Attachments
SITUATION OVERVIEW
This Inter-Agency Emergency Appeal for the Influx from Lebanon to Syria outlines the initial inter-agency and inter-sector response and activities to support Syria’s efforts to protect and assist Syrians, Lebanese refugees, others fleeing Lebanon, and host community members. It includes preliminary financial requirements for six months for 55 partners (including UN agencies, national and international NGOs, and civil society actors), to respond to the crisis, working in support of the Syrian authorities.
Since late September 2024, escalating hostilities in Lebanon have pushed approximately 220,000 individuals to flee from Lebanon to Syria as of 5 October. It is estimated that Syrian nationals make up 70 per cent of those arriving in Syria, while the remaining 30 per cent are Lebanese. Most people fleeing from Lebanon are entering through the Jdaidet Yabous border crossing point. In light of the nature of the influx, where people are fleeing hostilities across an international border, including Syrians and Lebanese refugees, UNHCR, in close collaboration with the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and in consultation with the Humanitarian Country Teams, will continue to lead, coordinate and report on the response, which will cover the whole of Syria.
Following the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, movements into Syria are primarily to Damascus, Rural Damascus, Homs, and Tartous Governorates, with some also moving to non-government-controlled areas in the north-east and in the north-west and beyond. Many people are arriving in Syria in dire conditions, with some having sustained injuries either during the difficult journey or as a result of the hostilities in Lebanon.1 More than half of the new arrivals are women and girls, and over 60 per cent are children under the age of 18. People are arriving at border points either by car or on foot, carrying only what they could manage.
The arrival of Syrians fleeing to north-west Syria has remained relatively low, with 264 households observed so far in greater Idleb and northern Aleppo. In north-east Syria, over 15,000 individuals have arrived so far in the Ar-Raqqa, Deir Ezzor, and Hassakeh Governorates. The majority are hosted by their relatives or Syrian families. Partners are supporting the Government and SARC to distribute water and food items as well as essential core relief items at transit points and at final destinations. UN agencies are also supporting NGO partners to provide reproductive health services and psychosocial support.
Since the beginning of the emergency, the Government of Syria has kept the borders open for Syrians, Lebanese and others fleeing Lebanon. In addition, Syrian local communities have been acting as first responders, supporting people fleeing into Syria by providing places to stay, food and water. However, the recent influx is placing immense pressure on the local communities. Entering its fourteenth year of crisis, Syria remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, affecting millions of people. This has been compounded by the unpredictable security situation and an increasingly dire economic outlook. Limited public infrastructure and services are further exacerbating daily challenges. Inflation, evidenced by rising commodity prices, is increasingly eroding families’ purchasing power, further deepening the impoverishment of already vulnerable populations. Despite overstretched resources, the Government of Syria and local Syrian communities are generously extending support to those fleeing from Lebanon.
The current hostilities in Lebanon show no sign of abating and in fact, with the increase in airstrikes and the beginning of ground incursions by Israeli forces into Southern Lebanon, population displacement is projected to continue to grow in the coming days and weeks. Hence, there is a need not only to provide life-saving emergency relief at the borders, but also to inject much-needed resources for humanitarian early recovery to support livelihood activities.
Given the very fluid situation, with the number of new arrivals increasing, this document outlines the preliminary needs. The response plan may be extended and revised in the coming months, including updated budgets, to take into account the rate of new arrivals, the results of ongoing inter-agency assessments and response in border, transit and destination locations.