SYRIAN REFUGEES INTER-AGENCY REGIONAL UPDATE 11 – 26 July 2015

SYRIAN REFUGEES INTER-AGENCY REGIONAL UPDATE 11 – 26 July 2015 HIGHLIGHTS WFP funding constraints continued to result in reduced levels of support KEY FIGURES even to the most vulnerable Syrian families. This has heightened vulnerability and food insecurity throughout the region. 4 million A regional meeting of high-level representatives from five countries Syrian refugees have fled to (Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt) hosting Syrian refugees called neighboring countries and North for developing policies and programmes to tackle labour market issues Africa stemming from the Syrian refugee crisis in a manner that increases economic output and productivity across host nation economies. While 369,868 acknowledging the dire humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees, Refugees and vulnerable members representatives called on the international donor community to increase of impacted communities reached spending on livelihood programmes and place greater focus on areas such with community mobilization in 2015 as child labour, the informal economy, labour inspection, social protection, the institutional capacities of labour ministries and local 501,927 governance structures in host communities. Further details on this meeting is available at http://www.ilo.org/beirut/media- Children (5-7 years old) enrolled in formal education in 2015 centre/news/WCMS_387195/lang--en/index.htm 1.5 million Primary Health Care consultations provided in 2015 17,879 Households in camps received assistance for shelter or shelter updated in 2015 3RP 2015 FUNDING USD 4.5 billion (agency total requirements requested for 2015, not including government funding) Funded 31% Gap 69% 3RP OVERVIEW US$ 5.5 billion total funding requirements 5.9m direct beneficiaries (Projected December 2015) 4.3m refugees (Projected December 2015) 1 Inter-Agency Regional Update-Syrian Refugees OPERATIONAL CONTEXT The number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria to neighboring countries has passed four million. Tragically, and with no end in sight to Syria’s war, now in its fifth year, the crisis is intensifying and the number of refugees are rising. The four million milestone comes barely 10 months since the total of three million was reached. At current rates, UNHCR expects the figure to reach around 4.27 million by the end of 2015. This complex, regional crisis has had unprecedented social and economic impacts on host countries, overstretching basic services, diminishing trade and investment, aggravating already high unemployment, increasing pressure on scarce natural resources, and at times affecting their stability and development pathways. Lebanon, which now ranks first in the world in refugees per capita currently hosts close to 1.2 million registered Syrian refugees. This amounts to over 20 per cent of the country’s population, but around 3.3 million people, both refugees and vulnerable Lebanese, are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. Almost half of the refugee population lives at or below the Lebanese poverty line of US$4 per day, with a third living at or under US$2- 3 per day and unable to meet basic needs. Following a notification from the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) in May 2015, UNHCR suspended all new registrations (effective as of those entering Lebanon after 5 January). A new mechanism by the Government of Lebanon is still being refined. In Turkey, the registration of Syrian refugees continues under the supervision of the Director General for Migration Management (DGMM) and as of 26 July, more than 1.8 million Syrian refugees have been biometrically registered, approximately 45 per cent of all Syrian refugees in the region. In Jordan, of the over 629,000 Syrian refugees, approximately 84 per cent of people live outside refugee camps, in urban and rural areas across the country. Two-thirds of these refugees are now living below the poverty line and one in six are below the line of extreme poverty. There are currently more than 251,000 Syrian refugees registered in Iraq, with 97 per cent in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I). Since mid-April, conflict between Iraqi Security Forces and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (particularly in Anbar Governorate in western Iraq) has created a tense security situation across the country and a precarious economic situation which is affecting refugees in urban and semi-urban locations. In Egypt, there are currently more than 132,000 Syrians living in urban neighborhoods and shared accommodation. The May monthly sectoral dashboards have been published on the Syria Regional Response Data Portal, detailing priorities, achievements and needs by country and regionally. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – www.unhcr.org 2 Inter-Agency Regional Update-Syrian Refugees The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2015-2016 The 3RP is a country-driven, regionally coherent plan to address refugee protection and humanitarian needs whilst building the resilience of vulnerable people and impacted communities and strengthening the capacity of national delivery systems in the five most affected countries neighbouring Syria. The 3RP integrates and is aligned with existing and emerging national plans, including the Jordan Response Plan 2015 to the Syria Crisis, the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, the Iraq SRP, and country responses in Turkey and Egypt. Requiring US$5.5 billion in funding to directly support almost six million people, the 3RP is based on planning projections of up to 4.27 million refugees in countries neighbouring Syria by the end of 2015 and help to over a million vulnerable people in host communities. The appeal comprises US$1 billion of host government requirements and US$4.5 billion in agency requirements for United Nations (UN) agencies and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Beyond those receiving direct support, an additional 20.6 million people in impacted local communities will benefit from upgrades to local infrastructure and services in areas such as health, education, water and sewage, training and capacity building of service providers, and policy and administrative support to local and national authorities. The 3RP Progress Report (released on 25 June) is available here: www.3RPSyriaCrisis.org UPDATE ON ACHIEVEMENTS Protection IRAQ As of 31 July, 251,690 Syrian refugees are registered in Iraq, of which the vast majority (97 per cent) live in nine camps in the KR-I. In July, the number of Syrians entering the KR-I from the Peshkabour border has increased compared to the previous month. The border now remains open six days a week and applications for asylum are mainly accepted on the grounds of family reunification or origin from areas considered by authorities to be currently under conflict. Legal counselling and consultations for both camp-based and urban refugees continues to be provided with majority of the issues raised being on documentation renewal or issuance, family reunification, referral to legal services, and inactivation and reactivation of cases. During the month of July, in Erbil Governorate, PARC/Qandil provided legal consultations to 228 camp-based refugees and facilitated the issuance of 66 legal documents, including birth and marriage certificates. In all the four camps in Erbil, the Residency Departments continued to issue individual documentation to eligible refugees, with a total of 933 residency cards processed in July. The Government issued residency cards have a one year validity which facilitates access to employment and key social services such as health and education. In July, 2,308 individuals returned from the KR-I to Syria through the Peshkabour border. A notable increase in returns to Kobane has been reported which could be due to rising cost of living in KR-I, and reasons of family unification, property matters and agricultural pursuit. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – www.unhcr.org 3 Inter-Agency Regional Update-Syrian Refugees Children play in the street of Basirma camp in KR-I. Credit: Sebastian Rich/UNHCR Two new reports show increased vulnerability among Syrian refugees on Jordan UNICEF, in collaboration with REACH, led two comprehensive child-focused assessments (CCFA), surveying every household in both Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps in Jordan from February to March 2015. The assessments aimed to fill key information gaps, with a focus on UNICEF-supported programming areas of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, education, youth, and people with disabilities. According to the findings, although there have been notable developments in educational attendance in both the camps, there is an urgent need for services targeting children with disabilities, over half of whom are out of school. Programming should also target youths aged 16-24, majority of whom are currently not in any form of employment, training or unpaid volunteering, presenting a risk of disenfranchisement and de-motivation due to lack of engagement in productive activities. The full reports are available here: For Zaatari camp http://www.reachresourcecentre.info/system/files/resource- documents/reach_jor_report_comprehensive_child_focused_assessment_zaatari_refugee_camp_june_20 15_2.pdf and for Azraq camp http://www.reachresourcecentre.info/system/files/resource- documents/unicef_reach_comprehensive_child_focused_assessment_azraq_refugee_camp_june_2015.p df A new report by CARE International ‘Five Years into Exile: The challenges faced by Syrian refugees outside camps in Jordan and how they and their host communities are coping’

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