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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATION

Field Implementation PlanUNRWA Syria Field Office2012 – 2013


This plan is one of a series of Field Implementation Plans (FIPs) and a Headquarters Implementation Plan (HIP) for the biennium 2012 - 2013, developed in accordance with the UNRWA Medium Term Strategy for 2010 - 2015.

Field Implementation Plans1. Gaza2. Jordan3. Lebanon 4. Syrian Arab Republic5. West Bank

Headquarters Implementation Plan

© UNRWA 2012 This Field Implementation Plan was prepared by UNRWA Syria Field Office.

UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) provides assistance, protection and advocacy for some 4.7 million registered Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory, pending a solution to their plight. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from United Nations member states.

Public Information OfficePO Box 1914997200 East JerusalemTel: (+972 2) 589 0224 Fax: (+972 2) 589 [email protected] www.unrwa.org

http://www.unrwa.org/

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Contents

UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Organisation for Palestine Refugees in the Near East...................................4

1 Introduction and Consultation Process.......................................................1Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................1Consultation and Coordination.........................................................................................................................................2

2 Situation Assessment................................................................................3Progress on 2010-2011 plan............................................................................................................................................3Needs Assessment (see also Annex 4).............................................................................................................................6Risk assessment..............................................................................................................................................................6

3 Field Strategy...........................................................................................7Scenarios for the 2012 – 2013 Plan..................................................................................................................................7Strategic Priorities...........................................................................................................................................................7Cross-cutting issues.........................................................................................................................................................3

4 Field Plans................................................................................................7

GOAL ONE: A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE...............................................................................................7

GOAL TWO: ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS.................................................................................10

GOAL THREE: A DECENT STANDARD OF LIVING......................................................................................13

GOAL FOUR: HUMAN RIGHTS ENJOYED TO THE FULLEST.........................................................................17

GOAL FIVE: EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT GOVERNANCE AND SUPPORT IN UNRWA.......................................20

5 Plan Implementation and Monitoring........................................................22Roles and Responsibilities..............................................................................................................................................22Monitoring, Evaluation and Data Management..............................................................................................................22

Annex 1 : Objective Trees..............................................................................24

Annex 4 – Needs Assessment.........................................................................29

Acronyms and Abbreviations

CBO Community Based Organisation DTC Damascus Training CentreEC European Commission EU European UnionFafo Norwegian Institute for Applied Social ScienceFIP Field Implementation PlanGAPAR General Authority for Palestine Arab RefugeesGF General Fund


GFC Global Financial CrisesGIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale ZusammenarbeitHIP Headquarters Implementation PlanHR Human ResourceIPR’s Iraqi-Palestine RefugeesMICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey MLA Monitoring of Learning Achievement MTS Medium Term StrategyNRP Neirab Rehabilitation ProjectOD Organisational DevelopmentSHCs Special Hardship CasesUN United NationsUNCT United Nations Country TeamUNDAF United Nations Development Assistance FrameworkUNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesUNICEF United Nations Children’s FundUNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Organisation for Palestine Refugees in the Near EastUSD United States Dollar

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1 Introduction and Consultation Process

IntroductionThe United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been undertaking a process of strategic reform in light of its Medium Term Strategy (MTS) (2010-2015) and has developed Field Implementation Plans (FIPs) for all its five fields for 2010-2011. These plans are updated bi-annually, on the basis of the current situation and the capacity of UNRWA to respond. This plan is UNRWA’s strategy for assisting Palestine refugees in Syria during 2012-2013.

UNRWA is responding to the challenges of an increasing refugee population, and continues to provide refugees with high quality and relevant services. UNRWA is the largest United Nations (UN) agencies in Syria, and employs 3562 staff (April 2011). In 2010 it had a General Fund budget of approximately USD 45 million and facilitated nearly USD 12 million from donors in direct project assistance. Organisational development and programme reforms are being implemented under the strategic guidance of UNRWA headquarters and in light of UNRWA’s Sustaining Change strategy. UNRWA benefits from operating in an environment in Syria where Palestine refugees enjoy similar civil and economic rights as Syrian citizens.

At the time of writing (March-April 2007), the security situation in Syria has undergone unexpected changes which have led to the UNCT’s Security Management Team revising its security level for the country as a whole, with a corresponding effect on UNRWA’s ability to provide services to beneficiaries. The security level has been raised further for

the cities of Dera’a and Latakia in particular, both of which are areas of operation for UNRWA. In addition, the events in the country over the past weeks are leading the international community to discuss possible sanctions against Syria. All these factors may have negative implications in the application of the FIP in 2012.

