding meal. “As a mother, it is a relief to know that my children are not only learning but are also being fed with a meal that keeps them healthy and focused all day in class,” she says.



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JORDAN

As part of the newborn health programme, six national guidelines and protocols on newborn care services at all health facilities in Jordan were reviewed in December and are now ready for discussion by experts and to be endorsed by the Ministry of Health (MOH). The national neonatal death audit system underwent systematic reviews. Reporting outlines for neonatal deaths were finalized for review by the national technical committee. In Zaatari and Azraq camps, UNICEF distributed 333 newborn kits (172 for female newborns and 161 for male newborns) and 330 mother kits (36 of the mothers receiving the kits were under 18 years old). In cooperation with the MOH, multiple training workshops on routine immunization were held in Amman, Mafraq, Maan, Aqaba, and Zaatari camp for all vaccinators. In total, 420 vaccinators were trained on various topics to strengthen routine immunization programmes.

IRAQ

Across KRI, a total of 31,064 patient consultations were conducted in Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities across Syrian refugee camps, with an average patient consultation rate of 3.9 consultations per person per year, in line with the expected range of 1-4 consultations per person per year. The major causes for patient consultations remained upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea and skin infections. A total of 1,167 patients were referred to secondary/tertiary hospitals for further investigations or hospitalization, while 1,301 patients benefited from mental health services.

PHC services in Kawergosk camp have been handed over to the Department of Health (DOH), meaning that in seven of the ten Syrian refugee camps in Iraq the handover of PHC services from partners to the DoH has been either completed or is in the final phase of completion. This progress is in line with the ultimate goal of integrating all refugee camp PHC services in the national health system.

In collaboration with WHO, UNHCR and UNICEF, the second round of Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) campaign was successfully conducted by MOH in seven refugee camps in KRI between 7 and 9 December. Total administrative coverage was estimated at 89.5 per cent (on target).

Shelter and NFIs

JORDAN

Following the successful pilot of the EyeCloud© system, which allows an ATM to authenticate biometric registration data directly from UNHCR rather than from the bank, UNHCR plans to fully launch the system on 14 January. Following the launch, humanitarian partners in Jordan will be able to utilize the cash delivery mechanism to draw upon UNHCR biometric data securely, and provide cash assistance in an effective and efficient manner, while ensuring that delivery takes place in a way that enhances the dignity of refugee recipients.

In December 2015, UNICEF transferred the monthly unconditional Child Cash Grant (CCG) installment to families of the most vulnerable 54,452 children (26,653 girls and 27,799 boys) among the Syrian refugee population registered in host communities. UNICEF also provided CCG to families supporting 512 unaccompanied and separated children (239 girls and 273 boys), irrespective of poverty status. The CCG programme provides a grant of JOD 20 (USD28) per child per month with the aim that it will enable families to cover their children’s basic needs and to provide a safety net preventing the families from resorting to the use of negative coping strategies that impact upon child wellbeing.



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WINTER RESPONSE With winter at its peak in December, UNHCR continued to strengthen its support for thousands of Syrian

refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Middle East. As of December, UNHCR has distributed winter core relief items (CRI) to more than 597,600 Syrian refugees and over 463,000 Syrian IDPs in the region and cash assistance for the winter months was provided to 875,313 Syrian refugees. Overall, 67 per cent of the total Syrian refugees and IDPs identified for UNHCR winter support have received assistance.

LEBANON

In December, a total of 700 stoves and two winter supplies of environmentally friendly briquettes per stove were delivered by UNDP to the most vulnerable Lebanese population in the North and Bekaa region, the regions most affected by the Syrian crisis. For years, Lebanese families have relied on diesel-fuel stoves, however fuel is a dangerous, highly flammable substance and it is often too expensive to afford, leaning many families vulnerable to the cold. In distributing stoves and briquettes, UNDP has also reduced reliance on highly polluting diesel fuel and on wood collected unsustainably and often illegally from forests. Money saved on fuel can be used for other priority needs.

JORDAN

As the harsh cold winter approaches in Jordan, UNICEF and WFP have launched a winter cash assistance programme that will allow vulnerable Syrian families in Zaatari and Azraq camps to buy warm winter clothing for all their children. This is the second year that UNICEF and WFP partner to provide support to vulnerable Syrian children during the winter. The one-time cash grant from UNICEF will provide USD 28 each to a total of 51,851 children under the age of 18 in the two camps. This assistance will be delivered through the electronic food vouchers (e-cards) provided by WFP to Syrian families to buy food every month. The money can be used to buy winter clothes, such as boots, gloves, trousers, coats and scarves at WFP-contracted supermarkets in the camps until mid-January 2016. Families in the camps are being informed through SMS, posters, flyers and awareness sessions with camp community leaders that the UNICEF cash assistance is for the winter needs of their children. UNICEF is reaching over 150,000 vulnerable children this winter in camps and host communities in Jordan with cash assistance and in-kind winter clothing in partnership with UNHCR, WFP and NGO partners. Through its e-card programme, WFP provides monthly food assistance to 523,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees in camps and communities in Jordan.

UNICEF partners continued distributing winter kits to the most vulnerable children in host communities via Makani centres. Following the distribution of 3,800 winter kits in November, 14,200 kits were distributed in December. Winter kits are comprised of a winter jacket, wool sweater or cardigan, thermal set (top and bottom), winter trousers, wool hat and scarf, winter boots and gloves.

