Syrian Arab Republic

Working environment     

• The humanitarian situation in the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) continued to deteriorate. Some 6.5 million people are internally displaced, including multiple times, and many others continued to flee into neighbouring countries. More than 13.5 million people inside the country were in need of humanitarian assistance by year end.
• The conflict, sanctions, deepening economic recession, fluctuating national currency, soaring food and fuel prices, destroyed infrastructure, and reduced availability of basic services contributed to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation across the country. 
• In line with the international humanitarian response to internal displacement situations and in the context of the Whole-of-Syria approach, UNHCR leads the Protection and Community Services, Shelter and Non-Food Items, and Camp Coordination and Camp Management sectors, and continues to deliver cross-line and cross-border assistance to affected populations.

Population trends     

• As of December 2015, the United Nations estimated that some 6.5 million people were internally displaced in Syria. New displacements occurred in areas of continued and increased conflict. 
• Some 1,300 refugees departed for resettlement in 2015. 
• The number of registered urban refugees and asylum-seekers, mostly from Iraq, decreased from approximately 30,000 at the end of 2014 to 26,000 at the end of 2015. In addition, some 3,554 Iraqis were identified in Roj and Newroz camps in the Al-Hasakeh Governorate and their status have not yet been determined. 

Achievements and impact    

• UNHCR increased the scope of protection and assistance activities, responding to the humanitarian needs of IDPs within the framework of the Syria Strategic Response Plan. 
• Under its protection and community services strategy, UNHCR designed and implemented four cross-cutting programmes: the volunteer outreach programme; community-based initiatives; grants to empower local organizations; and grants for community centres. UNHCR established 30 community centres in nine governorates and mobilized 500 outreach volunteers, which enabled direct contact with IDPs and affected communities, the provision of psychosocial support and protection, and the identification of protection risks and challenges. 
• UNHCR reached some 440,400 IDPs with winterization kits. 
• UNHCR maintained refugee reception and counselling services, including registration, refugee status determination, resettlement, community services, legal assistance, and other services. The legal status of more than 1,000 Palestinian refugees from Iraq was regularized by the Government. 

Unmet needs    

• In a context where more than 3.7 million Syrians are unemployed, of which nearly 3 million lost their jobs during the conflict, the needs of both skilled and unskilled IDPs are huge. Only a relatively small number of refugees have been able to benefit from livelihoods activities carried out by UNHCR and its partners.
• UNHCR’s intervention covered only 12 per cent of the total needs of IDP children. 
• UNHCR-supported health services could only address the basic health needs of the IDPs considered most vulnerable. Secondary health care needs were only partially met. 
• The provision of essential medicines for refugees, including for chronic diseases, was reduced due to budgetary limits.

Working environment

With no political solution in sight and military confrontation continuing, the number of people affected by internal con­flict in the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) is likely to increase in 2015.

The likely ongoing destruction of infrastructure, along with shifting con­flict lines and high levels of insecurity and violence, continue to restrict humanitarian access. The delivery of basic services in many parts of the country has also been affected, reducing or severely damaging Syrians’ livelihoods. The scale of destruction of homes and livelihoods presents a major obstacle to return and reintegration efforts.

Under the inter-agency framework of the Syrian Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan (SHARP), UNHCR will strive to deliver its programmes to people of concern irrespective of their location, including through cross-line and cross-border activities. It will take a lead role in the protection, shelter and non-food item (NFI) sectors, also using its experience and expertise in the health, education and livelihoods sectors.

The deteriorating humanitarian situation in neighbouring Iraq prompted an in­flux of Iraqi refugees into north-eastern Syria in 2014. UNHCR will pursue its overall protection and assistance programme for refugees in Syria, with the addition of a refugee camp in the governorate of Hassakeh.

As UN Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014) and 2165 (2014) aim to improve access to affected populations, the Office will continue expanding its outreach capacity, including through more national partners. To this end, UNHCR will maintain its eight field offices, to ensure a presence and access to the IDPs, as well as to maintain response and monitoring capacity.

Needs and strategies

With the confl­ict anticipated to continue in 2015, life-saving humanitarian interventions are at the core of UNHCR’s strategy in Syria. Building on its long-term presence there, the field-based office structure was expanded in 2014 to improve access to people of concern, including across confl­ict lines and borders.

To support IDPs, UNHCR will continue its inter-agency coordination role in protection and community services, as well as CCCM, shelter and NFI sectors, providing essential humanitarian assistance for extremely vulnerable individuals and families. UNHCR will also use its experience and expertise to provide life-saving health assistance and cover gaps.

Ensuring basic protection for asylum-seekers and refugees in Syria, providing monthly cash grants to urban refugees, and adopting a multi-sector approach in the north-eastern camp(s), will also be priorities in 2015. UNHCR will maintain its resettlement programme, at a relatively low scale, as a key element of its durable solutions strategy for those in a protracted refugee situation.