Partnership for Prospects Cash for Work
WE ARE CREATING JOB AND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES THEREBY GIVING REFUGEES BACK THE POSSIBILITY TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS. THAT IS WHY WE ARE GOING FOR CASH FOR WORK. Dr Gerd Müller, Member of the German Parliament Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
DEAR READERS, Syria is experiencing one of the most devastating conflicts of our time. Every day there are new attacks and already countless lives have been lost. The humanitarian situation is appalling. Millions of people have fled, trying to get away from the war, and the destruction and terror, with most of them seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. These countries are doing a great job in trying to host such a large number of refugees despite the social challenges they themselves are facing. However, the host communities are increasingly being pushed to their limits; and the situation in the refugee camps is extremely tense. German development policy is not leaving the region to cope with these challenges alone. We want people to be able to take control of their lives again. That is the most important point! We want to give them prospects going beyond the current emergency situation. That is the intention at the heart of our Partnership for Prospects initiative, which we launched at the beginning of 2016 and through which we got about 61,000 people into work by the end of 2016. That is the road along which we continue in 2017! Dr Gerd Müller, Member of the German Parliament Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
The refugee situation in the Middle East In 2016, more than 65 million people all over the world were displaced. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Syria is the country with the world s highest number of displaced people. The civil war has forced 4.9 million people to flee the country and 6.6 million have been internally displaced. Until now, 2.7 million people have fled to Turkey, more than 1 million to Lebanon and at least 0.65 million to Jordan. In Iraq, some 4.4 million internally displaced persons have fled to other parts of the country in search of protection from attacks by the terrorist group Islamic State. Most of the refugees are living in host communities outside of refugee camps. FUNDS MADE AVAILABLE BY THE BMZ IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SYRIAN CRISIS (MILLION EUROS)
Federal Chancellor Merkel announcing Germany s support for Syria and its neighbouring countries at the Syria Conference in London. GERMANY S ENGAGEMENT IN THE SYRIAN CRISIS At the donor conference Supporting Syria and the Region held in London on 4 February 2016, the international community pledged more than ten billion euros for interventions in response to the refugee crisis in Syria and in the region. Germany made the largest bilateral pledge, committing a total of 2.3 billion euros. The BMZ s contribution to this is 850 million euros. Job opportunities and education for refugees together with support for host communities were top of the agenda at the conference as prerequisites for stabilising the region and creating new opportunities. This is where the Partnership for Prospects initiative comes into play. It supplements and strengthens the BMZ s mediumand long-term engagement in the region, which we have scaled up in recent years in response to the crisis (see chart).
PARTNERSHIP FOR PROSPECTS WHAT ARE THE BMZ S CASH-FOR-WORK MEASURES ALL ABOUT? We are creating job opportunities that allow refugees to earn their own income. Jobs with wages paid in cash allow people to buy food and support their families, and thus help them to better weather the crisis in the region. This eases people s financial stress, improves the social standing of refugees in the host countries and strengthens social cohesion important factors for mental health and indispensable if people are to find opportunities in a seemingly hopeless situation. RAPIDLY AVAILABLE JOBS AND INCOMES Municipal services jobs in areas such as waste disposal or school repairs and maintenance give beneficiaries and their families an income that is more than simple food aid. And the host communities, too, benefit from cash-for-work projects. Infrastructure projects that employ refugees to improve roads, build sewers or modernise apartments translate into lasting improvements for all the people living in an area, whether refugees or locals.
AT A GLANCE VOLUME 200 million euros GOALS 50,000 jobs in 2016 achieved: about 61,000 education for more than 300,000 children achieved more than 5,000 vocational traineeships achieved: about 7,000 Based on the average number of family members per worker, the programme can help up to 305,000 people. An important element of many projects is that needy local people from the host communities are also given access to employment opportunities. The programme is thus helping to reduce competition in the labour market and ease social tensions. Another aim of these projects is to involve a high number of women. EDUCATION THANKS TO TEACHER SALARIES We are putting a special focus on education as a means of preventing a lost generation. Funding teacher salaries is a way to provide the additional staff needed so that refugee children, too, can go to school and thus be equipped for resuming their education at home one day. VOCATIONAL TRAINING THE JOBS OF TOMORROW By providing vocational and advanced training in the areas of trades and infrastructure to young people and adults we are giving refugees employment prospects in the medium term also with an eye to rebuilding their home country.
