Fighting Hunger Worldwide

WFP s Response Inside Syria and in Neighbouring Countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq Situation Report # 21 Reporting Period: 23-29 September 2012 Fighting Hunger Worldwide HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES SYRIA The situation across the country remained volatile resulting in operational constraints in affected areas, in particular in Damascus, Deir Ezzor and Aleppo during the reporting period. As of 29 September, food assistance for 1,211,750 beneficiaries was dispatched as part of the September cycle, reaching over 80 percent of the target for the month. JORDAN In September, WFP provided voucher assistance to 37,058 Syrian refugees who are living in Cyber City transit camp and in urban communities. During the reporting period, WFP distributed a total of 406,7000 hot meals (an average of 58,100 meals per day) through its implementing partners in Al Za atari camp in Mafraq and King Abdullah Park in Ramtha, reaching a daily average 29,050 people. LEBANON WFP has assisted more than 34,000 Syrian Refugees in Lebanon so far during the September cycle; distributions are on-going. During the reporting period, in the North, September cycle distribution started in Bire and Tripoli where 864 refugee households received 3,742 food vouchers and 61 food parcels in Bire and 650 households received 3,200 vouchers and 65 food parcels in Tripoli. DRC also distributed food parcels in Akkar to 186 vulnerable newcomers (40 households). In the Bekaa Valley, 17,590 beneficiaries (3,794HHs) have received vouchers during the first round of distribution. So far, 2,566 individuals newly registered with UNHCR have received mid-month vouchers for half the usual monthly value to cover the period till the next regular monthly distribution. IRAQ WFP concluded the September cycle of food distributions to refugees in Domiz camp on 27 September, having reached 10,212 Syrian refugees with 133.3 mt of food. The next distribution cycle will commence on 6 October. TURKEY WFP s voucher programme is planned to start in Kilis in mid-october and, following this, in Hatay. The programme will cover an initial caseload of up to 20,000 people and is expected to expand as cooking facilities and access to shops become available in other camps. REGIONAL - The revised Regional Response Plan for Syrian refugees was launched in Geneva on 27 September, which increased the interagency planning figures to 710,000 beneficiaries and consequently those for the WFP operation. WFP s projected beneficiary numbers are now 460,000 by December 2012. Figure 1- WFP Door to door distributions in Homs Governorate. Right Boy in public shelter for internally displaced people in Homs. WFP distributes dry rations to an NGO in Homs which prepares hot meals for IDPs in public shelters. (C) WFP/Abeer Etefa 1 WFP s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee Emergency

SITUATION UPDATE Syria The situation in Syria remained volatile with armed activities taking place in several parts of the country resulting in operational constraints which curtailed access. In particular, Damascus, Deir Ezzor and Aleppo governorates experienced escalation of the situation during the period under review. The latest reports from WFP Sub-Offices in Qamishly, Tartous and Aleppo, indicate that the number of individuals who arrived in the following governorates in search of safety has increased as follows: Aleppo: 478,830, Tartous: 60,000, Lattakia: 80,000, Idleb: 130,000, Deir Ezzor: 47,500, Al-Raqqa: 167,910, and Al- Hasakeh: 98,530. Beneficiary registration remains ongoing in some of the areas. Weekly market price surveys indicate a continued upward trend in prices of main staple commodities such as rice, bulgur, wheat flour, beans, peas, sugar and oil. In locations affected by armed activities, food prices have almost doubled due to inaccessibility of source markets. Food shortages in the main markets are not being reported, however, markets in affected areas are invariably closed. Once the situation stabilizes, it takes time for the owners to feel comfortable enough to open their shops and, even then, shortages of staple food commodities prevail for some time afterwards. As fuel is scarce, prices can reach up to 400 per cent of the usual market price. During the reporting period, WFP Sub-Offices reported an increased number of 1,062,770 individuals who arrived in several Syria governorates in search of safety. FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME: From September 2012, WFP started providing food assistance to 1.5 million beneficiaries in all 14 Syrian governorates that have been directly or indirectly impacted by the current events, as per the latest budget revision of the Emergency Operation (EMOP). As humanitarian needs inside Syria grow, WFP continues to provide financial support to SARC to cover offloading costs, salaries and incentives for their staff and volunteers in all 14 branches, ICT