Syria Crisis

Syria: UNRWA - Humanitarian Snapshot, August 2020
Rapid Increase in Number of Confirmed Cases of COVID-19

As the epidemiological situation across Syria has rapidly evolved over the past two months, rising patient numbers are adding pressure to the fragile health system....
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Rising to Meet The Challenge: Hazar’s story
The UNRWA Education Programme were deft in rapidly setting up remote learning plan for Palestine refugee students in the Agency’s 103 schools across Syria to ensure the continuation of students’ access to quality, inclusive, and equitable education
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Israa’s Perfect Score: Learning for a brighter future
Israa is originally from Yarmouk refugee camp. Together with her parents and her two brothers, she fled from the camp in 2012. Like thousands of others, the family has been displaced repeatedly in the years that followed.
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Building a Life in Ein el Tal – Again!
“Not only did I come back and repair our home in Ein el Tal, but I also recovered from a stroke! I was told that I might never walk again, but now, I’ve cultivated a garden, even in the face of danger from explosive remnants of war.
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Palestine refugees from Syria have been severely affected by the ongoing armed conflict. Of the total 438,000 Palestine refugees from Syria, the vast majority require assistance. Click here to read more.

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Facts and Figures

CASH ASSISTANCE

Cash assistance is a dignified, cost-effective and flexible tool to address the most immediate and urgent needs of vulnerable refugees in crisis. By allowing conflict-affected civilians to independently determine and meet their respective essential priorities, short-term cash assistance boosts individual coping strategies and enables refugees to allocate scarce financial resources to their own household priorities.

In 2018, cash assistance remains the priority intervention in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. The purpose of the regular cash assistance component is to cover basic needs such as food, non-food items (NFI) and shelter.

In Syria, UNRWA is running one of the largest cash assistance programmes anywhere in the world, helping Palestine refugees to meet part of their humanitarian needs with the dignity of choice. In 2018, UNRWA plans to distribute cash grants to 418,000 refugees. Through its partners, comprising a network of banks and private companies present in all regions of Syria, UNRWA provides cash assistance in a flexible and timely manner with minimal financial risk.

In Lebanon, 95 per cent of PRS are food insecure and greatly rely on UNRWA support to cover their basic needs. In 2018, 34,000 Palestine refugees from Syria (PRS) will receive a monthly multipurpose cash grant.

In Jordan, cash will be distributed in 2018 to 17,100 vulnerable and extremely vulnerable PRS. The purpose of the regular cash assistance component is to cover basic needs such as food, NFIs and shelter.

Click here to learn more about refugee camps prior to the start of the conflict in Syria.

Gap 100.00

Coverage 0.00

Funding Requirements

The Agency has reduced its appeal from US$ 277 million in 2019 to US$ 212 million in 2020 to preserve life-saving humanitarian assistance to Palestine refugees affected by the Syria regional crisis. Although the needs for Palestine refugees remain the same, with over per cent living below the poverty line, this reduction is based on projected funding trends and reflects the unprecedented funding crisis faced by UNRWA in 2019. In Syria, UNRWA continues to provide cash assistance to about 418,000 Palestine refugees to support them in meeting their basic needs. UNRWA is also the main provider of basic health care for more than 438,000 Palestine refugees estimated to remain inside Syria, as well as providing education to more than 51,000 students. In nine official camps, the Agency ensures access to basic services, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Total Appeal$212,846,000

Received to Date$0

Gap$212,846,000

Gap100.00%

Coverage0.00%

The Syria Crisis

Into the eighth year of conflict, conditions in Syria remain volatile and marked by continuing and intense armed violence and limited humanitarian access. Amid this unconscionable bloodshed and destruction, Palestine refugees remain particularly vulnerable and have been disproportionately affected by the conflict, due to their proximity to conflict areas inside Syria, high rates of poverty, and the tenuous legal status of those forced to flee to Lebanon and Jordan. The timeline below tells their story.

WITH THANKS YOU TO OUR DONORS

Our ability to respond depends on the generosity of donors and the guarantee of safe and consistent access to those in need, in accordance with international law. We urge donors to maintain and increase their support in 2018 to mitigate the humanitarian impacts of the crisis in Syria, enhance the protection of civilians and prevent further suffering. We call on all parties to the Syria conflict to urgently pursue a negotiated solution and put an end to the violence, destruction, and violation of rights, dignity and humanity.