WFP-Syria-And-Regional-Crisis-Sit
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WFP SYRIA CRISIS RESPONSE Situation Update 19 March - 1 April 2014 SYRIA JO RDAN LEBANON TURKEY IRAQ EGYPT HIGHLIGHTS WFP dispatches food for over 4.1 million people in all 14 Syrian governorates during the March cycle. Two inter-agency convoys reach besieged Douma in eastern Ghouta, Rural Damascus, for the first time since October 2012, delivering food for 8,000 people. WFP provides assistance for 50,000 people in Al-Hasakeh through unprecedented UN inter-agency convoy across the Turkey border. Worsening security in northern areas of Lebanon restricts access to beneficiaries for WFP and partners. WFP reaches Syrian refugees in 16 out of 22 camps in Turkey. WFP starts transition from paper to e-vouchers in Greater Cairo, with 18 supermarkets available to beneficiaries. WFP/Laure Chadraoui 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 SYRIA CRISIS Rations dispatched for distributions - Targeted Beneficiaries March 2014 Turkey Al-Hasakeh 57,950 Aleppo Idleb 827,375 Lattakia 350,690 Ar-Raqqa 141,240 127,500 Hama Deir-ez-Zor Tartous 377,840 126,750 172,000 Homs 630,035 Lebanon Iraq Damascus Rural Damascus 376,710 618,960 Total Targeted Beneficiaries: 4,104,055 Quneitra 48,645 - 150,000 97,375 150,000 - 300,000 Dar'a As-Sweida 300,000 - 450,000 150,985 48,645 450,000 - 600,000 Jordan 600,000 - 750,000 750,000 -872,375 Successful access negotiations and an improved supply chain enabled WFP in March to dispatch food for a record 4.1m people in all 14 governorates. In terms of the anticipated number of recipients, this represented an 11% increase on the 3.7m reached in February. It was the first time in six months that there were dispatches to all governorates. Unprecedented since the beginning of the crisis, the Syrian and Turkish authorities allowed UN agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance through the Nusaybeen border crossing point. In late March, a series of inter-agency convoys totaling 78 trucks transported humanitarian assistance to the governorate of Al-Hasakeh, to which there had been no overland access for six months. WFP moved one-month rations for 50,000 people, 22 percent of the vulnerable population targeted in the governorate. This followed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2139 urging all parties to grant unhindered humanitarian access to conflict-affected population in Syria. Two cross-line inter-agency convoys enabled WFP to access hard-to-reach areas in Idleb and Rural Damascus, providing assistance to 22,500 of the approximately 110,000 people estimated to be living in Sarmada camps and Douma. Furthermore, following successful negotiations WFP rations reached Deir-ez-Zor governorate for only the second time since October last year, as well as the town of Bludan in Rural Damascus, which has been under siege since June 2013. In spite of these advances, sustained and predictable humanitarian access to all in need has yet to be achieved. Across the country, an estimated three million people, whose needs remain to be assessed, live in areas where access remains severely restricted. 2 EVOLVING NEEDS AND WFP OPERATIONS Planned* Dispatched Distributed JANUARY CYCLE General Food Rations 4,250,000 3,670,835 3,651, 545 Wheat Flour 1,504,000 1,193,600 720,995 Supplementary Feeding Programme 240,000** 91,471 85,005 FEBRUARY CYCLE General Food Rations 4,250,000 3,713,730 3,653,165 Wheat Flour*** 1,504,000 1,946,680 1,160,200 Supplementary Feeding Programme 240,000** 94,909 127,498**** MARCH CYCLE General Food Rations 4,250,000 4,104,055 Ongoing Wheat Flour 1,504,000 2,224,925 Ongoing Supplementary Feeding Programme 240,000** 59,400 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. *** The current monthly ration of wheat flour per family is 12.5 Kg. At present, households receive a 25 Kg bag of wheat flour every two months. ****February distributions of Plumpy’Doz® and Nutributter® exceeded targets, as some quantities of Plumpy’Doz® dispatched in January were distributed only in February. Additionally, the Ministry of Health took advantage of the on-going national polio vaccination campaign to increase coverage of the blanket feeding programme in Rural Damascus. Food Dispatches: Successful negotiations, combined with the approval for cross-border deliveries from Turkey, allowed WFP to increase the coverage of its assistance within the country, reaching all 14 Syrian governorates for the first time in six months. As a result, during this cycle WFP achieved 97 percent of its plan for the cycle, dispatching enough food to assist over 4.1 million people across the entire country, an 11 percent increase compared to the February cycle. In addition, 5,562 mt of wheat flour, or 80 percent of the March plan, were dispatched to nine governorates, targeting approximately 2.2 million people living in areas where shortages of bread were reported by partners. The significantly improved dispatch rate for March as compared to previous months was also due to an enhanced supply chain that allowed all commodities to be available prior to the start of the cycle. Beneficiaries Targeted by Dispatches January 2013 - March 2014 &"'$ &"!