equipment, trucks and light vehicles, mobile storage units, and warehousing capacity. Training plan for SARC staff and volunteers is also being prepared to take place in early October. In addition to SARC, WFP continues to explore opportunities to enter into new direct partnerships with local NGOs and/or charity based organizations. WFP monitoring activities including household visits and market price collection continued in areas where the situation permitted. WFP Tartous Sub-Office reported that SARC Lattakia put food distribution in Al Haffy area on hold due to the critical situation there. Diesel scarcity and restriction of movement on some roads caused delays in dispatches to Tartous and Lattakia. WFP Qamishly Sub-Office reported that SARC in Deir Ezzor city advised not to send any food dispatches in 2 WFP s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee Emergency the coming week due to the volatile situation in the area. Connectivity again proved to be an issue during the reporting period. Based on the current pipeline situation, the nutrition value of the food basket for the September cycle represents approximately 1,000 kcal per person per day, and is expected to increase in October when the pipeline forecast improves. LOGISTICS ACTIVITIES WFP continues to dispatch food to the final distribution points (FDPs) directly and/or through SARC. Dispatches for the September cycle commenced on 8 September and, as of 29 September, food assistance for 1,211,750 beneficiaries (242,350 families) had been dispatched to all targeted governorates. The Jordan and Lebanon overland corridors have been tested for contingency planning and are both currently operational. However, these tests experienced certain delays in customs formalities at the Lebanon-Syria border. WFP has secured a transhipment/bonded warehouse with a capacity of 2,700 mt in Irbid (20 km from the Jordan-Syria border). Additional storage capacity is available on location and could be used for potential inter-agency requests. Negotiations are currently ongoing with the Beirut port authorities for a bonded warehouse at the port.

During the reporting period, a WFP logistics mission to Iskenderun Bay region in Turkey was conducted in order to assess suitable ports, warehouses and logistics facilities. WFP is establishing its own fuel depot to ensure fuel is available for the increased transport requirements over the coming months. The depot in Damascus is now operational with sufficient capacity for two months, expected to gradually increase over the coming weeks. The depot is intended to serve the WFP light vehicle fleet and, if needed, can be utilized on a cost recovery basis by other UN agencies, implementing partners, and commercial transporters. WFP logistics, together with the service provider, are currently assessing possible automated digitalized solutions for better tracking of supplies and services. COORDINATION: To improve inter-agency logistics coordination for the humanitarian community undertaking activities in response to the events in Syria, WFP established a logistics coordination mechanism in Damascus, Beirut and Amman. Meetings are held in all three locations every two weeks. RESOURCE UPDATE A logistics Sector Coordination meeting was held in Amman on 25 September, where discussions included the provision of common services, utilization of the humanitarian corridors to Syria and organizations plans for winterization. During the reporting week, WFP provided warehousing and storage services for 31.75 mt of food kits on behalf of UNICEF. To ensure a coherent flow of logistics information to all stakeholders, relevant logistics information products (such as maps, assessments, and snapshots) continue to be produced and disseminated to humanitarian actors through a regulated mailing list. So far, over 160 stakeholders belonging to national and international NGOs, UN agencies and donors, have subscribed to this list. To enable access to logistics information not meant for public distribution, a shared folder was created on the web for the use of humanitarian stakeholders. To date, 39 individuals are registered members of the shared folder. Country Planned Beneficiaries in September 2012 Current EMOP Value till December 2012 (million US$) Contributions Received as at 24/9 (million US$) Current Shortfall (million US$) Percentage Contributions Received/Shortfall Syria 1,500,000 136 80 56 59/41 Approximately US$80 million has been resourced thanks to contributions received from UN CERF, USA, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, European Commission, UK, Finland, Ireland, Germany, Kuwait, France, Russia, Republic of Korea, Hungary and other multilateral donors in addition to carryover from previous operations. The Special Operation is currently valued at US$7.1 million and, to date, approximately US$2 million has been resourced thanks to contributions from the EU, UK and Finland. Jordan SITUATION UPDATE As of 