REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb

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REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
REGIONAL                    REGIONAL REFUGEE
                            AND RESILIENCE PLAN

NEEDS
OVERVIEW
2021

@3RPSYRIA
W W W. 3RPSYRIACRISIS.ORG
REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
Contents
         Click on the
         topics below

Executive Summary

Key Data				                                4

Regional Context Analysis 				              6
Large-scale Displacement				                8
Socio-economic Outlook				                  9
COVID-19				                                10
Demographic Characteristics				             11

Regional Needs & Vulnerabilities				        12
Protecting People				                       14
Pursing Durable Solutions				               16
Supporting Dignified Lives				              18
Enhancing National & Local Capacities				   22

Country Contexts				                        24
Turkey				                                  26
Lebanon			                                  28
Jordan				                                  30
Iraq				                                    32
Egypt				                                   34

Links and Sources				                       36
REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
Regional Needs Overview       November 2020

Executive
Summary
The Syria refugee crisis remains                    the region early in the year and was followed        Methodological
the largest humanitarian and                        by other waves that at the time of writing           considerations
                                                    continue to impact the lives of millions of
development crises in the
                                                    refugees and host communities alike. Similarly,      The Regional Needs Overview
world. Across the five main                                                                              (RNO) of the 3RP is the first
                                                    in the context of a global economic recession,
Syrian-refugee hosting countries                    host countries have further stretched thin the       document of this kind that
including under the 3RP – Turkey,                   resources needed to fund services in support of      complements and informs a
Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt                     the vulnerable population. Economic forecasts
                                                                                                         Regional Response Plan. While
                                                                                                         all regional crises around the
– over 10 million people need                       for 3RP countries in 2020 and beyond have been
                                                                                                         world build their narratives
some form of humanitarian and                       progressively downward revised from early 2020,
                                                                                                         and responses around country-
resilience support going into                       especially in Lebanon where compounding crises       specific needs assessments, this
2021. This includes some 5.5                        have had devastating effects. Rises in levels of     RNO also aims at streamlining
million Syrian refugees and 4.8                     unemployment, income and multidimensional            and identifying common trends
                                                    poverty, and food insecurity are among the           and dynamics that may impact
million impacted host community
                                                    greatest factors driving individual need in the      the region alike. It is therefore
members, which is the highest                                                                            essential to recognise and praise
                                                    short-term. The high youth population across
number of people in need of                         the region places stressors on the limited           the efforts made by different
some form of assistance in this                     capacities of education and livelihoods sectors.     actors and stakeholders involved
crisis, in nearly a decade.                         Additional demographic pressures are a result
                                                                                                         in this process and taking this
                                                                                                         document as a starting point for
                                                    of worsening social cohesion due to competition
                                                                                                         future publications.


Alongside the record numbers of people in           over limited resources, services, and
need, the level of vulnerability among refugees     opportunities. At a time where the social fabric     Before reading, it is therefore
and impacted host community members is              is under pressure, violence against women and        important to share some
growing. Five key underlying trends are driving     risks of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) continue        methodological considerations.
this need: the effects of large-scale protracted    to be reported across the region. Moreover, the      First of all, countries employ
displacement, macroeconomic forecasts,              broader health impacts driven by COVID-19 will       various methodologies, and data
socioeconomic conditions, COVID-19, and             also entail long term consequences for the most      availability varies across the
demographic pressures. These interlinked trends     vulnerable people.                                   region. Second, similar types of
have worsened existing structural and individual                                                         assessments undertaken in other
                                                    Against this backdrop, a clear set of regional       countries by the same agency
vulnerabilities and, in some cases, created new
                                                    needs have emerged. Protection-related               consider different information,
vulnerabilities, with long-term effects yet to be
                                                    intersectional needs, particularly those             based on available secondary
fully measured. The trends have also deepened
                                                    related to legal status, gender, age and specific    data. Third, at the time of
pre-existing inequalities, the most pervasive                                                            writing, new waves of COVID-19
                                                    needs, have been highlighted across regional
being gender inequality.                                                                                 pandemic are unfolding globally,
                                                    assessments. Syrian refugees additionally
                                                                                                         and across the region, the depth
This 3RP Regional Needs Overview (RNO)              continue to need opportunities for durable
                                                                                                         of the needs will continue to
provides a consolidated overview of the             solutions. The need for broader availability
                                                                                                         evolve and grow.
needs and vulnerabilities of refugees and           and improved quality of education, livelihoods
impacted host community members at both the         opportunities and access to quality food and         More information is available
regional and country level based on the data        health care is essential. With rises in the use      on the 3RP regional and country
and information from over 100 assessments           of negative coping mechanisms by vulnerable          websites, including detailed
and studies conducted throughout 2020. It is        individuals observed across the region, support      needs analyses.
intended to inform 3RP regional and country-        to address these needs, among others, is
level planning for 2021 and beyond, as well as      critical. Enhancing local capacities, specifically
further research and policy efforts. While the      infrastructure, service provision, and social
scale and scope of needs vary across the 3RP        safety net programmes, is a critical element to
countries, a common regional picture emerges,       ensure that the needs of vulnerable individuals
in addition to the specific country dynamics.       can be met in the medium and long-term by
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic hit first     building resilience.                                 http://www.3rpsyriacrisis.org
REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
Regional Needs Overview                    November 2020

                                                                                              TURKEY

    Population
                                                                                              3,635,410
                                                                                              registered Syrian refugees

                                                                                              3,635,410
                                                                                              projected registered Syrian
                                                                                              refugees by December 2020

                                                                                              3,635,410
                                                                                              estimated total number
                                                                                              of Syrians

                                                                                              1,800,000
                                                                                              number of impacted host
                                                                                              community members

                                                                                                                                SYRIA
                                                                LEBANON
                                                                879,529
                                                                registered Syrian refugees

                                                                800,000
                                                                projected registered Syrian
                                                                refugees by December 2020                                                              IRAQ
                                                                1,500,000                                                                              241,738
                                                                estimated total number                                                                 registered Syrian refugees
                                                                of Syrians
                                                                                                                                                       255,000
                                                                1,500,000                                                                              projected registered Syrian
                                                                number of impacted host                                                                refugees by December 2020
                                                                community members
                                                                                                                                                       245,810
                                                                                                                                                       estimated total number
                                                                                                                                                       of Syrians

                                                                                                                                                       231,938
                                                                                                                                                       number of impacted host
                                                                                                                                                       community members

                                                                                                       JORDAN
                                                                                                       661,997
                                                                                                       registered Syrian refugees

                                                                                                       633,314
                                                                                                       projected registered Syrian
                                                                                                       refugees by December 2020

                                                                                                       1,300,000
                                                                                                       estimated total number
                                                                                                       of Syrians
                EGYPT
                                                                                                       520,000 *
                130,187                                                                                number of impacted host
                registered Syrian refugees                                                             community members

                136,000
                projected registered Syrian                                                                                             REGIONAL
                refugees by December 2020

                500,000
                estimated total number
                                                                                                                                        TOTAL
                of Syrians

                804,480 **
                number of impacted host                                                                                                 5,580,518 **
                community members
                                                                                                                                        registered Syrian refugees

                                                                                                                                        5,400,683
                                                                                                                                        projected registered Syrian
                                                                                                                                        refugees by December 2020

                                                                                                                                        7,122,179
                                                                                                                                        estimated total number
                                                                                                                                        of Syrians
                  Additional
                  data

     * Numbers are based on 2020 figure
                                                                                                                                        4,856,418
    ** The Regional total includes                                                                                                      number of impacted host
       31,657 Syrian refugees in North Africa
                                                                                                                                        community members
      Figures as of 18 November 2020

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REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
Key Facts
           Social Cohesion                                                           Informal Emplyment
           Around two-in-five host community                                         Informal employment is particularly high
           members believe that the cost of living in their                          among women and even more for women
           neighbourhood increased due to the presence                               who are heading households.
           of refugees.
                                                                                     In Turkey, 42,2% of women working within the
                    Additional
                                                                                     informal employment sector as carers, cleaners
                    data                                                             and seasonal workers are without social security.

           Gender-based Violence                                                     Situation
           In Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, violence against women was                     The socio-economic impact of movement
           one of the main reasons women felt unsafe in their                        restrictions and lockdowns has been dramatic.
           homes, with nearly 1 in 3 women fearing domestic                          In Lebanon, according to the recently completed
           violence (by husband or family).                                          annual Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian
                                                                                     Refugees 88% of the total refugee population
                                                                                     cannot afford the Survival Minimum Expenditure
                                                                                     Basket, compared 55% at the end of 2019.

           Host Communities                                                          Digital Divide
           The region’s 2020 GDP growth has been downgraded                          The digital divide is exacerbating inequalities,
           by 7.4 % points on average. Particularly, self-employed,                  particularly gender inequalities, in the access to
           informal sector workers lacking social protection,                        skills development, livelihoods opportunities,
           and individuals working in sectors directly hit by the                    as well as social assistance. In the Arab region,
           COVID-19 crisis, such as tourism, retail, textile, and                    nearly half of the female population of 84 million
           garment industries are at risk of falling into poverty.                   is not connected to the internet nor has access to
                    Additional                                                       a mobile phone.
                    data

           Residence                                                                 Gender and Youth
           95 % of Syrian refugees within the region are living                      Some 45 % of Syrian refugees within the region are
           in urban and peri-urban areas, while 5% are living in                     below the age of 18. Some 45% of host community
           refugee camps.                                                            populations are below the age of 24.
                                                                                     Some 44 % of Syrian refugees within the region are
  95%                                                                                female. Some 49% of host community populations
                                                                                     within the region are female.

           Return                                                                    People with Disabilities
           A strong majority of Syrians wish to return to Syria one                  Global estimates suggest that 15 % of the refugee
           day, a much smaller number plan to return to Syria                        population are people with disabilities.
           in the near future. The key issues influencing return
           intentions include safety and security, livelihoods
           opportunities, access to shelter and access to basic
           services.

           Return (regional)                              2018                       Resettlement (regional)
                                                          2019
                                                          2020

                                                                                     150 k
        12,000
         9,000                                                                       100 k
                                                                      Number of
         6,000                                                        Resettlement
                                                                                      50 k
         3,000                                                        Submissions
            0                                                         Number of         0
             Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec          Resettlement           2016     2017      2018   2019     2020
                                                                      Departures

                                                                                                                                          5
REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
Regional Needs Overview   November 2020

    Regional                          The needs of Syrian refugees and
                                      their host communities in the 3RP
                                      countries are shaped by several
                                                                           refugees of other nationalities,
                                                                           as well as stateless and other

    Context
                                                                           persons of concern.
                                      key regional trends.
                                                                           The unprecedented political,

    Analysis                          These trends include large-
                                      scale protracted displacement,
                                                                           economic and social situation
                                                                           across the region, in the face
                                      macroeconomic trends and             of the COVID-19 pandemic and
                                      socio-economic conditions,           other myriad challenges, has
                                      the compounding and multi-           underscored the need for
                                      faceted impacts of COVID-19, and     sustained support to host
                                      demographic drivers. Despite         governments, host communities,
                                      the challenges brought by these      refugees, and other persons
                                      trends, throughout nearly a decade   of concern.
                                      of displacement, host countries,
                                      institutions, and communities        This section provides a regional
                                      continue to provide asylum and       overview for each of these key
                                      provide services to more than        trends which shape needs and
                                      5.5 million Syrian refugees, and     vulnerabilities across the region.

                                                                           Estimated Impact of the COVID-19
                                                                           Pandemic in the Arab Region

                                                                           It is estimated that one in quarter
                                                                           of the Arab populations are ranked
                                                                           as poor. In short-term, responding
                                                                           to COVID-19 requires humanitarian
                                                                           assistance to the most vulnerable
                                                                           individuals and households. At the
                                                                           same time, considering the mid- to
                                                                           long-term impact, it is important
                                                                           to take into account the concept of
                                                                           building back better by bolstering
                                                                           capacities of vulnerable individuals,
                                                                           institutions and invigorating private
                                                                           sectors.

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REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
Palestine refugees

                                                 Palestine refugees affected by the Syria crisis remain particularly vulnerable and are exposed
                                                 to substantial humanitarian and protection risks. An estimated two-thirds of Palestine refugees
                                                 in Syria have been displaced from their district of origin at least once since the beginning of the
                                                 conflict, and 91 per cent of Palestine refugee households live in absolute poverty. Palestinian
                                                 refugees from Syria (PRS) who have fled the country and are currently in Lebanon and Jordan
                                                 continue to face a precarious and marginalized existence due to their uncertain legal status
                                                 and limited social protection mechanisms, with very limited access to basic services other than
                                                 those provided by UNRWA. Deteriorating socio-economic conditions, constrained employment
                                                 opportunities and increased costs of living experienced in both Lebanon and Jordan have increased
                                                 the vulnerability of PRS families. The situation is further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic,
                                                 which has exacted a heavy socio-economic and public health toll.

