Attachments
Highlights
• WFP Executive Director (ED) visited Syria from 13 to 15 January, met government stakeholders, members of the diplomatic community, WFP staff, as well as beneficiaries - during a field mission to Rural Damascus. The ED stressed that food security is fundamental to ensure national security, and called for collective efforts to address urgent humanitarian needs, while also advancing recovery initiatives.
• WFP is uniquely equipped to address acute food insecurity, and reduce humanitarian needs through investments in recovery interventions across all of Syria. Provided enough funding is available, WFP aims to: continue to provide targeted food and nutrition assistance to food insecure and vulnerable households; support and stabilize the recovery of the bread value chain - from production to consumption; improve food systems and livelihoods in key targeted areas; and build the government’s capacity to establish a national targeted safety net system.
• WFP urgently requires USD 250 million in the next months to: scale-up emergency response and deliver food and nutrition assistance to up to 2.8 million people, and invest in recovery interventions. Flexible contributions are key to enable WFP to use any assistance modality and any corridor to reach those in need.
SITUATION UPDATE
• Syria’s transition remains challenged by insecurity and social tensions, dynamic population movements, and substantial unmet humanitarian needs. While businesses, public services, schools, banks, and markets have gradually resumed operations, social tensions and crime-related incidents increased in recent weeks - impacting women and minority communities the most, including WFP staff. Fighting and unrest persists in the north and northeast of Syria - threatening lives, livelihoods and essential infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Israeli military presence in the south has sparked displacement, fear and protests.
• Since 27 November, internal displacement numbers decreased from one million to 652,000 people, this is in addition to 7.2 million already displaced by the prolonged conflict. Meanwhile, UNHCR reports that approximately 500,000 Syrian refugees have returned from neighbouring countries to date. Initial reports from UNHCR indicate that 27 percent of 3,400 refugees interviewed across the region intend to return home in the next 12 months.
• Food insecurity in Syria remains one of the major concerns during this transition period with over half of the population food insecure, including nearly 3 million people projected to be severely food insecure.
• Limited circulation and liquidity of SYP and the open market to foreign currency is likely driving the appreciation of the Syrian pound (SYP) on the parallel market (SYP 10,000/USD 1 as of 30 January) - at times trading below the official rate.