$ &"+$ )"*$ )"%$ )"%$ )"&$ )"'$ )")$ )"+$ #"($ #"%$ #"'$ #"&$ #"&$ #"'$ #"#$ F;-..3G$$ #$ #"+$ E:=9->673G$$ !"%$ !"'$ !"#$ million beneficiaries beneficiaries million !"+$ +"'$ +"+$ ,-./-01$ 2340/-01$ 5-067$ 890:;$ 5-1$ ,/.3$ ,/;1$ 8/</=>$ ?39>3@430$ A6>B430$ CBD3@430$$ E363@430$$ ,-./-01$ 2340/-01$ 5-067$ 3 Food Distributions: The February distribution cycle concluded with 3.65 million people, or 86 percent of the number planned, reached in 13 of the 14 governorates. Due to persistent insecurity along transport routes, food distributions in Ar-Raqqa, targeting over 284,000 people, could not take place for the fourth consecutive month. Wheat flour was distributed to over 1.1 million people in nine governorates, excluding Tartous and Lattakia, not targeted by wheat flour distribution, and the northeastern governorates, where access constraints limit truck movement for humanitarian deliveries. WFP partners are currently distributing the rations received as part of the March cycle, targeting over 4.1 million beneficiaries in all Syrian governorates. Bread distribution: In Idleb and Aleppo, wheat flour is channelled through public bakeries, which provide bread to beneficiaries. In western Aleppo city the number of public bakeries supplied with fortified wheat flour rose from four to ten, allowing bread production to increase by over 40 percent, with up to 65,000 bundles produced every day. In Idleb, nine bakeries are producing bread for approximately 700 beneficiaries on a daily basis, while in Al-Hasakeh, yeast airlifted from Damascus is being provided to ten public bakeries in Al-Hasakeh city, Quamishli, and rural areas along the border with Turkey. Blanket Supplementary Feeding Programme: In 2014, WFP plans to reach a total of 240,000 children aged 6-23 months with support to prevent malnutrition in northern, central and southern governorates. Currently providing specialised nutrition support to almost 130,000 children, WFP is gradually scaling up the programme to reach the full caseload by the end of the year. Access constraints in the north-east and a shortage of technical partners have hindered a rapid scale up of the intervention. In March, 55mt of specialised food were dispatched to both collective shelters and host communities in Damascus, Rural Damascus, Tartous, Homs and Hama to prevent acute malnutrition among over 42,000 vulnerable children. In addition, 48 mt of supplementary feeding product, sufficient to address micronutrient deficiencies in 17,400 children, were airlifted to Al-Hasakeh governorate from Damascus. Distributions in the targeted areas are ongoing. Northeastern Syria Al-Hasakeh WFP continues to face major access challenges in Al-Hasakeh governorate, where the closure of the main access points from inside Syria is posing significant difficulties in reaching over 227,000 vulnerable conflict affected people targeted for WFP food assistance. Significant waves of displacement have occurred in recent weeks, mainly towards Quamishli and rural areas surrounding Al-Hasakeh city. Further population displacements were reported south of Al-Hasakeh, precipitated by fighting and deteriorating security conditions. While dull details are not yet available, WFP partners registered 250 newly displaced people from the town of Margada. They are being assisted with WFP food rations. WFP continues to seek alternative routes to deliver &"'$ &"!$ humanitarian assistance to the &"+$ )"*$ )"%$ )"%$ governorate to overcome )"&$ )"'$ )")$ restrictions on overland deliveries from central and )"+$ #"($ #"%$ #"'$ southern Syria. Following #"&$ #"&$ #"'$ #"#$ F;-..3G$$ approval from Turkish and Syrian #$ #"+$ E:=9->673G$$ authorities, a UN inter-agency !"%$ convoy was allowed to deliver !"'$ !"#$ humanitarian items to the WFP/Laure Chadraoui !"+$ governorate through the WFP trucks waiting at Nusaybeen crossing point in Turkey +"'$ Nusaybeen crossing point along +"+$ the border with Turkey between 20 and 25 March. WFP participated in the convoy, transporting 651 ,-./-01$ 2340/-01$ 5-067$ 890:;$ 5-1$ ,/.3$ ,/;1$ 8/</=>$ ?39>3@430$ A6>B430$ CBD3@430$$ E363@430$$ ,-./-01$ 2340/-01$ 5-067$ mt of food items consisting of 10,000 family food rations, including rice and fortified wheat flour. 4 Additionally, 48 mt of Nutributter for the Blanket Supplementary Feeding Programme were delivered to Al-Hasakeh.