Water and Sanitation

JORDAN

ACTED celebrated World Toilet Day by installing the first private toilets connected to the wastewater network in Zaatari camp. This marked an important step forward in the infrastructural development of the camp, symbolizing the long-term investment in upgrading water, sanitation and hygiene facilities for its residents. The installation of the toilets is carried out together with the installation of the new wastewater network, which should be completed early 2016. The wastewater network is designed and constructed by ACTED and three other NGOs, with the support of UNICEF. It will connect all households to a piped sewer network that deposits wastewater into septic tanks. ACTED’s social mobilization team conduct door-to-door sessions in households located in the districts where the wastewater network is being installed. This allows to map out which



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households have toilets and which do not. On this basis, the team selects the future beneficiaries of private toilets following strict selection criteria. Households without toilets undergo a comprehensive assessment to determine which should be prioritized, and ranking is determined in cooperation with UNHCR based on vulnerability. Priority is given to female-headed households with persons with disabilities (PWDs), followed by male-headed households with PWDs and female-headed households without support. For households with PWDs, the social mobilization team - after training from UNHCR - evaluates whether a disabled toilet is necessary. With the completion of the wastewater network and the installation of toilets, the majority of public water, sanitation, and hygiene blocks will be phased out. The establishment of a piped sewage system will eliminate the occurrence of household waste being deposited into pits, which is presently a common occurrence as many households have constructed their own private toilets which are not connected to any sewage network. As a result, the quality of life will improve and the risk of communicable diseases will reduce.

UNICEF provided essential WASH services to approximately 108,696 people, including an estimated 60,866 children, living in camps in Jordan. These services included the daily provision of an average of 3.7 million litres of treated water, maintenance of sanitation facilities, collection and disposal of over 1.25 million litres of wastewater and 740 cubic metres of solid waste, as well as the dissemination of key WASH messages. Since January 2015, WASH services have been provided to an estimated 121,723 people living in camps, including approximately 66,989 children. In Zaatari camp, the operation of the three internal boreholes (supplying 3.22 M litres per day) continued with no water from external sources for the first time in the history of the camp. Water quality monitoring continued with a focus on water storage tanks in public areas and institutions. Disinfection of water storage tanks in health facilities and schools began and will be completed in January.

Community Empowerment and Self-Reliance

LEBANON

ILO, through its "Enhancing job opportunities and livelihoods in host communities” project, supported a two-day festival in the northern city of Ramtha in Jordan, designed to promote home-based businesses for both Syrian and Jordanian families. It is one of a series of similar events being supported by the ILO, as part of the UN agency’s wider efforts to enhance employment opportunities and livelihoods in communities straining to cope with the influx of large numbers of refugees in the region.

IOM partnered with a local NGO in North Lebanon to implement a community support project engaging 240 previously unemployed Syrian refugees and Lebanese youth. Activities include the repair, rehabilitation, and clean-up of roads overall benefitting eight municipalities of Akkar. This short term employment opportunity is providing a constructive alternative to negative copying strategies. This project also targets local host community members.

JORDAN

UNFPA’s implementing partner carried out ‘A Space for Change’ programme in Zaatari camp in Jordan to build the capacity of volunteers to respond to community needs. As part of the winter contingency planning, 48 volunteers are now prepared to support the community by mapping flooded areas, repairing damaged caravans, and helping to evacuate community members from areas with a potential risk of flooding.

IRAQ

IOM continues to provide support to families through livelihood support projects. These include vocational and on-the-job training coupled with training toolkits, as well as business development support including business training and in-kind packages to establish or expand a business, and rehabilitating premises for existing businesses. Since the beginning of the Syria Crisis, IOM has provided livelihood support for over 4,000 persons.



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FINANCIAL INFORMATION (2015)

2015 Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP)

Agencies are very grateful for the financial support provided by donors who have contributed to their activities with unearmarked and broadly earmarked funds as well as for those who have contributed directly to the situation.

3RP Total Funding Requirements for 2015 (Refugee and Resilience): USD 5,506,704,435

3RP Agency Total Requirements for 2015 (Refugee and Resilience): USD 4,319,944,558

Donors who have contributed Funding received (in million USD) for the Agency Requirements for 2015

A total of USD 2.48 billion* has been funded

(as of 29 December 2015)

* This is excluding the funding requested and received by Governments. * The total USD 2.48 billion Includes USD 347 million of regionally earmarked funds that has been received and is pending allocation by country.

Australia Belgium Bulgaria Canada CERF Czech Republic Denmark ERF European Union Finland France Germany Holy See Ireland Italy Japan Kuwait Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Netherlands New Zealand Norway Private donors Qatar Republic of

Korea Russian

Federation Saudi Arabia Slovak Republic Spain Sweden Switzerland United Arab

Emirates United Kingdom

United States of America

1,011M

664M

230M

178M

56M

749M

527M

394M

249M

134M

1,761M

1,191M

624M

426M

190M

Lebanon

Jordan

Turkey

Iraq

Egypt

Funded Gap Total Requested

Contacts:

Rebecca Blackledge, UNHCR Reporting Officer, [email protected] Tel: +962 (0)79 763 3558

Nini Gurung, UNHCR Associate Reporting Officer, [email protected] Tel: +962 (0)79 694 8786

Links: Syria Regional Refugee Response Inter-agency Information Sharing Portal; UNHCR Syria Emergency Response

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php

http://www.unhcr.org/emergency/5051e8cd6-53ff7749c.html

syrian refugees inter-agency regional...

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