Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Syria

Northwest Syria Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) 1 - 8 February 2024

Attachments

INTRODUCTION

To facilitate humanitarian cash programming, the Northwest of Syria Cash Working Group (NWS CWG), in collaboration with local and international NGOs, carries out a monthly Joint Market Monitoring Initiative in Northern Syria. This initiative assesses the availability and prices of basic commodities typically sold in markets and consumed by the average Syrian household. These include food, water, and non-food items such as fuel, shelter and clothing items.

Among these, 18 components (measured by 24 items) form the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB), which signifies the minimum culturally adjusted items necessary to sustain a household of six individuals for a month.

KEY FINDINGS

• Slowing currency depreciation has broadly had a positive impact on the price of basic monitored commodities.

• The value of the SMEB remains high across NWS having increased by 59% in the past year. At the same time, unemployment is high1 and household income for low and middle income households has remained the same.

• The prices of the SMEB food component generally decreased across NWS between January and February 2024, almost uniformly across Idleb governorate and in most assessed areas in Northern Aleppo.

• Recent months of price data suggest water trucking is becoming more expensive in Idleb governorate, despite demand generally being lower in the winter months.