Humanitarian Action for Children 2021 – Syrian Refugees – Revision 1 (July 2021) – Lebanon

STRONG POINTS

• The Syrian refugee crisis remains the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 5.6 million registered refugees, including more than 2.5 million children, living in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey . In 2020, the situation in all affected countries was further exacerbated by the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the ensuing economic downturn. About 20.6 million people, including 6.1 million children, are in need of assistance.

• UNICEF will continue to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis by reaching refugee children living in camps, informal tent camps and urban settings, and vulnerable children in host communities, with education, water. , sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection, health, nutrition and social protection services and programs for adolescents and youth.

• In 2021, UNICEF needs $ 972.8 million to meet the most immediate needs of Syrian refugees, including their education and WASH needs, which have dramatically increased due to the COVID pandemic -19.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS

After a decade of hostilities in Syria, the Syrian refugee crisis remains the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 5.6 million registered refugees, including more than 2.5 million children, living in Egypt, Iraq , Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey in camps, informal settlements and in urban settings. among host communities. In 2020, this situation was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn that followed. Of the 20.6 million people in need, including in host communities, 3.15 million people are in need of WASH assistance, 3.35 million children are in need of protection services. childhood and 5.1 million children need academic support.

While host governments provide public services to refugees, vulnerability remains high and is exacerbated by lack of livelihoods, growing inequalities and economically strained institutions. In Egypt, for example, the refugee unemployment rate is 29 percent, compared to 8.9 percent nationally. While Syrian refugees and host community households face similar challenges, refugees face additional vulnerabilities and difficulties in meeting their basic needs due to their legal status and impact. residence and work policies on their mobility. COVID-19 containment measures have compounded these challenges, further restricting mobility, generating a range of socio-economic consequences and exacerbating protection risks for refugees and children. In barely a year, Lebanon has experienced a 300% increase in food prices.

Major challenges remain in realizing the rights of refugee children. Due to the protracted situation and the COVID-19 crisis, refugees are vulnerable to several protection risks, including psychosocial distress, child labor, and domestic and sexual violence. Economic hardship has led some women and girls to resort to negative coping mechanisms such as child marriage and forced marriage. The socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 have also disrupted and reduced access to health care, vaccinations and learning, and increased food insecurity and child poverty, leading to an overall decline in well-being children. In Turkey, learning has become even more inaccessible to the most vulnerable children due to the pandemic, with access to distance education limited by socio-economic status, lack of Turkish language skills and participation limited parents. In Iraq, immunization coverage against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis increased from 96% in July 2019 to 54% in July 2020. Children and young people with disabilities have been hit hard as access to services continues to improve. ‘erode.