In 2010 the registered Palestine refugees represented 2.2 percent of the population of Syria or approximately 476,801 people1. There are 13 refugee camps in Syria, seven of which are located in Damascus, two in Aleppo and one each in Homs, Hama, Dara’a and Lattakia. Refugees are provided with education, health, microfinance and relief and social services. All registered refugees are entitled to have access to UNRWA services, regardless of their location in Syria. There are nine official camps and four unofficial camps in Syria. The population of Palestine refugees in Syria is largely concentrated in official and unofficial camps and gatherings. Approximately 75 percent of Palestine refugees live in and around the Damascus area. Up to 30 percent of Palestine refugees live in official camps and approximately 30 percent live in the Yarmouk residential area of Damascus.

Demographic location of Palestine refugees in Syria

Location

Registered

Refugees*

Registered

Persons**

MNR family

membersGrand Total

Damascus 374,614 13,149 2,401

390,164

1 UNRWA statistical report December 2010

Draft Syria Field Implementation Plan 28 April 2010

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South 26,632 1,306 296 28,234

Central Area 40,560 1,214 133 41,907

North 34,995 631 39 35,665

Field Total 476,801 16,300 2,869

495,970

Source: UNRWA, December 2010.

* Registered Refugees are those whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 according to UNRWA's definition.

** Registered Persons are those who do not fully meet UNRWA's Palestine Refugee criteria. While registered for the purposes of receiving UNRWA services, Registered Persons include: Jerusalem poor, Gaza poor, frontier villagers, compromise cases, Kafaleh (adopted) children, and non-refugee wives. Married to non-refugee family members are also part of the Registered Persons category, but their numbers are separated for tracking and monitoring purposes.

Consultation and Coordination

The situation of Palestine refugees in Syria has been comprehensively documented by the Norwegian Institute for Applied Social Science (Fafo) since 2001 with the assistance of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the General Authority for Palestine Arab Refugees in the Syrian Arab Republic (GAPAR)

and UNRWA in Syria. Their studies were the first of their kind in comparison to detailed information available for Lebanon, Jordan and the Occupied Palestine Territories. There was also a multiple indicator cluster survey III (MICS) undertaken in 2006. A previous needs assessment was undertaken by UNRWA in Syria for its FIP for 2010-2011 which provides a comprehensive breakdown of statistics from these reports. This included comprehensive discussions and consultation with refugees, donors, UNRWA staff and other key stakeholders. An updated assessment was undertaken for the FIP 2012-2013.

UNRWA has undertaken a participatory approach to developing its FIP 2012-2013 in Syria. This has included extensive internal coordination with departments and staff to develop FIP priorities for this period. The Government of Syria has also been consulted through the State Planning Commission and GAPAR. The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) was also consulted in this process, as have been key donors and partners. Palestine refugees have been consulted as part of our programming activities, in particular for the Neirab and Ramadan camp initiatives. Refugees were consulted as part of the first Needs Assessment that was undertaken by UNRWA in Syria.


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2 Situation Assessment

Progress on 2010-2011 plan

In its FIP for 2010-2011, UNRWA in Syria sought achievement related to the following four human development goals for Palestine refugees:

a long and healthy life; acquired appropriate knowledge and

skills; a decent standard of living; and human rights enjoyed to the fullest

extent possible.

These goals are based on the Agency’s mission to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development terms and on UNRWA’s four long term goals as outlined in its Medium Term Strategy 2010-2015. The cross cutting issues of disability, gender, protection and youth have been mainstreamed into UNRWA’s programme activities in Syria. Of these, the highest priority is youth, reflecting the need to work to address the challenges facing their access to education and employability in Syria. UNRWA sought to increase its focus on the most vulnerable groups and to strengthen community participation in its initiatives. This situation assessment relates to the achievement of results under the four human development goals, however it is noted that UNRWA also sought achievements under its fifth goal, which relates to support services.

Goal 1 - A long and healthy lifeThe health outcomes for Palestine refugees in Syria have been maintained by UNRWA, and in some areas improved. UNRWA has been highly successful in Syria at achieving

prevention and disease control, with vaccination rates for children below 18 months at over 99 percent. Outpatient consultations per doctor per day have reduced, though they are still high – reflecting the demand for UNRWA’s services. Approximately 92 patients are seen per day by a doctor. There has been improved detection of late complications in patients with non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, reflecting the enhanced training that has been provided to doctors by UNRWA. The non-communicable disease detection rate among screened persons was 9.4 percent in 2010, as compared with 11.1 percent in 2009. There has also been an improvement in correct prescriptions being provided, and the antibiotic prescription rate has dropped substantively, in line with World Health Organisation standards. Contact time between doctors and patients has improved, which has assisted in the improvements related to correct prescriptions.

UNRWA in Syria has recently concluded negotiations with leading hospitals in Syria to provide services to refugees on behalf of UNRWA, resulting in savings to the budget. The costs of medical supplies have been reduced by cost effective local procurement of high quality drugs, guaranteeing supply and reducing delays due to customs controls.