Results of the Partnership for Prospects initiative in 2016 Adana Gaziantep Kilis LEBANON 5,500 jobs + more than 7,000 vocational students Tripoli/ Akkar JORDAN 14,500 jobs + about 170,000 pupils Irbid/ Mafraq
TURKEY 14,500 jobs + about 160,000 pupils Sanliurfa Dohuk SYRIA IRAQ 25,000 jobs
JORDAN According to UNHCR, in September 2016 at least 655,000 Syrian refugees were registered in Jordan. However, estimates suggest that more than 1.5 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees have fled southwards to the neighbouring country. This means that, measured against its population of about 6.5 million, Jordan has the second largest ratio of Syrian refugees in the world. COLLECTING AND RECYCLING WASTE In many places the systems for waste management are stretched to the breaking point due to the rapid increase in their population as a result of taking in refugees. That is why we have created job opportunities for refugees in many Jordan communities and in Za atari refugee camp, where they are involved in collecting waste, cleaning roads and organising clean-up and awareness raising campaigns. At the same time we are setting up recycling centres in these communities. This is creating infrastructure which is important for Jordan s 9,500 jobs development and will serve the country for a long time. And, at the same time, we are also creating long-term employment. project volume 13.6 million euros
I really like my job; it means a lot to me. The recycling project is useful and it protects the environment. I hope that the war will be over soon so that I can return to my beloved Syria and share my knowledge. I want my country to benefit from it. Ali Abu, 51 years old, fled Syria in 2014 after his son was killed in the war. The work enables him to support his wife and seven children.
JORDAN FUNDING SALARIES FOR TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF There is an enormous need for education opportunities for children and young people who have been forced to flee Syria. That is why we are financing the salaries for teaching and administrative staff in Jordan for the 2016/2017 school year. This gives up to 170,000 Syrian refugee 5,000 children and young people a place in school. jobs and project volume 20 million euros capa city for about 170,000 pupils REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE We are getting Syrian refugees and Jordanians into jobs related to maintaining roads in host communities, building sewers and improving agricultural infrastructure. In addition, new classrooms are being built in overcrowded schools and existing school buildings are being maintained. Jordanian communities will benefit from these construction measures for a long time. 3,000 jobs project volume 10 million euros up to the end of 2017
It is very nice here at school in Amman. There is war in the city we come from, but here in the school we feel safe. We no longer hear bombs or the war or see dead bodies. Baslam* fled from Dara a in Syria and is attending one of the schools where German funding for teachers salaries is enabling classes to be taught.
LEBANON In summer 2016, Lebanon was host to more than 1 million Syrian refugees. That is the highest number of refugees per inhabitant worldwide! The huge influx of refugees from Syria is putting a strain on the scarce resources and social infrastructure in the small country. RENOVATION OF HOMES The BMZ is helping with the completion of buildings under construction in northern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley in the east of the country. The workers, most of them Syrian refugees, are renovating more than 1,000 apartments up to the end of the year. Once the construction work has been completed, the owners will make the apartments available to refugees rent-free for a certain time. 5,500 Jobs project volume 13 million euros VOCATIONAL TRAINING For young people we are financing vocational training at vocational training schools and advanced training for starting and running a business. Additional training for life skills and conflict management is being provided, too. We are thus preparing the ground for these young people to get involved in rebuilding their Vocational home country in the future. than 7,000 project volume 10 million euros training for more young people
We were living in a camp which was cleared by the army. We then moved into an apartment but the rent ate up almost all our income. We turned to NRC and were assigned this home. This programme is a blessing for refugees. Abdel, 35 years old, is from the Syrian city of Homs. He and his family found a new home with the help of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and funding from the BMZ.
TURKEY Currently, there are 2.7 million registered Syrian refugees living in Turkey. The population of some host communities has doubled because of the influx of people. This has led to a lot of competition for jobs between refugees and local people. Four cash-for-work projects have served to create more than 13,000 job opportunities in the area up to the end of 2016. CLASSROOM SUPPORT THROUGH SYRIAN TEACHERS By funding 8,400 Syrian teachers, Germany is helping to provide education opportunities for refugee children in Turkish refugee camps and in host community schools. The jobs thus created are giving up to 160,000 children the opportunity to go to school for the 2016/2017 school year. That means these children can stay in education and we are thus laying the foundations on which they can build their future, also after they return to Syria. 8,400 jobs and about 160,000 project volume 40 million euros school places
We believe that education is just as important for refugee children as food and shelter, and teachers are a key part of this. The project enables teachers to meet the basic needs of themselves and their families, and it recognises their efforts and motivates them to go on working and give their best. Philippe Duamelle works for UNICEF Turkey, the partner organisation for this project.
