Attachments
BACKGROUND & INTRODUCTION
With the Syrian conflict entering its fourteenth year, the crisis context continues to evolve from one primarily impacted by direct hostilities and displacement to one increasingly characterised by severe and deepening economic vulnerability, protracted displacement, and climate-related changes.
Humanitarian needs in the country remain high, and the rapid decline of the Syrian economy in past years has further exacerbated the population’s struggle to access viable livelihoods opportunities and quality basic services.
With the socioeconomic impact of multiple crises and shocks likely to continue to intensify, further straining scarce resources and hindering the population’s ability to cope, response actors in Syria recognise the need to provide longer-term, more sustainable interventions to increase community-level resilience to shocks and stresses, reduce dependence on emergency assistance, and address some of the underlying or structural causes of insecurity and vulnerability.1
REACH’s Area-Based Assessments (ABAs) aim to provide actionable findings to directly inform the strategy, planning, and implementation of localised resilience and recovery interventions (Area-Based Approaches) in the assessed areas. They do so by 1) identifying and providing information on the local governance structures and key service provision and community group stakeholders, 2) capturing critical demographic and displacement-related information, 3) assessing the socio-economic situation and unique vulnerabilities of the areas’ population groups, 4) identifying capacities and barriers for access to and provision of quality basic services, and 5) analysing local resilience and recovery factors and priorities and examining social cohesion dynamics.
Findings from REACH’s ABAs enable implementing partners and actors in the broader response to tailor and enhance their programmatic approaches. This stems from a precise understanding of the areas’ capacities and multi-sectoral vulnerabilities, grounded in participatory methodologies that prioritise the perspectives and priorities of the local population.