Syria Cross-Border Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2022

FOREWORD

I am pleased to share with you the 2022 annual report for the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund for Syria (SCHF). The document provides an overview of SCHF’s operations and how the Fund has addressed the urgent humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable people in north-west Syria in 2022. It provides an update on the Fund’s management and accountability, as well as results achieved.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to the previous DRHC, Mark Cutts for his guidance to the Fund and his tireless support to the Syrian people; and to the donors for their continued trust in OCHA and its management of the SCHF, especially the generous contributions by Belgium,
Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2022, despite declining contributions, the SCHF continued to play a pivotal role in supporting the intersectoral response to north-west Syria at a time where humanitarian needs were at an all-time high amid a deteriorating economic situation. This was complicated by challenges related to the uncertainty around the Security Council resolution, 2642 (2022) by a vote of 12 in favour to none against, with 3 abstentions (France, United Kingdom, and the United States), yet the Fund successfully allocated $141 million.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the humanitarian community, SCHF funding recipients, national and international NGOs, UN agencies and Red Crescent Organizations, Funds and programs, and cluster support staff for their dedication and tireless response. SCHF funds enabled partner organizations to respond to the aftermath of a decades-long conflict by providing critical and essential services while ensuring that

the fundamental rights of the most vulnerable were protected and addressed, including a rapid response to the cholera outbreak.

In 2022, the Fund stepped up its support to strengthen resilience through dignified and innovative shelter, early recovery, and livelihood projects, and explored new “ways” of working within the six-month framework of the UN Security Council resolution voted in July. For example, the allocation of SCHF reserve allocation was a vital enabler of humanitarian response in the critical period leading up to the January 2023 renewal vote.

SCHF’s added value and comparative advantage continued to be demonstrated in 2022 through its commitment to integrated and complementary interventions. Combining flexibility and strategic thematic focus with its robust accountability system, SCHF promoted coordination among partner organizations and clusters to ensure timely allocation of resources, enabled humanitarian interventions, and strengthened humanitarian coordination, leadership, and efficiency of the overall response.

In 2022, ongoing hostilities, socioeconomic hardship and the lack of safe and functioning infrastructure continued to push more people into greater humanitarian needs. As we move into 2023, in the absence of a political solution, with increasing international uncertainty and the impending Security Council vote, humanitarian access and funding will remain essential to ensure crisis-affected families in north-west Syria are receiving much-needed lifeline support.

DAVID CARDEN, Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis