Attachments
Executive Summary
This Emergency Appeal 2023 progress report covers humanitarian interventions implemented by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA or “the Agency”) in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan from 1 January to 30 June 2023. It outlines the achievements made and challenges faced by the Agency in providing humanitarian aid to Palestine refugees in Syria and thousands of Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) residing in Lebanon and Jordan. Through this emergency appeal (EA), the Agency has also provided critical support to the most vulnerable Palestine refugees in Lebanon (PRL) and the most vulnerable Palestine refugees in Jordan (PRJ).
As a result of multiple overlapping crises, humanitarian conditions in Syria continued to deteriorate during the first half of 2023. The Syrian population, including the estimated 438,000 Palestine refugees who live in Syria, is facing unprecedented social and economic hardship due to the conflict that entered its thirteenth year during the reporting period. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 15.3 million people in Syria currently require humanitarian assistance, up from 14.6 million people in 2022. Palestine refugees remain one of the most vulnerable groups in Syria, with 96 per cent of this population (420,000 individuals) dependent on UNRWA’s emergency assistance, especially cash and food commodities.
On 6 February 2023, Syria was faced with an additional humanitarian crisis as two major earthquakes in southern Türkiye caused major devastation in the north and north-west of the country, significantly affecting over 46,500 Palestine refugees. In response, UNRWA immediately launched a standalone Flash Appeal whose progress has been reported separately from this EA.
The socio-economic and political crises that have hit Lebanon over the past few years have disproportionately impacted PRL and the 30,193 PRS residing in the country. With increasing pressure on Palestine refugee communities as their economic and financial situation deteriorated during the first half of 2023, violence inside the refugee camps and camp-adjacent areas increased, resulting in a number of operational challenges for the Agency. UNRWA remains the primary provider of humanitarian assistance and basic services for the majority of the Palestine refugee community in Lebanon, including PRS.
In Jordan, the total number of PRS stands at 20,001. An increase in the number of PRS in the country over the past year has resulted in the Agency becoming more stretched in its ability to support the diverse needs of PRS who are experiencing prolonged displacement, increasing poverty and conflict-related psychological trauma.
UNRWA wishes to thank all the donors that have generously contributed to the 2023 Syria, Lebanon and Jordan EA, allowing vital interventions to continue during the first half of the year. However, as of the end of June 2023, this EA was only 16 per cent funded, with just over US$ 70.1 million received out of a total requirement of US$ 436.7 million. The emergency services provided by UNRWA constitute the minimum support necessary to meet the critical needs of Palestine refugees affected by the protracted conflict in Syria and the most vulnerable displaced PRS and others in Lebanon and Jordan. Additional funding is urgently needed for the remainder of 2023 to ensure that humanitarian assistance is maintained to prevent more refugees falling into abject poverty and developing negative coping mechanisms.
The UNRWA Response
In the face of increasing poverty amongst Palestine refugees, UNRWA’s major humanitarian intervention under this EA, during the first half of 2023, was the distribution of cash assistance for essential needs to a total of 604,894 individuals: 416,377 in Syria, 168,516 in Lebanon, and 20,001 in Jordan.
UNRWA delivered or subsidized 466,562 primary, secondary and tertiary health care consultations in Syria during the first half of 2023, exceeding the half-yearly target due to increased demand for UNRWA health services.
In Lebanon, UNRWA responded to 103,608 primary health care patient visits and referrals to hospitalisation services. In Jordan, 9,569 consultations were provided to PRS through UNRWA's 25 primary health care centres, four mobile dental clinics and in the Jordan Health Aid Society (JHAS) clinic in Garden Camp (previously the King Abdullah Park), including referrals of secondary and tertiary cases to public and private hospitals.
Of the 48,153 Palestine refugee students in Syria who were enrolled during the last semester of the 2022/23 school year, 42,729 were provided with psychosocial support (PSS), allowing them to better cope with the impact of crises. In Lebanon, 37,737 students were enrolled in UNRWA schools during the first half of 2023, including 4,426 PRS children. Under this EA, 14,015 children were provided with transportation subsidies covering the worst winter months, enabling them to attend school. In Jordan, UNRWA elementary and preparatory schools provided education to 1,079 PRS and Syrian refugee students during the 2022/23 school year. In addition, 55,567 students, including 516 PRS students, attended at least one PSS counselling session.
In Lebanon, the Palestine refugee community witnessed a significant incidence of gender-based violence (GBV), as evidenced by the 93 reported cases to UNRWA during the reporting period. This surge mainly affected women and girls, underscoring the profound impact of deteriorating socio-economic conditions.
The Impact of Underfunding
As a result of funding shortages and lengthy international food procurement procedures, no food distributions were carried out in Syria during the first six months of the year, posing a risk of more Palestine refugee households falling into food insecurity. In addition, funding shortages meant that cash assistance was maintained at the 2022 reduced level. For those classified as the most vulnerable, assistance remained at US$ 15 per person, per month instead of the planned US$ 33, and for the remaining vulnerable caseload it stayed at US$ 11 per person, per month instead of the planned US$ 23. In addition, funding gaps prevented UNRWA from providing Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) to Palestine refugee students, community members and Agency staff. Given high levels of explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination, this remains a priority if EA funding is made available during the second half of 2023. Finally, only five of the targeted forty UNRWA installations (distribution centres, area office buildings and community centres) could be maintained through minor repair works.
No funds were received during the first half of 2023 to provide cash assistance to 500 PRL families living in unsafe shelters, support that would have enabled them to carry out urgent repairs. Finally, maintenance works could only be completed at five of the targeted forty UNRWA installations (distribution centres, area office buildings and community centres) through minor repair works.