COVID-19 impact and opportunities for achieving Agenda 2030

The COVID-19 pandemic specifically revealed the fragility of health and food systems, provided a
strong rationale for the 2030 Agenda and demonstrated how inter-related the SDGs are. It started
as a health crisis, but soon affected all sectors of the economy, imposing serious challenges to the
achievement of all SDGs. At the same time, COVID-19 presents an opportunity for the international
community to act in solidarity and to turn this crisis into an impetus to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Manar (4)
Syrian Refugee

Four-year-old Syrian refugee, Manar,
is photographed at home in Beirut

                                                                                                                                                       7
REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
Regional Needs Overview        November 2020

    Large-scale
    Displacement
                                                                                                                 Syrians remain the
                                                                                                                 largest refugee
                                                                                                                 population globally in
                                                                                                                 need of resettlement in 2020

    Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt continue to host over 5.5
    million Syrian refugees as of the end of 2020. The registered Syrian
    refugee population remained relatively stable throughout the
    year and there was no major arrival of new refugees into the host
    countries in 2020 as borders and admissions practices remained
    closely managed by host states.

    Some countries witnessed modest net                  Since reaching its peak of 76,000 resettlement
    increases in registered refugees primarily due       submissions in 2016, there has been a dramatic
    to the registration of new-borns. In addition        reduction of resettlement places for Syrian
    to registered Syrian refugees, estimates             refugees in recent years The global decrease
    indicate that a significant number of additional     in the number of resettlement places available
                                                                                                                 Estimated
    Syrians reside in host countries under various       and a shifting of resettlement opportunities
                                                                                                                 579,031
    arrangements. It is anticipated that a large-        to other global priority situations have been
                                                                                                                 Syrian refugees are currently
    scale refugee population will remain in host         the primary drivers for the decrease. Still,            in need of resettlement
    countries for the time being given current return    despite an overall decrease in resettlement
    and resettlement dynamics which will continue        places globally, there was a small but critical
    to drive needs in 3RP countries. Regarding           increase of approximately 1,500 Syrian                  Return trend
    return, order and movement restrictions as a         resettlement submissions in 2019 compared
    result of COVID-19 significantly impacted return     to 2018. According to estimates, Syrians
    movements. While the levels of return in the first   remain the largest refugee population globally
    two months of 2020 were broadly comparable           in need of resettlement in 2020. Given that
    to previous years, return through official border    the resettlement needs far outnumber the
    crossings slowed down significantly in March         resettlement spaces – with an estimated
    as countries started to enact border measures        579,031 Syrian refugees currently in need of                                           9,000
    and other public health containment policies         resettlement, vulnerable refugees remain in           2019                           returns
    to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. There       host countries for longer, which compound
    were no verified returns to Syria between late       their needs and result in increased pressure on
    March and late May 2020. Return movements            assistance programmes and vital services.
    resumed by June in Turkey, Lebanon, and
    Iraq, although at lower rates than before the
                                                                                                               2020                             6,000
    pandemic. While there may be an increased                                                                                                 returns
                                                         The most recent intention surveys, as well as on-
    number of returns in 2021 compared to 2020,
                                                         going engagement with the refugee community
    this is subject to the evolution of COVID-19
                                                         confirms that a strong majority of Syrians wish to
    pandemic, as well as socio-economic conditions       return to Syria one day, but that a much smaller
    in host countries, and inside Syria. Furthermore,    number plan to return to Syria in the near future.
    the worsening socio-economic situation in the        The key issues highlighted as influencing return                                       3,000
    region may cause more refugees to consider           intentions include safety and security, livelihoods                                  returns
    irregular movements beyond the region, often         opportunities, access to shelter and access to
    using unsafe means.                                  basic services. Return decision-making remains
                                                         dynamic and complex, particularly in the context
                                                         of the COVID-19 pandemic and its political,
                                                         economic and social impact across the region.
                                                         UNHCR will continue to gauge the intentions of
                                                         refugees in 2021 as this remains the basis for
                                                         operational planning.                                 Jan   Feb   Mar   Apr    May      Jun

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REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
Socio-economic                                                                                                                                  Turkey
                                                                                                                                                Egypt
                                                                                                                                                Iraq

Outlook
                                                                                                                     GDP growth 8               Jordan
                                                                                                                                                Lebanon
                                                                                                                     10

                                                                                                                      5

                                                                                                                      0

Economic forecasts for 3RP countries have been progressively revised                                                  -5
downwards since early 2020. Most 3RP countries have confronted
                                                                                                                     -10
economic recessions, and rising levels of unemployment and poverty,
likely hitting women worse, exacerbated in some countries by high                                                    -15
inflationary pressures and important fiscal challenges. 1                                                            -20
                                                                                                                            2019     2020    est. 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic and other                       While the widespread informality 3 that features   The particular challenges and vulnerabilities
compounding crises in some countries have             labor markets in the sub-region makes the real     facing women have been exacerbated. Prior
resulted in a loss of 8 to 15 percentage points       level of unemployment difficult to accurately      to the COVID-19 outbreak, regional needs
in real GDP growth in 3RP countries in 2020           assess, reported unemployment levels are           assessments 4 indicated that in some countries,
compared to the previous year. 2 As a result of       on the rise regionally with already high youth     Syrian refugee women have difficulties
reduced revenues and increased government             unemployment rates likely to worsen. Across        meeting their basic needs and those of their
expenditure to mitigate the socioeconomic             the 3RP countries, vulnerable populations          families due to challenges around their legal
impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak and support          are facing increased levels of income and          status, their skills, social norms and language
economic recovery, fiscal deficits and debt           multidimensional poverty.                          barriers. Lack of access to basic services such as
levels are also expected to widen significantly,                                                         education, shelter, health care, mental health
reaching critical levels in some countries. The       Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, 3RP             and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services,
economic outlook for 2021 is currently bleak          countries were suffering from high levels of       employment opportunities, mobile technology
and subject to uncertainty as new waves and           food insecurity, only mitigated by the ongoing     and life enhancing services/opportunities
secondary impacts of the pandemic and other           flow of assistance to crisis-affected vulnerable   affect the wellbeing and development of
interlocking crises continue to unfold.               populations covering both Syrian refugees and      women and girls. 5 Such challenges and shocks
                                                      host communities. Now, spillover effects of        result in negative gender-specific coping
Lebanon now faces multiple compounding                COVID-19, along with measures to contain the       mechanisms such as child marriage, child
crises. The COVID-19 outbreak hit the country         pandemic including movement restrictions,          labor, girls dropping out of school to help with
at a particularly difficult time of economic          trade barriers and reduced working hours           housework, women overloaded with house
decline and political fragility, leading to further   affecting small businesses and casual labor,       and work-related chores, men controlling
worsening of the socio-economic situation             are increasing unemployment and poverty.           decisions over loans taken by women as well
with direct effects on unemployment levels            In Turkey and Lebanon, spillover effects of        as sexual exploitation and abuse. Across the
and services. The effects of the port explosions      COVID-19 also include rises in the price of        3RP countries, women in female-headed
added a tremendous strain on the country’s            essential commodities, including food, and         households report using more negative coping
general economy and created additional                in inflationary pressures. Early assessments       mechanisms than male-headed households.
despair, loss of jobs and tensions. The               of the pandemic’s impact indicate increased        Furthermore, female-headed household tend
devastating impact of the Beirut Port explosions      vulnerability to food insecurity and inadequate    to fare worse than most refugee households on
further cemented the call, which started in           dietary intakes and diversity, with higher         vulnerabilities related to livelihoods, income,
October 2019 with widespread protests, for            needs among both refugees and vulnerable           food security, and risks related to violence.
urgent political and institutional reforms            host communities. Even more, refugees and          6 Children in female-headed households are