2 October, UNHCR has registered 55,121 Syrian nationals in Jordan. During the reporting period, Al Za atari Camp received 1,874 new arrivals. UNHCR reports that around 29,000 beneficiaries having been registered in Al Za atari camp, as they work to gather more accurate figures. WFP is assisting an increasing number of Syrian nationals with hot meals in additional transit centers close to the border. In this reporting period, WFP has provided a total of 406,700 hot meals (an average of The number of beneficiaries in King Abdullah Park (KAP) in Ramtha decreased during the reporting period from 1,200 to 1,050. Beneficiaries who left King Abdullah Park were either moved to Al Za atari Camp or Cyber City transit centre to be reunited with family members in those locations. 58,100 meals per day) through its implementing partners in Al Za atari camp in Mafraq and King Abdullah Park in Ramtha, reaching a daily average of 3 WFP s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee Emergency

29,050 beneficiaries. In addition, WFP provided 1,874 welcome meals to new arrivals in Al Za atari camp. WFP also delivers meals daily to patients hospitalized at the French and Moroccan health clinics in Al Za atari camp and for pregnant women during their stay at the French Clinic. WFP hot meals were distributed, tent by tent, in Al Za atari Camp, while preparations for the transition to General Food Distribution (GFD) of dry rations were being finalized. UNHCR reports that 80 communal kitchen blocks (160 individual kitchens) will be in place by 1 October. Kitchens will enable beneficiaries to prepare their own meals and diversify their food consumption. The kitchens will have solar-powered lights and sinks, but not running water. The distribution of hot meals will continue during the first cycle of GFD of dry rations to ensure a smooth transition. During the September cycle, WFP provided voucher assistance to 37,058 individuals who are living in urban communities or in Cyber City transit centre. WFP will provide voucher assistance to 40,577 beneficiaries during the October cycle. Assessments: The inter-agency General Nutrition Survey will be conducted to assess the levels of acute malnutrition among Syrian refugees in Jordan and the presence of factors that could result in malnutrition. Training for the Nutrition Survey is underway at UNICEF headquarters. Practical training will begin on 30 September and data collection will commence the following week. Coordination: Several high level meetings between WFP, UNHCR, Save the Children, and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization took place to prepare for the upcoming transition to GFD of dry rations in Al Za atari Camp. WFP attended the first Communication and Collaborative Health Strategy group meeting in Al Za atari camp on 23 September. Plans were made to circulate daily and weekly reports describing specific health cases and more general health concerns in the camp. Budget revision 4 to the WFP regional EMOP was submitted for posting, increasing the overall project value by US$39 million. This revision includes major expansion to reach the revised beneficiary numbers; while the original planned beneficiary number for Jordan was 80,000, the revised figure for December 2012 is 250,000, an increase of more than 300 percent over the original planning figure. This revision therefore expands the voucher modality to assist 95,000 beneficiaries living in host communities with in-kind food support to the camp residents expected to cover 155,000 by December 2012, as well as the programmatic and organizational structure to support this expanded intervention. WFP Jordan received a VIP visit from WFP Ambassador Against Hunger, Hend Sabry who visited Al Za atari Camp. Sabry was briefed on WFP s operations in response to the refugee crisis in Jordan. WFP organized a field trip for a delegation from ECHO to receive a comprehensive briefing of WFP s voucher programme in Jordan. The visit took place on 27 September in Zarqa, and included participating in the voucher distribution implemented by cooperating partners, visiting retailers participating in the voucher programme, and meeting with beneficiaries. Lebanon SITUATION UPDATE As of 1 October, 58,318 Syrian refugees were registered by UNHCR, with an additional 23,589 awaiting registration bringing the total number of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon to 81,907. Reactions to the Innocence of Muslims film have faded with only a few demonstrations during the reporting period. Humanitarian activities have therefore resumed completely. WFP has assisted more than 34,000 Syrian Refugees in Lebanon so far during the September Cycle. Distributions are on-going. The distribution plan for the October cycle has been prepared and includes 27,252 food vouchers for the Bekaa Valley and 38,000 4 WFP s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee Emergency for the North. The distribution of food parcels will continue for newcomers in both areas with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). In the North, the September distribution cycle started this week in Bire where 864 refugee households

