Displacement Updates in North-West Syria

Over 2.6 million IDPs are living in north-west Syria, bringing the total population to more than four million.

As reported by HNAP, 20,613 IDPs were displaced in September, two-thirds of whom have been displaced three or more times (65 percent). The top three sub-districts of arrival were Maaret Tamsrin, Idleb and Atareb. 10,643 IDPs, just over half of all recently displaced persons, are reportedly living in tents, which usually indicates higher levels of vulnerability owing to poor and crowded living conditions.

Response

Shelter/Non-Food Item (SNFI) Cluster members continue to actively respond to the needs of the newly displaced population as well as protracted IDPs in north-west Syria. Some 2,079,501individuals*, both IDPs and host community members, were assisted with NFI and/or shelter from January to September 2020.

During the first three quarters of the year, 1,770,718 individuals received NFI assistance, including core and essential, as well as seasonal or supplementary NFI distributions. Shelter needs of 1,029,352 people were addressed with activities including emergency shelter assistance, rehabilitation of infrastructure, shelter rehabilitation and transitional shelters, and seasonal shelter assistance.

SNFI continues to actively coordinate with the Health and WASH Clusters, as well as the Early Recovery Cluster and Cash Working Group, to respond to the needs of the IDP population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soap and fabric masks are recommended by SNFI to be included in NFI distributions, with the suggestion to procure items locally. More than 413,000 individuals have received additional soap with their NFI distributions since March 2020, when the Cluster shared this as a recommendation in coordination with the WASH and Health Clusters. The SNFI Cluster also updated its recommendations on COVID-19 in both English and Arabic.

SNFI continues to provide site planning support through coaching and trainings with the goal of building capacity and facilitating well-planned settlements in north-west Syria. The trainings have been in the form of weekly online sessions via zoom meeting with simultaneous Arabic interpretation. Training topics varied from terrain analysis to child protection in IDP sites, introduction to GIS, and site planning strategies to mitigate GBV. A specific Site Planning Page has been developed on the SNFI website, where various resources are compiled to provide additional support.

Following multiple reports of flood incidents in IDP sites in north-west Syria, SNFI has prepared Flood Classifications and Effects on IDP Sites in north-west Syria which were shared and published on the cluster website. This document examines different levels of floods, including the impact, damage and likelihood; and aims to provide possible flood response interventions accordingly. It also includes technical guidance on developing and planning drainage systems in IDP sites, as well as useful links for further tutorials.  

In response to the regular fire incidents reported in IDP sites, SNFI has developed an awareness raising brochure focusing mainly on the safe usage of fuel and stoves during winter, targeting individuals and households.

As part of winterization coordination and planning, SNFI has focused on engaging with members to harmonize the winterization response and avoid gaps or overlap to the extent possible. In addition to advocating for a strengthened response to address the identified gaps in winterization and infrastructure. The Cluster Coordination Team shared the updated Guidance Note on Winterization for NWS with Cluster members, donors and other stakeholders. Presently, around 1.3 million individuals are targeted with the winter response, based on the current plans of members. However, some 251,000 of the targeted individuals are still in the gap for winterization assistance due to unsecured funding.

(*To note, IDPs may receive multiple services, including both shelter and NFIs; but this figure aims to reflect the unique beneficiaries reached).