                                                      vulnerable host community members in some          twice as likely to work as opposed to children
The underlying socio-economic conditions              host countries who have so far withstood the       with a male-headed household. 7
facing refugees and host communities is               effects of the Syria crisis are now considered
another key driver of need across the region.         extremely vulnerable to food insecurity. This is
These conditions have worsened as a result            heightening the risks of social tensions.
of COVID-19 and other compounding crises
in some countries, leading to growing
vulnerabilities and deprivations.

                                                                                                                                                          9
REGIONAL NEEDS OVERVIEW 2021 - REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN - ReliefWeb
Regional Needs Overview        November 2020

     COVID-19
     On March 19, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19
     a global pandemic. The number of new cases continues to increase
     and most 3RP countries are now facing second waves of the virus
     with measures to curb its spread being reintroduced.

     As highlighted earlier, the pandemic has            detection and treatment, and increased distrust       and decent work conditions. Meanwhile,
     undermined macroeconomic conditions across          in health authorities lowering the likelihood of      the incidence of child marriage has also
     3RP countries, leading to growing vulnerabilities   compliance and prolong recovery. This lack of         significantly increased in response to the coping
     among both refugee and host communities. The        accessibility to primary and secondary health         mechanisms parents and caregivers employ to
     pandemic has also had far-reaching impacts          care services during this period will likely have a   respond to household vulnerabilities.
     on health and the environment, among other          negative health impact over the short, medium,
     areas, with consequences for populations and        and long-term.                                        Multiple studies report an increase in cases
     social cohesion.                                                                                          of violence against women associated with
                                                         The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered or                COVID-19 measures, in particular periods that
     While countries have largely managed to deal        compounded a wide range of mental health              require individuals to remain in their homes.10
     with the immediate COVID-19 crisis from a           conditions, increasing levels of anxiety and          In a study conducted by UN Women during
     health perspective, the increased demand            uncertainty that can lead to significant              the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 1 in 3 women
     for care of COVID-19 patients has had a major       long-term mental health and psychosocial              reported that they felt unsafe in their homes,
     impact on the delivery of other essential           consequences at the same time that access             fearing domestic violence (by husband or
     services, particularly preventative and             to mental health care is reduced. Some of the         family). 11
     treatment services for non-communicable             most vulnerable are showing high degrees of
     diseases which have been significantly              psychological distress attributed to challenges
     disrupted according to global assessments. The      like lack of resources, fear of evictions, risks                  Reported cases of
     most common reasons for the unavailability of       of exploitation, violence and discrimination,                     COVID-19
     services, from a health systems perspective,        disruption of social networks, as well as lack of                 in 3RP countries as
     were cancellations of planned treatments due        livelihood opportunities.                                         of end-October 2020
     to other priorities and a lack of staff because
     health workers had been reassigned to support       Furthermore, direct consequences of the
     COVID-19 services. This includes, for example,      pandemic such as loss of job and/or income                        995,474          26,881
                                                                                                                           total cases      deaths due
     the management of the increase pressure on          due to the reduction or cessation of business
                                                                                                                           of COVID-19      to COVID-19
     ancillary or supporting health-related services,    activities have been observed across 3RP
     such as waste management, which pose a range        countries. In this context, individuals have
     of environmental and social challenges.             reduced their health care spending due to loss
                                                         of income or livelihoods. This loss of income
     Measures to contain the spread of the               has further resulted in difficulties sustaining
     pandemic such as movement restrictions              livelihoods including access to health and                        Nearly 1 in 3
     further complicate access, with refugees and        nutrition services and has increased reliance                     women are in fear of
     host communities in the sub-region reporting        on negative coping mechanisms, including                          domestic violence
     reduced access to multiple health services. Lack    accruing dire levels of debt. 9
     of transport or ability to access health services
     was cited in numerous assessments in 3RP            Gender factors such as the concentration of
     countries. This is of significant concern because   women in informal labor markets and the
     vulnerable people, including those with non-        dominant perceptions of women as caregivers
     communicable diseases are at higher risk of         and men as providers further complicate the
     severe COVID-19-related illness and death. Also,    impact of loss of livelihoods. More women
     the social stigma associated with COVID-19 has      are pushed to search for jobs without having
     encouraged illness concealment, delayed early       critical infrastructure in place such as childcare

10
Demographic
Characteristics
                                                                                                        Youth population

                                                                                                       60%

Certain demographic characteristics populations drive institutional,
environmental, and social pressures across the 3RP countries.                                          50%

The influx of a large refugee population has, in some instances,
contributed to deepen these pressures.
                                                                                                       40%
Three key drivers have emerged. First,             refugee population, has put the education
3RP countries have slightly above-average          systems of these countries under additional
population growth rates compared to global         pressure. Moreover, economic security is a
trends and these growth rates occur in             major issue with levels of unemployment for         30%
the context of hosting large-scale refugee         youth, especially young women, far higher
populations – Turkey hosts the most refugees of    than the general unemployment rates.
any country in the world, while Lebanon hosts      Demographic pressures can also increase
the most refugees per capita in the world, with    competition in the job market, affect wage          20%
Jordan among the top five countries.               rates, and work conditions. Though variations
                                                   exist across countries, demographic pressures
Second, the region is characterized by a high      have exacerbated challenges related to the
youth population. For 3RP countries, over 50       management of natural resources, particularly       10%
per cent of the population in Egypt, Iraq and      water and land, as well as, the management
Jordan, approximately 40 per cent in Turkey12,     of solid waste and wastewater. It has also
and around 64.3 per cent of the population         impacted energy demand and consumption, as
in Lebanon 13 are children and youth, under        well as air quality with significant implications     0
                                                                                                                Egypt,     Turkey   Lebanon
24 years old. These high percentages are also      for the living conditions, health and livelihoods
                                                                                                                 Iraq,
mirrored in the Syrian refugee population: Some    of populations, particularly for the most                    Jordan
forty percent of registered Syrian refugees are    vulnerable. 14
age 17 or under.
                                                   A key aspect related to demographic
                                                                                                        Unemployment rate 15
Third, the region is characterized by an           characteristics is social cohesion. Relations
increasingly urbanized population. In most         in and between different communities are
                                                                                                       50%                             Egypt
3RP countries, the majority of the population      complex in some 3RP countries, and the                                              Jordan
is already urbanized, and reaches some 90 per      influx of a large-scale refugee population has                                      Lebanon
cent in both Lebanon and Jordan. Yet, this ratio   added more layers of complexity across the          40%                             Turkey
                                                                                                                                       (Unemployment
continues to grow particularly as young people     region. While 3RP countries have managed to                                         rates among youth
                                                                                                                                       aged between