With the support of the Japanese Government, UNRWA has introduced a Maternal and Child Health handbook that enables the systematic monitoring of development and growth of children. This is the first time that parents have had a handbook in Arabic with which to monitor the health progress of their children and which provides practical advice.


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Goal 2 - Acquired appropriate knowledge and skillsUNRWA students have achieved very positive results, at both the elementary and preparatory levels. Recent achievements in state examinations show that in 2010, there was a 91 percent pass rate, as compared to 89 percent in the last two years and a pass rate of approximately 70 percent for Syrian schools. The overall percentage of UNRWA students that completed primary education in 2010 was approximately 92 percent. These findings have been reinforced by a recent European Commission review of UNRWA’s programmes, which found that UNRWA run schools in Syria performed better than pupils of Government schools in national exams and in quality control tests. UNRWA students performed well in the ninth grade national exams, with the average passing grade of boys being 86 percent and that of girls 95 percent. UNRWA’s students in Syria performed best of all UNRWA Fields in the Monitoring of Learning Achievements testing conducted by UNRWA in 2009, however results revealed the importance of strengthening the critical thinking ability of students.

UNRWA has worked to address the issue of drop out in schools, through school counselors conducting a broad campaign in cooperation with local community leaders to address this issue and by implementing support classes as preliminary step to prevent students from dropping out. The current drop out rate is 0.4 percent at the elementary level and 2.9 percent at the preparatory level. A key priority for UNRWA has been to support students with Special Education Needs and it has undertaken a partnership with the United

Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to train all head teachers and undergraduates in supporting students with learning difficulties. Through the Engaging Youth project, supported and recently expanded by the European Union, UNRWA has provided support classes for over 250 teachers to be trained in Inclusive Education and to address the learning needs of students. The pilot initiative provides support classes for 1000 students with additional learning needs. Six school buildings were constructed in 2010 to accommodate the growing educational needs of Palestine refugee children in Syria and to replace dilapidated buildings. As part of education programme reform, a class teacher approach has been implemented up to Grade Four, and Syria has been the lead UNRWA field in piloting this approach.

Goal 3 - A decent standard of livingUNRWA has some significant results in assisting Palestine refugees to attain a decent standard of living through training and skills development, targeted relief and social services interventions, access to financial services and camp improvement. UNRWA has realised comprehensive achievements in training and skills development through UNRWA’s employment program for youth, supported by the European Union, and the work of the Damascus Training Centre (DTC). Achievements include establishing five employment centres registering 3,012 job seekers (52 percent of whom were women) and a network of 496 employers; achieving a 100 percent employment rate for select courses and achieving an average employment rate among persons who have been to seek guidance from the five employment centres of 44 percent in


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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATIONDamascus and 50 percent in the governorates. The Engaging Youth project will see a future expansion of these achievements.

As part of programmatic assistance through the Relief and Social Services Programme, UNRWA has assisted nearly 34,000 people with food assistance and/or cash subsidies and 2088 families to cope with small-scale emergencies. In addition, 2220 people with disabilities were assisted through either direct service or referral.

UNRWA’s assistance through its microfinance department saw 14,336 loans financed valued at USD 10.37 million, with 89 percent of businesses loans financing enterprises in the informal sector, 55 percent financing loans to low-income clients and 49 percent financing women microentrepreneurs and consumers. Microfinance has a significant breadth of outreach as well as reaching quite deep into marginal socio-economic segments, particularly low-income clients, women, youth and the poor. Since 1991, the microfinance department has disbursed in Syria 43,323 loans valued at USD 30.58 million through three loan products that meet the small and micro-business needs as well as the consumption needs of the poor, women, youth, Palestine refugees, microentrepreneurs, informal enterprises and low-income clients.

The Neirab Rehabilitation Project (NRP) aims at redeveloping a refugee camp which has deteriorated over 60 years of uncontrolled development. Built on the area of a former World War Two army camp, the camp (600 by 250 metres for 10,000 refugees) is made up of a central area, the so-called barracks area, where living conditions are slum-like. In addition there are a number of shelters

outside this barracks area which are in a comparable state. There was a critical preparatory phase of moving 300 families from Neirab to another camp. The NRP has been operational in Neirab camp near Aleppo, since September 2008. After more than one year of preparation and design, implementation commenced and 2010 was a year marked by dramatic changes in the physical composition of the camp. The first housing units were constructed and completed (60 families were provided with new units). The entire process is guided by a camp improvement master plan, which governs the future rehabilitation of the camp. The implementation was and is based on a comprehensive, complex and at times difficult participatory process with beneficiaries, which includes the processing of 224 appeals and the conclusion of 258 preliminary designs (at an average of 4.2 meetings per beneficiary family). Units for another 174 families were under construction by the end of 2010. In the same calendar year, the NRP also embarked on an ambitious pilot process for community involvement in local socio-economic development; it completed the construction of a sanitation station and started the construction of a four-story fully equipped school building. The project has also undertaken comprehensive activities to strengthen skills in the community.

