WFP SYRIA CRISIS RESPONSE Situation Update 5-18 February 2014 SYRIA JO RDAN LEBANON TURKEY IRAQ EGYPT Highlights All planned 5,880 family food rations reach Quamishli via airlifts from Erbil, to be distributed to over 60,000 people in Al-Hasakeh governorate. Inter-agency convoy allows WFP to reach Syrian town of Barzeh, in Rural Damascus, with food assistance for the first time in over a year. Following insecurity in the border area of Qalamoun, WFP assists an increasing number of refugees arriving in the northern town of Arsal in Lebanon. WFP expands its e-card programme to Ceylanpinar camp in Sanliurfa, increasing its total case load to 140,500 beneficiaries in 15 out of 22 camps in Turkey. WFP/Dina El-Kassaby For information on WFP’s Syria Crisis Response in 2013 and 2014, please use the QR Code or access through the link http://bit.ly/WFP-syria SYRIA Some of the over 800,000 people living in inaccessible areas in Rural Damascus and Homs were reached with assistance during the reporting period, through reconciliation procedures and governmental permissions, while the mass movement from hard-to-reach to safer areas within Aleppo city allowed assistance to be provided to thousands of fleeing IDPs. Despite these developments, an estimated 2.5 million people remain inaccessible to humanitarian organisations, amounting to more than 50 percent of WFP’s overall caseload within the country. Without a political solution to the ongoing conflict, WFP remains unable to predictably and consistently reach populations in need with urgent food assistance. As of 18 February, WFP operations in Syria are facing a serious funding shortfall, with a current funding level of only 4 percent of total requirements. Should significant contributions not be immediately forthcoming, WFP will be forced to further reduce food rations in March and April. EVOLVING NEEDS AND WFP OPERATIONS Planned* Dispatched Distributed DECEMBER CYCLE General Food Rations 4,000,000 3,837,500 3,720,980 Wheat Flour 2,849,000 288,600 250,000 Supplementary Feeding Programme 300,000** 34,017 25,296 JANUARY CYCLE General Food Rations 4,250,000 3,670,835 Ongoing Wheat Flour 1,548,000 1,193,600 Ongoing Supplementary Feeding Programme 240,000** 91,471 74,785*** FEBRUARY CYCLE General Food Rations 4,250,000 Ongoing Ongoing Wheat Flour 3,110,295 Ongoing Ongoing Supplementary Feeding Programme 240,000** 84,249 ongoing *WFP adopts a flexible operational approach in order to maximise the efficiency of its response to the fast evolving conditions on the ground. As such, it takes into account population movements and access challenges, redirecting assistance to accessible populations in need as required. As a result, more than 100% of targets may be met in areas where actual needs exceed the original plan. **The planning figures for the Supplementary Feeding Programme apply to the entire year, while a lower number of beneficiaries is currently being targeted on a monthly basis. The programme includes distribution of Plumpy’Doz® in the central and Southern governorates and Nutributter in the north-eastern governorates and Aleppo. *** Nutributter distribution in Al-Hasake are not available yet. Family Food Rations and Wheat Flour As part of the January cycle, WFP dispatched over 700,000 family food rations, sufficient to assist 3.7 million people for a month, or 87 percent of the planned beneficiaries. WFP partners are currently in the process of distributing the food parcels that could be delivered in 12 governorates. In addition, WFP dispatched almost 6,000 mt of wheat flour (77 percent of its dispatch plan), targeting 8 governorates. While Damascus, Tartous and Lattakia already have a good supply of wheat flour and as such were not part of the original plan, Deir-ez-Zor, Al-Hasakeh and Ar-Raqqa were excluded due to the lack of access to the governorates. The wheat flour is sufficient to provide support to 1.2 million of those beneficiaries already receiving general food rations, who are living in areas where bread shortages were reported. Meanwhile, the February dispatch cycle is currently underway, with up to 850,000 family food rations for over 4.2 million beneficiaries planned to be delivered to partners for distribution. 2 Supplementary Feeding Programme In 2014, WFP plans to reach a total of 240,000 children aged 6-23 months in all 14 governorates with measures to prevent malnutrition in young children, with Plumpy’Doz® distributed in the central and southern governorates and Nutributter in the north-eastern governorates and Aleppo. Currently targeting up to 91,000 children each month, WFP is gradually scaling-up the programme to meet the yearly target. However, access constraints in the north-east and a severe shortage of experienced technical partners have hindered a rapid scale up of the intervention. In January, 67,765 children, more than 100 percent of the targeted 67,222, were provided with Plumpy’Doz® in host communities and collective shelters in Homs, Hama, Rural Damascus, Aleppo and Idleb, while no Nutributter could reach the north-eastern governorates. Nutributter targeted a further 24,000 children, of which over 7,000 received the product in