in rural areas move to cities or other urbanized   ensure a strong level of social cohesion during                                     15 and 24 years)

areas in search of education or employment.        nearly a decade of hosting large-scale refugee      30%
Meanwhile, nearly 95 percent of registered         populations, this has required significant effort
refugees continue to live in urban and peri-       and has not been without challenges. Numerous
urban non-camp settings.                           assessments point to the key sources of tension     20%
                                                   across the region, including increased job
While the combination of a growing, youthful,      competition, rising costs of living, and access
and urbanized population has the potential to      to basic services. This has created intense
                                                                                                       10%
reap a dividend in terms of economic growth        pressure on municipalities, including related to
potential and increased productivity, it has       local service provision. These drivers can often
also brought numerous stresses, particularly       be fueled by misperceptions, frustrations, and        0
related access to basic and essential services.    higher levels of stress across communities. This
For example, the growth in the school-aged         has been accelerated further by the pandemic
population, compounded by the additional           which exacerbates many of the negative trends.
demand for education services from the                                                                          June     June end of
                                                                                                                2019     2020 2020

                                                                                                                                                  11
Regional Needs Overview            November 2020

     Regional Needs
     & Vulnerabilities
     There are over 5.5 million refugees and 4.8 million
     vulnerable members of host communities in 3RP
     countries that need continuous support.

               Understanding their specific needs and potentials is vital to   The following section provides an overview of the key
               ensuring that they can receive the required protection and      regional needs and vulnerabilities. To ensure a holistic and
               assistance support.                                             inter-sectoral perspective, it is presented according to the
                                                                               four main areas where people require support –
               Notably, in 2020, COVID-19 has particularly exacerbated the     as reflected in the 3RP regional strategic directions:
               need for access to services across sectors given movement
               restrictions and other public health containment policies
                                                                                 1. Protecting people
               enacted by governments to halt the spread of the virus.
                                                                                 2. Pursuing durable solutions
               There is a need to remove socio-economic barriers to              3. Ensuring dignified lives
               participation at household level by expanding social              4. Enhancing national and local capacities
               protection schemes linked to national systems (including
               school-feeding programmes, transportation support,
               equal access ICT devices and internet and other support)        It is important to note that the needs outlined in the
               to ensure access to education, training and decent              following pages are not exhaustive; there are a range of
               livelihoods opportunities and alleviate the direct, indirect    specific sectoral and country-level needs that have been
               and opportunity costs of education for children, youth          identified. Such needs are presented in section 3 and in the
               and families. Targeting may be required to reach the            relevant country-level needs documents.
               most vulnerable – particularly adolescent boys and girls,
               children with disabilities, married girls and adolescent
               mothers.

               Abdallah (13) and his mother
               Syrian Refugees

               “I help her separate the coloured washing from the
               white. I help her at the market pick the good fruit and
               not the bad.”

               Syrian refugee Abdallah and his visually impaired
               mother have been living in Jordan for eight years
               after fleeing their home in Homs, Syria. Um Abdallah
               lost her sight as a result of the psychological effect
               of the conflict. Abdallah and his mom are reliant on
               cash assistance to pay their rent and bills and allow
               Abdallah to continue to go to school rather than be
               forced to find work.

12
Socio-economic impact of COVID-19                            Key findings include

COVID-19 and the ensuing confinement                         • Underdeveloped national statistical                 • In KRI, hosts, refugees, and IDPs faced a
policies, along with other economy-                            systems limit the ability to accurately               similar starting level of poverty prior to the
wide shocks have been felt throughout                          estimate the impact of major policy shocks.           onset of COVID and experienced increases
the Mashreq, not least by marginalized                         The absence of official statistics creates            of 24 p.p., 21 p.p., and 28 p.p.
communities. To assess their welfare                           reliance on non-official data and leads
impact UNHCR and the World Bank                                to estimates based on bold assumptions              • Mitigation measures – cash and assistance
launched a joint Study (funded by the                          that come with serious caveats. To inform             programmes by host governments and
Joint Data Center) aimed at identifying                        decision makers adequately, greater                   humanitarian organizations - have been
changes in poverty on Syrian refugees and                      efforts are needed to regularly collect and           effective at absorbing some of the shock
host communities. The study focuses on                         publish (welfare) surveys and other official          and bridging the gap between the onset of
Jordan, KRI and Lebanon.                                       statistics.                                           the crisis and the recovery of the economy.
                                                                                                                     These measures would need to be scaled-
Establishing the joint effect of COVID-19,
                                                             • In Jordan, the COVID-19 crisis increased              up in magnitude and scope to fully mitigate
and of other compounding crises on
                                                               poverty by around 38 percentage points                the increases in poverty.
welfare, has implications for the response
                                                               (p.p.) among Jordanians, and by 18 p.p.
both as the pandemic unfolds, during
                                                               among Syrian refugees, noting that                             Additional
the recovery period and in terms of                                                                                           data
                                                               refugees started off at a higher rate of
maintaining social cohesion. The Study
                                                               poverty at baseline.
will helps guide the COVID-19 responses of
governments, international agencies and
                                                             • In Lebanon, changes in poverty are
others.
                                                               largely driven by inflation. Poverty
The Study relies on dynamic simulations                        increased by around 33 p.p. among the
to show changes in poverty (measured                           Lebanese community and by as much
at the international $ 5.50 poverty line)                      as 56 p.p. among Syrian refugees. These
on a monthly basis. The poverty impact                         estimates are slightly lower if households
is modelled by relating macroeconomic                          are assumed to mitigate the impact of
changes in various sectors of the                              price changes on their welfare through
economy, informality status, changes in                        behavioral responses, such as changing
remittances and price levels to household                      their consumption patterns by substituting
characteristics. The models reveal changes                     for cheaper goods.
in poverty amongst host and refugee
communities and estimate the poverty-
reducing effects of government and
UNHCR assistance.

