Attachments
Executive Summary
The Impact of Cuts studies are a series of research reports by WFP assessing the impact of humanitarian assistance cuts on affected households, which were driven by the largest funding gap in the organization’s history. A first report on the impact of assistance cuts in Syria was published in the first half of 2024. The second Impact of Cuts study in Syria studies the food security situation during a fivemonth pause in assistance in early 2024. Data used for this second issuance has been collected during the month of May 2024, with 850 household-level quantitative surveys and 22 qualitative surveys in the form of Focused Group Discussions which included some 224 participants from different household profiles across whole of Syria.
Following the discontinuation of food assistance, a notable deterioration in Food Consumption Score (FCS) was observed, with nine points increase in the percent of households with inadequate food consumption. Leaving over 56 percent of the people WFP was assisting in 2023 with inadequate FCS. The costal and central regions showed higher negative impact of cuts than other regions, with 24 points increase in the percent of people with adequate consumption, raising the prevalence of inadequate consumption to more than two-thirds of the WFP ex-beneficiaries. In addition, The number of households with inadequate dietary diversity increased by eight percent points. Leaving 86 percent of the ex-WFP beneficiaries with inadequate dietary diversity.
The consumption-based reduced coping strategy index (rCSI) worsened following the assistance cuts, with an average increase of rCSI score of 3.5 points. The adoption of crisis and emergency livelihoodbased coping strategies was already high (52 percent), however the cuts in assistance forced two-thirds of the households to resort to even more desperate strategies. Migration, child and temporary marriage, increased theft and violence were among the prevailing coping strategies after the cuts.
WFP food assistance has been helping to prevent deeper food insecurity and has been contributing to the social stability in Syria. With the assistance cuts, serious concerns exist with regards to the impact on malnutrition, health, and social tensions.