Aleppo, while the number of those who received Nutributter in Al-Hasakeh is yet to be provided by partners. In February a total of over 84,000 children are being targeted with both Plumpy’Doz® and Nutributter. Dispatches of a total of 78 mt of Plumpy’Doz® are currently underway, targeting 60,000 children in Damascus, Rural Damascus, Dar’a, As-Sweida, Quneitra, Homs, Hama, Lattakia and Idleb. Distributions of Nutributter are underway in Al-Hasakeh, targeting over 24,000 children the across governorate. Al-Hasakeh, Deir-ez-Zor and Ar-Raqqa With all access to the governorates of Deir-ez-Zor and Ar-Raqqa blocked in January for the third consecutive month, concern over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions is growing. At present, almost one million people are estimated to be at risk of food insecurity in the two governorates, almost 600,000 of whom are considered in urgent need of assistance. SYRIA CRISIS Hard-to-reach areas inside Syria - February 2014 Quamishli Turkey o! Manbij ! !Al Hasakeh Al-Hasakeh ! Al-Rastan ! *#")!Aleppo Hama Ar-Raqqa ")! ! Aleppo ") ! Deir Fool ! ! ") Idlib ! !Ar Raqqa ! ! ! ! Zafaraniya ! Ariha") ! ! Lattakia !! Idleb ") Talbiseh ! ! Ghanto ! ")! ") Lattakia ! Ter Maleh ! Khan Shaykhoun ! ")! ! ! ! Deir-ez-Zor Homs ! ! ! Old Homs ! ! ") Hama! ")!Hamah Tartous ! Deir-ez-Zor ! ")! ") Tartous ! ! ") ")! ! ")!")! Safita !")!!Homs ! ! Homs Inaccessible Locations Sadad Last time reached (months from date of publication) ") Al-Qariatin !") ! 1 - 3 months Deir Attiyah ! #*") 3 - 6 months #*! ! Iraq Bloudan ! 6 - 9 months *#! Yabroud ! ") Lebanon An Nabk ! ! Rural Damascus 9 - 12 months Bludan ! ! ! > 12 months ") ! ! Barzeh!! ")!! !!!!! ! Otayba ! ! Damascus !!! *#! Inaccessible Governorates - Inaccessible since !!! !!!! !! ! ! ! ") Barzeh Aleppo - September 2013 ! Damascus ") ! Ghouzlaniyeh Rural Damascus ! ! Al-Hassakeh - October 2013 ! !! ! ! ! !! #* Quneitra ! ! Deir-ez-Zor - November 2013 !! Al-Otaiba Al-Harah ! ! #*! ! ! Jasem ! Ar-Raqqa - December 2013 Quneitra ")! ! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! Dar'a Ghouzlaniyeh Accessible Locations reached since October 2013 ! ! ! ! As-Sweida ") ! ! ! !! *# WFP Convoy Dar'a! ! ! As-Sweida ! ! ! ! ! ") Inter-Agency Convoy ! Jordan o Airlift 3 Meanwhile, new outbreaks of violence continue to cause additional waves of population displacement. In Deir-ez-Zor, approximately 1,330 people, including 300 children, have settled in informal camps in Al-Mayadeen in the south-east of the governorate after fleeing ongoing fighting in Deir-ez-Zor city. Preliminary reports indicate dire conditions in the camps, including a lack of basic services such as adequate shelters and clean drinking water, as well as the outbreak of diseases and infections. With all access via road to Al-Hasakeh interrupted since September, WFP continues to operate airlifts to get much needed humanitarian assistance to the urban and rural areas of the governorate. As of 18 February, all of the planned 5,880 family food rations were transported via airlift from Erbil to Quamishli airport. The rations, which include 4,662 bags containing 25kg of wheat flour and 10,320 bags of rice, would normally provide support for about 30,000 people for one month. However, due to the significant needs and limited food availability in the governorate, these rations will be split to assist a larger number of families. While splitting rations will allow some 60,000 beneficiaries to be reached in urban and rural areas, the coverage still amounts to less than 30 percent of WFP’s overall target for the governorate. Humanitarian conditions among the vulnerable population are believed to be dire, with access to food increasingly limited by the prolonged blockade and exorbitant food prices. Furthermore, as escalating violence forces large population movements towards relatively safer areas, urban centres such as Quamishli struggle to stretch their limited resources to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. Aleppo Following heightened violence in the eastern areas of Aleppo city over the past few weeks, some 250,000 people have fled to relatively safer rural areas of Al-Bab, Tal Hasel, Tel Aren, Afrin and Manbej, while over 200,000 have sought shelter in safer neighbourhoods in western Aleppo city. Smaller numbers of people were also reported to have fled towards the Turkish border, with an estimated 2,000 people trying to leave the country through Kilis crossing point. Aleppo Displacement February 2014 Kilis ! 6]LYHYLLZ[PTH[LK[VOH]LÅLK TURKEY Kilis ]PVSLUJLPUJVUÅPJ[HMMLJ[LKULPNOIV\Y Aleppo! ! hoods in East Aleppo city ! Manbij (WWYV_PTH[LS`WLVWSLÅLK[V ^LZ[LYUULPNOIV\YOVVKZVM(SLWWVJP[` Damascus ! (WWYV_PTH[LS`WLVWSLÅLK[V V[OLYHYLHZVM[OLNV]LYUVYH[L Afrin (WWYV_PTH[LS`WLVWSLÅLK ! [V^HYKZ[OL;\YRPZOIVYKLY to Manbij ! Al Bab Aleppo Hanano ! Sakhour Midan Shabaa Sulaiman Jamalieh ! New Aleppo Tal Aran Al-Furkan Tal Hasel ! Meassar Bustan alkasr Sukari 4 The large IDP influx to western Aleppo city, whose population is now estimated to have reached 1.5 million people, is stretching the capacity of safer neighbourhoods to absorb the new displaced families.