                Changes in Poverty using the International Poverty Line - JORDAN

                JORDANIAN                                                             SYRIAN

                Change in Poverty from Baseline (p.p.)                                Change in Poverty from Baseline (p.p.)
                40                                                                    40                                                               international
                                                                                                                                                       poverty
                                                                                                                                                       line (5.5/day)
                30                                                                    30
                                                                                                                                                       mitigation -
                                                                                                                                                       international
                20                                                                    20                                                               poverty
                                                                                                                                                       line (5.5/day)

                10                                                                    10
                                                                                                                                                             Additional
                                                                                                                                                             data

                 0                                                                     0
                     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21               0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
                     Month                                                                 Month

                                                                                                                                                                          13
Regional Needs Overview                November 2020

     Protecting People
     Syrians continue to require access to international protection and asylum. Therefore, the
     protection needs of Syrian refugees across the 3RP countries drive the priorities of the
     3RP response. Aside from continued access to asylum in the host countries, protection
     vulnerabilities related to legal status, gender, age and specific needs are among the most
     urgent needs identified in regional assessments. Such assessments also point to the
     fact that host community members may also face some of these protection risks in some
     countries.

                                                            Access to Specialized Services              Child Protection Awareness
                                                            to Prevent and Respond to SGBV              and Services

                                                            Women and girls are disproportionately      In addition to heightened protection
                                                            at risk of high rates of sexual and         risks for children, increased parental
                                                            gender-based violence (SGBV) which          anxieties and frustrations caused
                                                            prevail in the 3RP countries. Among         by social isolation, especially in the
                                                            the frequently reported forms of            context of COVID-19, and fears around
                                                            SGBV affecting refugees and host            livelihoods and financial difficulties
                                                            communities, forced and child               further aggravate tensions increasing
                                                            marriage, sexual violence, sexual           the risk of child abuse, neglect,
                                                            abuse and exploitation, and domestic        violence and exploitation. In some 3RP
                                                            violence are the most common.               countries, nearly half of Syrian refugee
                                                            However, economic and social stress         children are involved in child labor
                                                            coupled with measures related to            while also experiencing high levels of
                                                            COVID-19, are increasing the risks of       sadness and fear caused by the loss of
                                                            SGBV (in particular, intimate partner       employment of their parents, and due
                                                            and domestic violence). In several of the   to limited access to education. Female-
                                                            3RP countries, a rise in the percentage     headed households face additional
                                                            of intimate partner violence has been       vulnerabilities and rely on child
                                                            observed during the second and              labor twice as much as male-headed
                                                            third quarters when the confinement         households. Families with children
                                                            measure and the movement restrictions       with disabilities often live in isolated
                                                            were adopted.16 Additionally,               situations, due to discrimination against
                                                            precarious access to healthcare             persons with disabilities which may
                                                            services and/or preventative equipment      result in situations where they may be
                                                            including services for women and girls      exposed to additional risks like stigma,
                                                            who are survivors of violence have          exploitation including child trafficking
                                                            been disrupted by measures taken to         and abuse, and inadequate access to
                                                            mitigate COVID-19. Given this context,      services. In some 3RP countries, the
                                                            there is a need for a restoration           COVID-19 prevention and containment
                                                            and expansion of services for both          measures have forced many children
      Families with children with disabilities
                                                            individuals at-risk of SGBV as well as      to isolate in unsafe households, with
      live in isolated situations where they
      are exposed to additional risks such as               survivors. Similarly, it is essential to    limited child protection, health and
      stigma, exploitation and abuse.                       take into account the need to best          education services. To address these
      Moreover, children with disabilities,
                                                            adapt the modality of service delivery      risks, additionally there is a need
      unaccompanied children, girls and those from          to respond to SGBV.                         to strengthen quality, inclusivity,
      economically and socially disadvantaged groups                                                    adaptability and accessibility of
      have been significantly impacted and are likely to
      have most difficulty resuming their education.
                                                                                                        national child protection systems and
                                                                                                        legal frameworks that guarantee their
                                                                                                        rights, while maintaining and improving
                                                                                                        psychological support and specialized
                                                                                                        case management interventions.

14
LEBANON                        JORDAN                              EGYPT                            IRAQ                                        TURKEY
Between March and              41% of all respondents              Frontline psychosocial           26% of Syrian refugee                       Syrian women and girls
September of 2020, 8% of       witnessed a negative impact         workers are providing 24/7       households reported at least                under temporary protection
refugee families indicated     on their children’s well-being      online support to refugees       one member needing access                   reported that they were
psychological distress or      due to the COVID-19 crisis          as a major increase in           to psychological support                    unaware of various support
anxiety, with more than 70%    and curfew.                         psychosocial distress has        services and treatments.                    services available to them
indicating mild or isolated                                        been identified.                                                             and that they did not know
symptoms like disrupted                                                                                                                         where to seek assistance
sleep and appetite and over                                                                                                                     related to violence or
20% reported increased                                                                                                                          harassment.
aggressiveness or anger.

Civil Documentation

While Syrian refugees generally enjoy access         Meanwhile, family separation and gaps in
to civil documentation across the 3RP                nationality and family laws are creating new
countries, ensuring their ability to obtain,         risks of statelessness.
replace, and renew civil documentation
remains a key need across the region. Such           While strenuous efforts have been made
documentation is often needed to access              in 3RP countries to reduce the incident of
government services, schools, health care            statelessness, it remains an on-going need
and other rights and entitlements. The               across the region. Related, Syrian refugee
registration of vital life events, such as           children separated from parents, families
births, deaths and marriages in a timely             and caregivers require suitable alternative
manner is critical to avoiding more complex          care arrangements, whilst efforts are
challenges in the future, including related          underway to trace and reunify them with
to voluntary return to Syria or resettlement         their families.
opportunities. Yet, refugees often face
challenges in accessing these documents,             For Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS),
including, for example, complex and                  specifically in Lebanon and Jordan,                               A number of assessments have confirmed
often bureaucratic procedures; a lack of             issues related to documentation are                               the increase in GBV as a result of
awareness of requirements and processes              an added protection challenge for this                            measures put in place to reduce the
                                                                                                                       spread of COVID-19.
to obtain legal and civil documentation;             vulnerable group. Around 55 percent
limited access to legal support;                     of PRS in Lebanon do not possess valid                            In Iraq, 65 percent of the service provision points
                                                                                                                       reported an increase in one or more types of
inconsistencies in the application of laws           legal residency documents where the
                                                                                                                       GBV. In Jordan, 69 percent of survey respondents
and procedures. The COVID-19 pandemic,               lack of a valid legal status results in                           felt that GBV has increased since the beginning
for example, also meant that people missed           reduced freedom of movement due to                                of the pandemic. In Lebanon, the vulnerability
                                                                                                                       of female refugees to sexual exploitation and
applications deadlines for renewals.                 fear of arrest and detention. Similarly, in
                                                                                                                       abuse was noted, as well as marginalized and
                                                     Jordan, PRS without a valid Jordanian                             under-discussed forms of GBV, such as economic
                                                     identification document face restrictions on                      violence and cyber harassment, began to emerge
                                                                                                                       during the lockdown. Domestic violence hotlines
                                                     employment, limited access to courts, civil
                                                                                                                       have been strained in Turkey amid COVID-19.
                                                     status and registration processes, and are
                                                                                                                       As this crisis continues, it is paramount that we
                                                     continuously exposed to the risk of arrest,
                                                                                                                       keep addressing violence holistically, including
                                                     detention and potential forced return to                          social unrest and instability, and the increases in
                                                     Syria.                                                            violence that this creates against women and girls.
                                                                                                                       In the Syria crisis region, as in the rest of the world,
                                                                                                                       preventing, mitigating and responding to the risks
                                                                                                                       of GBV remain a shared responsibility.