TURKEY CRAFTS AND TRADES PRODUCTION AND MARKETING Measures to ready or support future employees are preparing Syrian refugees and disadvantaged Turkish citizens for the local labour market. Advanced training, for instance in textile processing or in the field of electrics or cooling technologies, gives participants the qualifications they need. 4,500 jobs project volume 7.7 million euros COLLECTING WASTE AND REPAIRING MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE Parks and forest areas in four communities are being cleaned up through this cash-for-work project. In addition, the Syrian refugees and needy Turkish people are doing maintenance work in schools and mosques. Working together also has the effect of creating better social ties. 1,500 jobs project volume 6.3 million euros
With the support from Germany I can share my knowledge and know-how with other Syrian refugees here in Turkey. They can learn skills which will enable them to set up small businesses or find jobs in local companies. Hamid * owned a company for cooling equipment in Damascus before he fled.
NORTHERN IRAQ Northern Iraq is hosting 4.4 million internally displaced people and hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. The high number of new arrivals can cause tensions between the refugees and local people. The ongoing cash-for-work project is helping to stabilise the situation. MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF INFRASTRUCTURE Iraqi and Syrian refugees in the camps are improving roads and sewers and building playgrounds and sport facilities. And they are helping to repair classrooms, both in the camps and in communities, so that additional lessons can be offered for Syrian refugees. project volume 53.5 million euros 25,000 jobs
To me it is nothing to get excited about if women work on a construction site or in other jobs that are thought to be men s jobs. We need the money to live. It doesn t matter to me whether it s a man or a woman who earns it. Akilah * lives in Khanke, an Iraqi refugee camp in Dohuk.
What we have achieved in 2016: Through the projects of the Partnership for Prospects initiative we have created about 61,000 job opportunities in 2016. We are paying salaries for teaching staff, so more than 300,000 children can attend school. And we are carrying out construction work in more than 100 schools to modernise and maintain the facilities. We have funded training for more than 7,000 people, improving their job prospects.
More than 100 tonnes of reusable material has been recycled in waste management and recycling projects. In addition, roads and sewers have been repaired and cisterns built as part of a programme of construction to improve infrastructure. In 2016 more than 1,700 homes were renovated under modernisation programmes so that many refugees and their families now have a solid roof over their heads. This is especially important in the winter. A special effort is made to involve women in our projects. Depending on the project, the ratio of women employed is between 30 and 70 per cent, except in the construction sector.
What happens next? OUR PLAN FOR 2017 About 61,000 jobs created in 2016 is proof that we can do something to improve the situation of the refugees and people in the host communities; we can give them more options to do something for themselves. We are creating opportunities, both in this emergency situation and beyond. We will continue and further expand the Partnership for Prospects initiative in 2017, thus intensifying our involvement in the region. WE WILL REACH EVEN MORE PEOPLE IN THE REGION THROUGH CASH-FOR-WORK MEASURES IN ADDITION, WE ARE GIVING PEOPLE NEW PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE THROUGH more education, qualification and training support for business start-ups to promote independence better infrastructure in host communities
AND BEYOND The BMZ is already supporting reconstruction efforts in liberated areas in Iraq. Even if it is currently hard to say when Syria will be fully at peace, we are already helping to lay the foundations for the reconstruction to come. Our hope is that the returning refugees will then contribute the knowledge and skills they have gained through cash-forwork programmes and so help shape the reconstruction of their country.
COOPERATING FOR DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION Germany can make an important contribution to global efforts to stabilise the region in and around Syria and can lead by example. However, in order to provide new long-term opportunities for the large number of refugees affected by the severe consequences of violent conflict, the international donor community needs to make a joint effort. The BMZ is working both at the level of the EU and of the United Nations to achieve more global solidarity and a fair sharing of responsibility. With an eye to giving the people on the ground the best possible support, we need, above all, and in addition to financial support, dialogue and international cooperation.
FURTHER INFORMATION For further information on the Partnership for Prospects and on Cash for Work please visit the BMZ website www.bmz.de/en/ or check out the web app, our special web page on displacement. www.bmz.de/webapps/flucht/ index.html#/en/ For videos that offer interesting insights, information on individual projects, interviews with refugees and people in host communities and much more check out the BMZ youtube channel.
PUBLISHED BY THE German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Division for public relations; digital communications and visitors service EDITED BY THE BMZ, Division 321 (Tackling the root causes of displacement) DESIGN AND LAYOUT Atelier Hauer + Dörfler GmbH, Berlin PRINTED BY THE BMZ PHOTO CREDITS GIZ/ C. Cannizzo, Fabian Schwan-Brandt, Tanja Stumpff; photothek/thomas Trutschel; BPA/Jesco Denzel; UNICEF TUR./Feyzioglu AS AT January 2017 CONTACT poststelle@bmz.bund.de www.bmz.de/en/ Check out our special web page on displacement: www.bmz.de/webapps/flucht/ index.html#/en/ Names marked * in this brochure have been changed