WHAT NOW FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES? Joint World Vision and CAFOD. 1 World Vision

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1 1 WHAT NOW FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES? Joint World Vision and CAFOD 1 World Vision 13:25

2 2 13:25 Foreword their lives; over four million people need humanitarian assistance inside Syria; and, two million have been internally displaced. Jordan, Turkey and North Africa. Some estimates are that up to 5,000 refugees are their lives. I witnessed for myself these impacts when I spent time with Lebanese host families and communities. To see their openness, to feel their kindness and witness their What I cannot forget though is that these are people and communities being pushed to their limits. And, sadly, it is children who suffer most. I am always struck by the fact you only get one chance at childhood You only get one chance at childhood and growing up in a crisis-hit region robs children of that basic about the issues affecting the region - with a particular focus Lebanon and Syria. The crisis in Syria is fast becoming the worst humanitarian emergency of the 21st century and demands greater international attention and action. I hope this brief will give you a greater understanding of the challenges facing the region. More than that I hope you are inspired to act to call on the UK Government to push for better humanitarian No-one can solve this on their own. That is why I welcome this opportunity to brief you with our colleagues at CAFOD and would like to extend my thanks to them for participating. We must all work together - NGOs, Parliamentarians and Government Thank you. Justin Byworth Chief Executive World Vision UK 2 World Vision

3 3 13:25 Running from War, the refugee crisis in Lebanon From the outside we don t let people know what we are going through. From the inside I m very bothered. I miss my friends. - Ahmad, 10 Key issues Of those Early and forced marriage is not only a weapon of war, but may be used by parents and communities as a means of protecting children s lives, as well as their honour as evidenced in Syria by both World Vision and Save the Children. Inside Syria four million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, two million of whom are internally displaced and there are approximately over 1 million refugees in neighbouring countries. Lebanon hosts the single largest refugee community with some estimated 425,000 refugees, many of them receiving assistance from World Vision. World Vision believes there are at least another 60,000 unwilling to register. The protection of children during a humanitarian crisis is vital. They are the most vulnerable to the threat of violence, can often be separated from their families or exposed to sexual violence, and the impact of the crisis on their development can prioritisation, data is not currently available to give an accurate assessment of how much funding is actually allocated, however a conservative estimate would be less than 5% of UN humanitarian funding. The crisis in Syria... My three brothers died in Syria. They were younger than me. They shot my brothers when they were playing with their friends on the street. - Alaa, 7 The Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) brings Together the 14 leading UK aid charities in times of crisis. On March 20th the DEC launched their appeal for the Syria crisis. World Vision is extremely concerned about the latest escalation of violence in Syria and its impact on the civilian population, especially women and children. The alarming deterioration of the situation has led to increased additional strain on an already delicate regional environment. What now for Syrian Refugees? 3

4 4 Nearly 70,000 men, women and children have lost their lives as a direct result of the Over four million people are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, two million of these have been internally displaced. In addition to those in need of assistance within Syria s borders, over one million Syrian refugees are in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq and North Africa with an estimated 5,000 new refugees arriving daily. On 30th January 2013 UN member States, agencies and non-governmental organizations gathered in Kuwait City to attend the high-level International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria. World Vision welcomes the attention HMG has devoted to the Syria crisis, and the 139.5m committed to helping those affected. That $1.5bn pledged at the Kuwait conference in January was laudable, but since then it appears that only some $200m has actually been distributed. Several countries, including the UAE and Qatar have pledged money but have not yet delivered the funding. The plight of refugee children... World Vision s report Robbed from Childhood, Running from War highlights the lack of stability, educational upheaval and an increased anxiety among children in refugee communities in Lebanon. Violations of children s rights in the areas of protection, education, minimum standards of health and wellbeing continue to be a serious problem. Given that half of those affected by the emergency are children, World Vision stresses the need to ensure the basic needs of the most vulnerable are protected and provided for in line with international legal frameworks including the UN Convention and Refugee Laws without delay by national, regional and international actors. Thousands of Syrian refugee children have lost homes, witnessed violence and missed out on education as a result of this civil war. Those who are un-registered continue to run the risk of being excluded from vital aid supplies. It is vital that the DEC Syria Crisis appeal takes into account the plight of Syrian refugee children living in Lebanon and neighbouring countries. World Vision s recommendations to the UK Government World Vision is carrying out engagement with relevant political stakeholders such as yourself because we believe you will best understand how to convey our important message. Our message is that the UK should continue to focus on the needs of Syrian refugee children, both registered and unregistered. Pledges from Kuwait conference must turn into real action on the ground. Of the $1.5bn pledged, only $200m have so far vulnerable. In addition to this, these pledges were intended to cover the time period from January to June, so the challenge is to meet increased needs. It is estimated that a further 2bn will be needed in addition to money pledges at Kuwait throughout Children must be protected through realistic, secured funding, and donors must ensure that funding provided is used for and the provision of education and healthcare for children must be a priority, in refugee and host communities. provided, and donors must ensure organisations able to reach them are funded according to their needs. This should also include assistance to host communities. 4 World Vision