                                                                                                                                   Additional
                                                                                                                                   data

                                                                                                                                                                                  15
Regional Needs Overview       November 2020

     Pursuing Durable Solutions
     Refugees continue to require access to territory, international protection and support in
     countries of asylum. Given the protracted nature of the crisis, opportunities for durable
     solutions are urgently needed so refugees can look to the future with hope and dignity.

                                                                        Supporting Safe, Voluntary,               Resettlement
                        Total Voluntary Refugee Returns                 and Dignified Returns                     Opportunities
                        (From 2016 to 31 October 2020)
                                                                        Pursuing voluntary return in safety       Syrians remain the largest refugee

                        259,613
                                                                        and dignity is the fundamental right      population globally in need of
                                                                        of every refugee. The 3RP respects        resettlement in 2020, with an
                                                                        the decision of those refugees who        estimated 579,031 Syrian refugees
                                                                        make the choice to return based on        currently in need of resettlement.
 Data as of
 31 October 2020                                                        a free and informed decision at a         Despite resettlement mechanisms
           Additional
           data
                                                                        time of their choice. While there is no   re-commencing by mid-2020 and the
                                                                        current facilitation of returns, 3RP      provision of resettlement guidance
                                                               12,595
                        TURKEY                                          partners have gradually strengthened      in keeping with global public health
                        97,320                                          support to refugees who choose to         guidance, 2020 will be a record low for
                                   2016   2017   2018   2019    2020    return and requested advice and           refugee resettlement. However, the
                                                                        support, in full collaboration with       outlook for 2021 and beyond forecasts
                                                                        host governments. Such advice and         a continuing downward trend, despite
                                                                        support are based on identified needs,    the ongoing and critical needs in the
                                                               8,102
                                                                        and can include, but not limited          region. And while only a solution for
                        LEBANON
                                                                        to, the provision of information,         a small subset of the most vulnerable
                        61,384                                          pre-departure counselling or return       Syrian refugees, meeting more of the
                                   2016   2017   2018   2019    2020
                                                                        monitoring, as well as help with          needs in this area will help to reduce
                                                                        documentation, and assisting persons      pressure on assistance programmes
                                                                        with specific needs. With refugees’       and vital services. When international
                                                                        own decisions as the main guidepost,      movement restrictions fully lift,
                        JORDAN                                          providing and looking at ways to          there is need for a renewed focus on
                                                               2,431    enhance such support remains critical     resettlement and complementary
                        53,992
                                   2016   2017   2018   2019    2020    given it yields important protection      pathways, as a very tangible form of
                                                                        dividends, reduces the risk of harm,      responsibility sharing and a solution
                                                                        and contributes to an informed            for the most vulnerable subset of
                                                                        and dignified return. Maintaining         refugees.
                                                               7,474    an agile and operational posture is
                        IRAQ                                            also required in view of the changing
                        45,591                                          situation in Syria and host countries
                                   2016   2017   2018   2019    2020    in the region and the diversity
                                                                        of perspectives among refugees
                                                                        themselves.

                        EGYPT                                    74
                         1,326
                                   2016   2017   2018   2019    2020

16
Access to Local Opportunities
 and Solutions

 As many Syrian refugees are likely
 to remain in host countries into
 the medium term, expanding
 local opportunities and solutions
 remains a key need across the
 refugee population. It builds self-
 reliance in the short term, while
 enhancing the prospect of achieving
 a successful durable solution in the
 future. It also reduces the risk of
 considering irregular movements
 to third countries, which are often
 associated with perilous journeys
 under exploitive conditions. While the
 scale and scope of such opportunities
 are different in each of the 3RP
 countries, people’s needs in this area
 include strengthened advocacy for
 a supportive legal framework and
 enabling environment, increased
 access to job opportunities, bridging
 the gap between the skills of
 refugees and local market demands
 through training and certification
 opportunities, recognition of
 education and skills, and helping
 people re-gain full agency of their
 legal, material, and physical safety.

 Survey - March 2019
 Syrian refugees’ perceptions and intentions
 on return to Syria

 QUESTION:

“Do you hope to go back
 to Syria one day?”

                                 YES (75.2%)

                                 DO NOT KNOW (5.5%)

                                 NO (19.3%)

                                                      The provision of vocational training and access to financial resources and
                                                      sustainable livelihood opportunities for both the refugees and affected
 Data as of
 March 2019
                                                      host community, particularly women is crucial for the realisation of
              Additional
                                                      durable solutions.
              data
                                                      Safaa, who left Syria a few years ago, is a plumber
                                                      and hires other people like herself, creating
                                                      livelihood opportunities and building up the skills
                                                      of women.

                                                                                                                                   17
Regional Needs Overview      November 2020

     Supporting Dignified Lives
     The crisis continues to impact protection and socio-economic well-being of vulnerable
     populations. 3RP partners estimate that some 10 million people require some form of
     assistance in terms of supporting their efforts to live a dignified life. Such needs are
     wide-ranging and multi-sectoral in nature. Addressing the multiple deprivations facing
     refugees and vulnerable host populations and supporting enabling conditions and
     opportunities for all is a priority for 3RP partners across sectors.