received 3,742 vouchers and 61 food parcels. Distribution also started in Tripoli at a new site recently identified by the High Relief Commission (HRC) and DRC; during the first day of the four day distribution, 650 households received 65 food parcels and 3,200 food-vouchers. During the week, DRC also distributed food parcels in Akkar to 186 vulnerable newcomers (40 households). In the Bekaa Valley: 17,590 beneficiaries (3,794 HHs) are receiving vouchers during the first round of September distribution. In Central and West Bekaa and in Baalbeck, a mid-month voucher distribution took place to assist 589 refugee households newly registered by UNHCR with about 2,566 half-value vouchers. These households will receive their next vouchers through the regular monthly distribution. WFP continues to work with DRC to target vulnerable new arrivals with household food parcels to cover the period while they are awaiting official registration with UNHCR. These new households are referred by DRC s local partners and most are concentrated in north Bekaa. WFP has finalized the August reconciliation exercise for WVI and DRC. Assessments: WFP Bekaa continued the identification and assessment of additional shops in areas where there is an increased number of refugees. The retailer list has been modified and updated according to the caseload increase, the new shop selections and the monitoring outcome including the performance of the shops. Data collection was completed for the joint UNICEF/WFP Nutrition survey in Lebanon. Preliminary findings show that acute malnutrition is below the threshold for any nutrition intervention (less than 5% for MAM and below 1% for SAM). Data has yet to be analysed for chronic malnutrition, but levels seem consistent with data available from areas of origin in Syria. WFP and DRC staff conducted a new round of shop assessments in Wadi Khaled area to involve additional shops in the programme; of the shortlisted shops, 3 may be selected. Monitoring: WFP Qobayat staff carried out postdistribution monitoring (PDM) on several refugee household during the reporting period to train the new Field Monitor Assistants (FMA) on interviewing practices, and to try the new version 2 questionnaires. In the Bekaa, WFP and partners agreed on a strategy to prevent and limit further misuse of vouchers; next week partners will address appreciation letters to all retailers reminding them of the basic rules of the programme and misbehaving retailers will also receive warning letters. The retailers performance evaluation has been conducted by WFP Bekaa and partners to finalise the list of shops that would receive warning letters based on agreed criteria. During the reporting period, WFP Bekaa conducted 2 distributions, 11 shop-monitoring visits and 28 household post distribution monitoring interviews for the first round of September distribution in central, west and north Bekaa. Two excel tools were finalized to enter monitoring and evaluation data from the price survey and household interviews and to help with data analysis. These tools will benefit not only the operation in Lebanon but also the regional operation as they have been shared with the Regional Emergency Coordinator in Amman. Logistics: Based on the last Logistics Sector meeting held in Beirut, and indications from a few of the agencies, there are no warehousing facilities in Bekaa. The logistics sector is investigating the issue and may look into setting up an interagency warehouse, subject to availability of funds. The Lebanon overland corridor to Syria has been tested for contingency planning and is currently operational. However, there were in customs formalities at the Lebanon-Syria border during the shipment of 142 mt of pulses. Coordination: Following the official launch of the third revision of the Regional Response Plan, UNHCR organized a Donor meeting attended by most Ambassadors in Lebanon. UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, UNDP and WHO presented the situation and answered the donors questions. Overall, the Lebanon operation maintains high support from the donor community, though many of them stressed the importance to do more to speed up the registration and improve NFI assistance with winter approaching. All donors acknowledge the efficiency and relevance of the voucher programme and lauded the collaboration between WFP and UNHCR. During the reporting period, two meetings took place in Beirut and in the field between WFP and UNHCR to address common concerns about the registration and assistance strategy: In the North, the Emergency Coordinator and Programme assistant attended the 5 WFP s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee Emergency

