International Consultant on Lessons Learned, Good and Innovative Practices to the Syria Crisis - Home-based with field missions

The impact of the Syrian crisis on the development trajectory of countries in the region can easily span a decade. The magnitude of the conflict has not only led to a high loss of human life and massive population displacement both within and outside of Syria, but it has also destroyed the social, economic and political fabric and has seriously compromised the future of the country and the region.

The scale of the refugee influx and its impact on host countries calls for dedicated action, as coping mechanisms are stretched and resilience is eroding. There is increasing recognition amongst concerned governments and the international community that the crisis has begun to compromise development gains and that overall stability of many countries is at risk, as social tensions continue to increase, as evidenced by declining human development and growth trends, and increasing levels of vulnerabilities. The development loss is amplified in the sub-region, which is reliant on intra-regional trade and a vibrant private sector.

This requires long-term vision that guide short and medium term interventions and that generate immediate, concrete changes in lives of people affected by the crisis while simultaneously arresting development loss. Countries affected by the Syrian crisis are in the middle-income bracket, which suggests that there are domestic resources available and systems in place that international support can build upon.

The situation in the region is protracted and a more sustainable approach, utilizing the comparative advantages of UNHCR and UNDP is required to meet the identified needs and vulnerabilities of both refugees, host communities as well as national, sub-national and local institutions.

On 17 December 2013 UNDP and UNHCR signed a regional MOU in order to consolidate the cooperation between our two organizations, and to draw on the comparative advantages of humanitarian and development organizations in order to address the range of needs on a timely basis and at an appropriate scale.

One of the key elements of this partnership is the establishment of a UNDP-UNHCR Joint Secretariat that is now launching a few key sub-regional studies to address important knowledge gaps and subsequently provide analytical and programmatic tools for Country Offices in the region.

Given the acute threats to lives and livelihoods, the response to the Syrian crisis has been primarily humanitarian. There is growing recognition that the social, environmental and economic impacts also require a development response. There is an opportunity, and indeed an imperative, for development assistance to play an important role in addressing the negative impacts of the crisis on countries in the sub-region and in supporting the systems and services on which households rely.
Unlike other conflicts where the influx of refugees in neighboring countries is contained through official camps, more than 80% of refugees live in communities and cities. In some host communities this has dramatically shifted the demographic balance in favor of the refugees. The majority of refugees seek housing and livelihood opportunities in and around ‘host cities’ as they offer the most opportunities. In context of a protracted crisis in middle income countries, those unique and complex dynamic has challenged our response to this sub-regional crisis.

Identified challenge:

In the context of a protected crisis, there is a general consensus within the international community that the ongoing response to the Syria Crisis is neither sustainable nor affordable. The crisis has reached a point where there is a need to complement humanitarian response by strengthening longer-term management capacities and the resilience of host populations and communities, including refugees, IDPs and national systems. A resilience-based development approach entails to re-visit the way the international community provides assistance, to ensure refugees, IDPs, households and community are able to cope, recover and transform from the effect of the crisis; addressing vulnerabilities and strengthening resilience in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. There are already a number of good practices and examples in the region that merit to be assessed and collected.

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