Syria: Flash Update on Recent Events

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Syria: Flash Update on Recent Events SYRIA: FLASH UPDATE ON RECENT EVENTS 27 July 2016 This update provides a summary of recent displacement, along with developments from the UNHCR co-led Sector/Clusters of Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), Shelter/Non Food Items (SNFI) and Protection. KEY DISPLACEMENT STATISTICS . 200,827 people displaced in affected areas of Aleppo (163,880), Idleb (24,449), Homs (7,173), Ar-Raqqa (3,577), Lattakia (1,273), Deir Ez-Zor (475) governorates, northern Syria, due to fighting since 1 February 2016 (figures as of 19 July). This represents an increase of 4,116 new IDPs since 5 July, including 2,116 new IDPs in Aleppo Governorate and 2,000 new IDPs in Idleb Governorate. 47,689 people displaced in affected areas of Al-Hasakeh Governorate, north-eastern Syria, due to fighting since 1 February 2016 (figures as of 17 July). This is an increase of 2,500 since end-May. 5,550 people newly displaced in Dar’a and Quneitra governorates, southern Syria, due to fighting from May to June 2016 (figures as of 30 June). CONTEXTUAL DEVELOPMENTS . UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said that he aims to proceed with a third round of Intra-Syrian Talks towards the end of August. On 25 July, the Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien told the Security Council the UN is deeply alarmed by the developments in and around Aleppo city, where fighting in the past week has resulted in scores of deaths and hundreds of injuries. He urged for a weekly 48-hour pause in fighting to allow for humanitarian deliveries to eastern Aleppo city, where food supplies are expected to run out next month. There are also reports of deteriorating humanitarian conditions and urgent medical evacuation needs in Madaya, Foah, Zabadani and Kefraya, where over 62,000 people continue to be besieged. In the past week, four inter-agency cross-line convoys delivered multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance to Moadamiya (Rural Damascus), Qalaat al-Madiq (Hama Governorate), Big Orem and Hajeb/Banan (Aleppo Governorate). Since the beginning of 2016, more than 1,055,575 people in hard-to-reach areas, including 401,650 people in besieged locations, have received various types of assistance through UN inter-agency cross-line operations; many of them more than once. UNHCR CO-LED SECTOR/CLUSTER UPDATES Protection . The Protection Cluster in northern Syria is continuing the “Protection in Practice” trainings for the second group of NGO and INGO staff in Gaziantep. Protection Cluster coordinators have briefed the INGO forum and the SNFI Cluster on the Cluster’s guidance note for Humanitarian Actors responding to People on the Move. The note has been circulated to all clusters in the Gaziantep Hub and has been shared with all Humanitarian Pooled Fund partners. The Protection Sector in southern Syria is working on data collection and analysis based on focus group discussions. 1 Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) . The CCCM Cluster has finalised the CCCM Cluster Induction Package. The document provides a comprehensive and in-depth briefing about CCCM Cluster strategies, approaches, and response plans in northern Syria. The document also explains the rationale, usage and purpose of the various tools produced by the CCCM Cluster at the cross-border level. CCCM Cluster members reported 12 IDP settlements in remote areas in northern A’zaz (Aleppo Governorate) are in need of humanitarian assistance. The Cluster is currently verifying the locations with the A’zaz Taskforce and should the locations and needs be confirmed, Cluster members will start providing regular assistance to these locations in line with the policy on camp management and camp establishment. The CCCM Cluster is undertaking a remote site analysis exercise for various IDP settlements in northern Syria. The exercise is based on recent satellite images obtained to map the locations of these settlements as well as the services provided and population density and compare these with the SPHERE standards. The exercise started with the IDP settlements in Atmeh, northern Idleb Governorate, where some 60,000 IDPs are currently residing. The CCCM Cluster is utilising the USD 2 million allocated by the Humanitarian Fund to address the needs of IDPs and potential movements from Aleppo City and Menbij. The response strategy aims to ensure that immediate lifesaving assistance is stockpiled and provided to the IDPs without any delay and that the reception centres are equipped with the necessary items to be able to receive a sudden influx of IDPs. Shelter/Non Food Items (SNFI) . SNFI has commenced the consolidation and review of winter plans across the Syria response. Analysis includes geographic/logistics planning and winter assistance package details, funding and access constraints, emergency response capacity, and how lessons of previous years are being applied to the 2016-17 planning. The sector plans to provide rolling updates in the lead-up to the winter. All Shelter/NFI Coordinators convened this week to analyze assistance gaps and potential overlaps/duplication across the response. Analysis of nearly 1,000 completed and over 100 planned NFI distributions from January through August – including beneficiaries and item-by-item analysis – revealed no duplication/overlap in assistance. The coordinators agreed to focus their next review on analysis of the most under-served yet still accessible areas, and overcoming these gaps. During the month of June, 125,979 individuals have been assisted with NFI and Shelter related activities by 12 partners in northern Syria, reaching 31 sub-districts in three Governorates. USD 2 million from the Emergency Reserve Allocation will be allocated to two partners to stockpile emergency/winter items and ensure immediate NFI distributions to areas most in need. 2 .
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