UNHCR started its operations in Syria to respond to the displacement crisis inflicted by the first Iraqi war in 1991, including, but not limited to 8,000 refugees hosted in Al Hol camp, near the Syria-Iraq border. The Iraqi refugee influx was followed by the arrival of Somali refugees in 1992, then Yemeni refugees in 1995.
As a result of the 2003 war in Iraq, over 70,000 to 100,000 Iraqis had sought refuge in Syria by the end of 2003. Moreover, following subsequent hostilities in Iraq, at the end of 2009, 1.1 million Iraqis sought safety in Syria, including 206,000 registered with UNHCR, making Syria into the third largest refugee-hosting country globally. UNHCR scaled up its operations to provide protection, assistance and durable solutions.
With the onset of the crisis in Syria in 2011, UNHCR expanded the scope of its operations to respond to the humanitarian needs of increasing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), asylum-seekers and refugees, and host communities.
Against the above backdrop, in addition to maintaining a refugee operation, responding to the needs of some 55,000 refugees and asylum seekers, UNHCR’s response to the Syrian displacement crisis is conducted in the framework of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), through a Country Office and Sub\Field Offices in Damascus, Aleppo, Qamishli, Tartous, Homs, Hama and Sweida, operating with a workforce of national and international staff and 40 international and national NGO partners.
UNHCR’s activities encompass provision of life-saving/life-sustaining assistance, mitigation of protection risks and response to protection needs, self-reliance, livelihoods, as well as winterization programme and response to the urgent needs of spontaneous returnees and the preparation for an eventual facilitated repatriation of refugees from neighboring countries and further afield when conditions for return in safety and dignity emerge.
In 2017, UNHCR reached 2.6 million crisis-affected people with a basket of community-based protection services, including legal counselling, support on issues of documentation, as well as SGBV and Child Protection activities, provided through 92 community centres, 10 satellite centres and 58 mobile units, supported by 2,190 Outreach Volunteers (ORVs), operating in 13 governorates.
UNHCR, through the Shelter/NFI sector it leads, provided in 2017 SNFI assistance to 4,288,563 individuals, including 3,381,644 (78%) through the regular program and 906,919 (22%) through crossline and cross-border convoys. Moreover, 1.6 million people were reached with winter assistant.