5 5 World Vision s Work World Vision the world s largest local charity. We have 40,000 (predominantly local) staff working in nearly 100 countries, and a global turnover of 1.8 billion. We work across most development issues, and deliver humanitarian responses. Our major source of income is child sponsorship, which we use to fund long term commitments to communities across the world. We are committed to working with the most vulnerable children in the world s most fragile places. The Syria Crisis; Internal Devastation: present and future implications for civilians Key Policy Recommendations to the British Government: The EU export ban on arms and equipment which might be used for internal repression in Syria should remain in force and The British government should use its role on the UN Security Council and relationship with the Core Group to prioritise The regional spill-over of the humanitarian crisis is threatening the stability of neighbouring countries, with a rise in economic, political, ethnic and sectarian tensions particularly in Lebanon and Jordan, which are bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis. Improved humanitarian access within Syria is urgent in order to help those in need. Governments must vigorously advocate for adherence to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence in the delivery of humanitarian relief. Humanitarian impact of the Syria crises nationally and regionally The Syria crisis is now one of the largest humanitarian responses in monetary terms ever mounted. unwittingly caught up in the violence. 4 million people inside Syria are in need of assistance including 2 million internally displaced. Local Syrian organisations are struggling to respond and only 11 international NGOs have been granted permission to operate inside Syria. governments of Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq Major issues for refugees: growing hostility of host communities, who initially generously supported the refugees as resources One third of all homes have now been damaged or destroyed in Syria, an estimated 1.2 million houses; livelihoods have been ruined and health care and education systems have collapsed. What now for Syrian Refugees? 5

6 6 The refugee crisis and internal displacement: key facts and challenges of assistance to camps in Aleppo and Damascus. UNRWA, the UN agency working with the Palestine refugees, estimates that 35% of the Palestine refugees are currently displaced in the Damascus area and that over 400,000 are now unable to meet public buildings or with host families. Finding money to rent is becoming an increasing anxiety for many refugees as they face a competition for shelter as overcrowding grows. Only a minority are in refugee camps in Lebanon; most are urban refugees refugees in sheltering in the Za atri camp, and in Turkey the government has constructed 2 large camps for refugees. and Jordan. Current estimates are that 60% of refugees in Lebanon and 75% in Jordan are unregistered. Until they are registered the only help people can get is from local and international NGOs, local churches and mosques and the kindness of increasingly stressed local communities. Sexual and gender based violence within refugee communities is reportedly high and many women experienced rape back in Syria. Domestic violence in the camps is elevated as some men respond to their trauma and inability to provide for their families in this way. There is a concerning lack of medical, counselling and psychosocial services to help both women and men recover. NGOs also report another seeing increasing evidence of other coping strategies adopted by some desperate refugee families who sell their daughters into early marriages, or young girls, who are virgins, sold for limited periods of time to wealthy local men in Lebanon or Jordan for so called marriage, but in effect prostitution as they are returned to their families some months later. Future scenarios Humanitarian Appeal of $1.5 billion from last December. Latest predictions are that as many as a million refugees will have Tensions are growing as the population in some Lebanese villages increases by 40%; with an increasing number of anecdotal reports of urban violence and a growth in crimes such robbery and assault attributed to refugees. The Lebanese government is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and Their Families, and although they have so far been accommodating to refugees this may change as political and sectarian tensions increase and there is continued competition for scarce resources such as accommodation, jobs and even access to water. With the continued killings and destruction within Syria of the country s infrastructure, the civic and social fabric in ruins and likely to become a long term protracted emergency as recovery and reconciliation will be deeply challenging, particularly if sectarian violence continues after open warfare. If large numbers of refugees continue to cross the borders there are real concerns that the governments of Jordan and Syria may restrict entry for refugees, causing a humanitarian crisis for unprotected displaced people amassing at the borders inside Syria, with humanitarian agencies unable to enter the country to help them. 6 World Vision

7 7 Humanitarian funding and the role of international NGOs The 2 UN Appeals: $519 million for humanitarian assistance inside Syria and $1 billion for the regional refugee response are only respectively 40% and 31% funded. Despite generous promises made during the donors pledging conference in Kuwait in January 2013 many countries have still not actually committed the money they promised. Persuasion is needed to encourage UN Member States that pledged funding to make good on their promises. The British government has been generous in its response, already delivering 139.5million in humanitarian aid funding work both inside Syria, in neighbouring countries and to the UN agencies. It needs to encourage other governments to provide the funds they have already committed but not delivered. The UN administered Emergency Response Fund for Syria (ERF) has to date provided nearly $6 million to NGOs delivering humanitarian response inside Syria and in surrounding countries. In the UK the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Syria Appeal was launched on March 20th and by 11th April had raised 10.3 million which will be allocated between the 14 DEC member agencies according to their levels of work both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries. What now for Syrian Refugees? 7

8 8 World Vision UK World Vision House, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0ZR World Vision is a registered charity no , a company limited by guarantee and registered in England no.