                                                  Availability and Quality of Education

         Children out of school                   At the end of 2019 17, Egypt, Iraq,      home-based learning models, often
         in the region end-2019                   Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, were         with limited access for marginalized
         36%                                      hosting slightly more than 2 million     children. The short and long-term
                                                  school-aged Syrian refugee children      impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak are
                                                  (5-17 years old). Around two thirds of   exacerbating pre-existing inequalities
                                                  these school-aged refugee children       related to both access to education
                                                  were enrolled in education, but 36       and achievement of quality learning
                                                  per cent of them were out-of-school,     outcomes. Certain groups of children
                                                  recording a small improvement            including refugees, children with
                                                  compared with 2018, when the share       disabilities, girls and those from low
                                                  of out-of-school refugee children        socioeconomic backgrounds are likely
                                                  was 39 per cent. While children have     to be affected the most. Consequently,
                                                  benefited from quality and capacity      present learning losses threaten to
                                                  improvements made in education           erase previous progress and learning
                                                  systems across the 3RP countries over    gains especially for these groups of
                                                  the past decade, ensuring inclusive      children. Education systems need to
         Work permits                             and flexible education systems are       focus on addressing learning losses
         in Jordan
                                                  available to all children requires       and preventing dropouts, particularly
                                                  increased efforts to mainstream          of marginalized groups; offer skills for
                                                  the refugee response in long-term        employability programmes (for out-of-
                                                  education development plans. In          school children and overage learners)
                                                  addition to quality-related needs,       and support the teaching profession
                                                  learning spaces in formal and non-       and teachers’ readiness for home-
                                                  formal settings need to be made safe     based learning.
                                                  for children, eliminating violence
                                                  in and around schools and training       Consistent access to learning is
                                                  education personnel to promote           dependent on sufficient, predictable
                                                  positive pathways to discipline and      internet and/or telephone-based
                                                  learning. Learning settings need to      technology. Children need living
                                                  integrate mental health and psycho-      spaces that accommodate learning
                                                  social support programs to benefit       at home and psychosocial support
                                                  children and parents from affected       as well as other support for children
                                                  communities.                             and their caregivers in order for this
                                                                                           type of learning to be achieved. One
                                                  The COVID-19 pandemic has                example is a support to make up
         207,073                                  highlighted the critical need for a      for missed nutritious school meals
         work permits were issued                 holistic approach to education as        that now are a further burden on the
         since Jan 2016 to Sept 2020              systems have transitioned to             household.

18
Ensuring Food Security

Food Security Sector partners have worked to reach the
most vulnerable across the region with life-saving food
assistance, while increasingly focusing on the promotion
of dietary diversity, sustainable agriculture and rural
livelihoods. In 2020, challenges related to the COVID-19
pandemic and socioeconomic stresses have exacerbated
existing vulnerabilities significantly, including vulnerability
to food insecurity. Assessments indicate higher needs
among both refugees and vulnerable host communities
who are rather homogeneously poor. Moreover, groups
who have so far withstood the effects of the Syria crisis are
now considered extremely vulnerable to food insecurity.
This is creating public tensions and social insecurities.

The four dimensions of food security (food availability,
access, utilization & stability) have been strongly affected
by the pandemic and its containment measures, with
potential threats of other waves to come.

Food Security Sector consolidation and intensification
of efforts is becoming more critical to address increasing
needs within a challenging environment. Regional
governments in the region need also to take bigger steps
in facilitating the work and mitigating the economic impact
of the COVID-19 crisis, while utmost importance should
be given to ensure food security and good nutrition for
their populations, which will, as well, support personal
immunity against the pandemic.

                      Muraf and Obada
                      Syrian Refugees

                                                                  19
Regional Needs Overview        November 2020

                                                    Livelihoods Opportunities for Refugees
                                                    and Host communities

                                                    High levels of multidimensional poverty and         Income losses coupled with the absence or
                                                    reliance on negative coping mechanisms to           limited capacity of social safety nets in most
                                                    meet basic needs among vulnerable populations       3RP countries have led to an increased use of
                                                    necessitate the expansion of social assistance      negative coping strategies by vulnerable
                                                    and income support programs in the immediate        individuals, especially as most of
                                                    term. However, linking these forms of support to    the population of concern do not qualify or have
                                                    demand-driven skills development (identified        limited eligibility for government assistance
                                                    in consultation with private sector and             due to their concentration in the informal sector
                                                    market needs) which increases employability;        where they have little access to social protection
                                                    financial inclusion (for accessing credit to open   and social safety nets. Many households are
                                                    businesses); and other critical socioeconomic       using their already limited savings or taking out
                                                    and environmental recovery needs will facilitate    loans to face the crisis leading to increased
                                                    the graduation of vulnerable refugee and host       indebtedness and exposure to extorsion by loan
                                                    community members from social assistance.           sharks using high-interest rates. In addition to
                                                    It will be especially important to focus on         debts, households also report cutting down
                                                    strengthening vulnerable Syrian refugee and         the number of meals and other “non-priority”
                                                    host community women’s resilience with decent       household expenses.
                                                    livelihoods and employment opportunities.
                                                                                                        The loss of jobs and income among both refugee
                                                    As indicated by early needs and impact              and host communities have exacerbated
                                                    assessments, the extensive lockdowns and            competition over scarcer employment
                                                    other strict measures taken by governments          opportunities, particularly for low-skilled
                                                    to prevent and contain COVID-19, as well as         workers. Coupled with more limited access to
                                                    other compounding factors in some countries,        services, this has contributed to rising social
                                                    have had dramatic impacts on the livelihoods        tensions in some countries, both between
                                                    of refugees and vulnerable households in            refugees and host communities and between
                                                    host communities, which depend primarily on         host community members themselves. This
                                                    informal employment, mainly daily work/casual       underscores conflict sensitive programming,
                                                    labor, with limited compliance with decent work     in targeting both host and refugee populations
                                                    standards, including social security. Businesses,   as essential to ease tensions at the community
                                                    particularly micro and small enterprises (MSEs)     level.
                                                    have also been disproportionately affected by
                                                    these measures, as well as remittances sent by      In this context, livelihoods programs that
                                                    workers from abroad. UN different livelihoods       focus on skills enhancement, including digital
                                                    pargrams were suspended to comply with safety       skills, and re-profiling of vulnerable people,
                                                    regulations impeded by governments. These are       particularly women and disadvantaged youth,
                                                    only starting to resume recently.                   to changing job market requirements will be
                                                                                                        critical to facilitate entry and/or re-entry to the
                                                                                                        job market. Support for business continuity and
                                                                                                        job retention of MSEs (including home-based,
      Although women may be engaged as                                                                  digital business) in vulnerable host communities,
      part of regular assessments, evidence
                                                                                                        particularly in the context of COVID-19, is also
      clearly shows that engagement of
      women’s leadership in humanitarian                                                                needed.
      and resilience responses remains
      extremely low with limited space for
      affected women and girls / women-led
      organizations at national and regional
      levels to define their own priorities,
      influence decision-making and the kind
      of support they receive.

20
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