interagency coordination meeting. WFP asked UNHCR to look into the possibility of deploying mobile registration units in remote areas as soon as possible to speed up registration activities. A meeting was organized by UNHCR with main partners to discuss the issue of assistance to non-registered refugees. WFP stressed that the eligibility to the voucher programme depends on registration; the assistance to newcomers through food parcels, waiting for registration will continue. The WFP Emergency Coordinator stressed that the focus should be on how to find a solution to speed-up registration rather than how to assist the non-registered refugees; discussions will continue next week. On 25 September, WFP and UNHCR attended a meeting in Halba that was chaired by the head of municipalities with all local authorities of Wadi Khaled. At the meeting, which was attended by WFP, UNHCR, DRC, NRC and Save the Children, issues regarding recent blocks on humanitarian assistance in the area and the threats received by some NGOs were discussed. All parties agreed that there is a need for better coordination with the local authorities who guaranteed that no further obstruction will come from their side. The authorities also agreed to identify quickly two new distribution sites (to replace the previous schools which have now reopened). The food and NFI distribution in Wadi Khaled are planned to resume in the first week of October. Iraq SITUATION UPDATE As of 28 September, UNHCR reported 33,704 refugees in Iraq. The majority are in Kurdistan: 22,466 in Dohuk Governorate, 4,487 in Erbil Governorate and 1,121 in Suleimaniyah Governorate. The remaining, 5,630 are in Anbar Governorate in Al Qaim, Al Waleed and Rabyaa. Iraq depends heavily on imported food. In Kurdistan, most of the imported food items originate from Turkey, Iran and other countries in the region and food prices fluctuate rapidly in line with the market. Food prices in Iran could decrease, following the recent depreciation of the Iranian rial. WFP has also noted that the prices of some commodities like rice, lentils and oil have increased by 10-30% since the June voucher assessment. This indicates that the fluidity of prices could affect the upcoming voucher programme. WFP assisted 10,212 individuals in Domiz camp in September and UNHCR confirmed that over 10,000 refugees currently reside in the camp. WFP is targeting a total of 40,000 refugees in Kurdistan Region by December 2012. WFP has signed a Field Level Agreement (FLA) with Islamic Relief Worldwide Iraq for the implementation of the value-based voucher programme in the Kurdistan Region. The FLA covers the period 15 October 15 December 2012, supporting 10,000 refugees in Kurdistan Region in October/November and 15,000 refugees in November/December. September cycle distributions to refugees in Domiz camp concluded on 27 September. WFP and Islamic Relief working in partnership with Barzani Foundation have distributed 133.3 mt of food to 10,212 Syrian refugees in Domiz camp since 6 September. The next distribution cycle will commence on 6 October assuming timely arrival of the 162 mt shipment. WFP is in the process of procuring of 362 mt of food for a two month ration (October-November) comprised of fortified wheat flour, rice, vegetable oil, sugar, lentils and salt for 10,000-15,000 refugees in Al Qaim. The assignment plan has been prepared and CO procurement is following up with HQ. WFP Iraq is also awaiting the arrival of the second shipment of 162 mt from Turkey. Turkey 6 WFP s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee Emergency

SITUATION UPDATE According to the Government of Turkey, there are 91,219 Syrians registered and accommodated in Turkish camps, including those temporarily placed in schools as of 28 September. The Regional Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also believes that some 14,000 people are waiting across the borders of Kilis and Hatay despite continued admissions of groups. Reportedly, the border is open and humanitarian assistance (food, water and medical assistance) is provided at the zero point of the border. Currently there are 13 operational camps including five in Hatay, two in Gaziantep, two in Şanlıurfa, one in Kahramanmaraş, one in Adiyaman, one in Osmaniye and one container city in Kilis. An additional three camps (one in Sanliurfa and two in Gaziantep), with a total capacity of 26,000, are planned to open as soon as possible. When all camps are complete, Turkey will have the capacity to host 130,000 people. The Government and the Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS) continue to distribute relief items including food to the vulnerable people in the villages across the border. The WFP Office in Ankara has a team of five international support staff and three national staff members and a second recruitment round for national staff has begun. Technical staff from WFP and Kizilay have travelled to Gaziantep to plan further the implementation of the voucher programme with local officials. A