Attachments
In Numbers
40,680 mt of food assistance delivered
US$ 1.8 m in cash-based transfers made
US$ 480 m six-month net funding requirement (September 2021 – February 2022, as of 23 August 2021)
5 m people assisted in August 2021 (based on dispatches)
Operational Updates
• In August, WFP delivered food and nutrition assistance to 5 million people across its general food assistance (GFA), school feeding, nutrition, and livelihoods, resilience and social safety nets activities in Syria.
• WFP dispatched GFA to some 4.97 million people across all 14 Syrian governorates. Of this, 25 percent was delivered through the cross-border operation from Turkey to areas of Idlib and western rural Aleppo governorates not accessible from inside Syria.
• Food prices remained relatively stable across Syria in July 2021, according to the latest WFP data, with just a one percent increase from June. The relative stability is primary linked to government’s increased efforts in controlling market prices and exchange rates. However, food prices in July remain 93 percent higher than one year ago.
• Meanwhile, food insecurity persisted across the country, according to the latest WFP data. In July 2021, close to half of households surveyed reported inadequate food consumption. The national average rate of inadequate food consumption increased by three percentage points from June 2021 and up by 15 percent compared to July 2020.
• The humanitarian situation in Dar’a al Balad (Dar’a governorate) deteriorated significantly in August as a result of the ongoing fighting and deteriorating security situation, with reports indicating critical shortages of bread, fuel, and electricity. WFP continued its emergency distributions of ready-to-eat rations (RTEs) for those displaced by the conflict. Meanwhile, WFP’s regular general food assistance distribution plan for August to some 450,000 people across Dar’a governorate has been put on hold by relevant authorities due to security concerns and was later approved on 09 September.
• On 30 August, WFP successfully undertook a crossline delivery of food and nutrition assistance sufficient for 50,000 people in north-western Syria from within government-controlled areas. This is the first time in seven years humanitarian aid reaches north-western Syria from government-controlled areas.
• WFP revised the resource-based implementation plan in July to increase the target for General Food Assistance (GFA) by one million people - from 4.8 to 5.8 million people each month. This is in line with the results of the latest food security assessments. The implementation of this scale up started in August in areas under government control which entail 70 percent of the increased caseload and will be completed in October in north-western Syria which has the remaining 30 percent of the increased caseload. However, due to funding shortfalls, WFP had to cut rations across the operation. The currently planned ration is 1,100 kcals per person for assistance inside Syria and 1,300 kcals per person for the cross-border operation. WFP is nevertheless maintaining the current 2,100 kcals ration for beneficiaries residing in camps in north-eastern Syria (including Al-Hol camp).