mission consisting of technical staff is expected to travel to Hatay over the coming weeks. The programme will cover an initial caseload of 20,000 people. Assessments: The voucher feasibility study recommended a phased transition from direct food assistance to a market based approach. The proposed assistance, to start in October covering the needs of 20,000 people, is expected to expand as cooking facilities and access to shops is made available. WFP will continue to work with the Turkish Government to plan to increase assistance to cover additional camps where cooking and market facilities can be installed. Coordination: A meeting between WFP and officials from Kizilay was held to discuss the signature of the FLA and practicalities relating to the implementation of the voucher programme. Kizilay is now taking action to start the programme, however there are still concerns relating to certain clauses in the FLA and this has not yet been signed. WFP met with the First Secretary of the Australian Embassy; WFP provided an overview of the planned programme in Turkey and shared the outcomes of the recent joint Turkish Red Crescent/WFP mission to Kilis and information relating to the planned implementation of the programme. Food Security: WFP has received numerous requests from donors for more information relating to the food security situation across the border from Turkey in Syria. Donors have told WFP that they are receiving anecdotal reports of food availability issues in areas close to Turkey. WFP is working with the Syria CO to respond to this request, with more information on the food security situation in the country and the coverage of WFP. WFP Turkey has not been able to undertake any food security monitoring or assessments within the camps as the WFP programme for Syrian Refugees is not yet operational in Turkey. Planning for future assessments remains on-going between the UN Country Team and the Government of Turkey. However, based on WFPs observations and anecdotal information received from officials, the population in Kilis camp (the first camp where WFP will implement its programme) are considered to be food secure; the Turkish Government currently provides a significant ration to refugees that is considered more than sufficient to meet kilocalorie needs and the food security status of individuals entering the camp is generally considered acceptable. WFP is aware of concerns relating to dietary diversity within the camps and will include educational campaigns within its programme to promote the purchase and consumption of micronutrient rich foods. 7 WFP s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee Emergency

Regional Coordination and Resource Mobilization The revised Regional Response Plan (RRP) for Syrian refugees was launched in Geneva on 27 September, increasing the interagency planning figures and consequently those for the WFP operation. The launch was well attended by donors, NGOs and UN agencies, with significant media coverage of the preceding joint press conference. WFP had bilateral meetings with UNHCR and representatives of Turkey, UK and USA. Projected beneficiary numbers are now 710,000 until the end of December 2012: 250,000 in Jordan; 120,000 in Lebanon; 280,000 in Turkey and 60,000 in Iraq. These figures will be reflected through a fourth budget revision to WFP s EMOP 200433 with maximum numbers for the period of October December 2012 of 250,000 in Jordan, 120,000 in Lebanon, 60,000 in Iraq and 30,000 in Turkey, totalling 460,000 refugees. A heads of unit meeting will take place in Amman from 6-8 October to discuss ways forward, 2013 planning, programme and resource mobilization strategies amongst other organizational and operational issues. A monitoring and evaluation training will take place in Amman during the first week of October to share best voucher practices from the region with participants from opt, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Regional Officers. The training will include discussions about best practices, harmonization tools and contextual adjustments to database. Budget revision number 3 of the Regional Refugee Emergency Operation which incorporates the caseload in Turkey in the operation was endorsed by the Project Review Committee, the revised documents have been submitted and the final approval process is on-going. Resource update: Country Requirements (US$) Resourced (US$) Shortfalls (US$) Per cent Shortfall Jordan 38,481,017 14,953,061 23,527,956 61.14% Lebanon 16,615,015 7,813,723 8,801,292 52.97% Iraq 4,884,639 2,551,080 2,333,559 47.77% Turkey 6,809,307 6,772,572 36,735 0.54% EMOP total 68,541,993 33,287,997 35,253,996 51% USA, Japan, ECHO, Switzerland, Canada, UN CERF, SRAC (USA), UK, SRAC (SWE) have contributed to the EMOP For further information contact: Ms. Abeer Etefa, Sr. Regional Public Information Officer +20 1066634352 Abeer.Etefa@wfp.org 8 WFP s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee Emergency