Goal 4 - Human rights enjoyed to the fullest extent possibleUNRWA provides comprehensive assistance to support the human rights of Palestine refugees in Syria. This assistance ranges from the registration of refugees, to curricula based activities in schools with a focus on child rights with the support of UNICEF and the direct support of Iraqi-Palestine (IPR’s)


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living in Syria. Under this goal UNRWA sought to ensure that refugee registration and eligibility was carried out in accordance with relevant international standards.

The capacities of community based organisations have been supported through capacity assessments, training on financial management and community based service delivery. The community based organisation’s activities have included activities focusing on community empowerment (4421 women were provided with marketable skills, legal and social counselling), life skills training (1301 adolescents were included in these activities) and access to microfinance services (1523 loans were issued through the indirect lending scheme/community managed fund).

Through the assistance of UNICEF over the past ten years, UNRWA has been supporting child rights education in schools in Syria. Activities include student and teacher training courses, workshops and summer camps. Parents and local communities are engaged in the process, and awareness raising is conducted. The concept of human rights has been integrated within the Syrian curriculum, and implemented by UNRWA. UNRWA also facilitates human rights training in school parliaments and protection activities.

UNRWA in Syria has provided comprehensive support for the human rights of Palestine refugees who were living in Iraq before the war, and who fled to Syria. In Syria there was a substantial influx of Iraqi Palestine refugees (2,500 to 3,000), whose situation is difficult. The number of Iraqi Palestine refugees has declined following individuals being granted refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and

repatriated overseas through refugee intake programmes, however the situation for Iraqi Palestine refugees remains a protection and human rights issue for UNRWA to address.

Needs Assessment (see also Annex 4)

UNRWA in Syria undertook analysis of the key themes arising from international research and statistics coupled with the most recent UNRWA statistics to provide the basis for consideration of future interventions. Key findings included the significant impact of the global financial crisis (GFC) on Syria, the clear need to plan for the region’s growing youth population and the significant impact of the disparity in rural and urban levels of poverty, development and access to services. The implications of these trends for Palestine refugees were particularly considered and reveal the similarities in the situations of Palestine refugees and Syrians in relation to the issues that they face. This research highlights the clear need for UNRWA in Syria to continue to work to address issues of poverty, demography (youth) and employability and to continue to focus its interventions on areas of greatest need.

Risk assessment

At the time of writing (March-April 2007), the unexpected security situation and associated increase in security level have been disrupting some UNRWA operations in Syria, and has made some areas of operation inaccessible to UNRWA staff. It is not possible to assess how the situation will have evolved or changed by the time this FIP comes into


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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATIONeffect, so the Agency will be required to adapt to the eventual or still evolving context.

The risks that UNRWA Syria faces are largely consistent with UNRWA’s core risks, including financial, strategic and security risks. We also have human resources, administration of justice risks and sociopolitical risks. On the financial front, there is a risk of lack of donor responses to the financial situation, and hence a shortage of funds. Strategically, there are challenges with implementing programmatic and organisational development reform, largely due to the complexity and comprehensiveness of reform, the local capacity to implement the reform and the need for resources to implement them. In relation to human resources,

UNRWA faces the real risk of not being able to replace staff adequately, as they seek more competitive salaries elsewhere. Operationally, UNRWA faces the risk of an increase in demand for services – the population of Palestine refugees in Syria is increasing by approximately 2.2 percent per year, in a country where poverty is high. UNRWA in Syria is also developing strengths in project management – particularly in better targeting poverty and in providing cross programmatic interventions to address poverty. UNRWA continues to seek to meet the needs of Palestine refugees, but realistically, we are not able to meet all of them, which may lead to dissatisfaction with UNRWA services.


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3 Field Strategy

Scenarios for the 2012 – 2013 Plan

External factors

There are several external factors affecting the scenario for our operating environment in 2012-2013. Economically the region and Syria in particular have improved in recent years. While the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) did have an adverse impact on Syria as well as other Middle Eastern economies, current indications are of economic recovery. There will continue to be fallout for UNRWA in relation to contributions from donor economies affected by the GFC. In the Syrian economic context, the issue of inflation which has fluctuated substantially in recent years (currently at 2.9 percent and previously at 15.7 percent in 2008), high population growth, unemployment, particularly for youth, and flow on effects from the drought will continue to have an impact on the economy and consequently on UNRWA and its services. These have resulted in high unemployment figures, increased poverty and inequality between rural and urban areas.

The Middle East and North Africa have been recently witnessing a period of political and social change. Although there have been recent security concerns and unrest in Syria, this FIP works from the assumption that the period 2012-2013 will be a stable operating environment. As reflected in the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Syria 2012-2016, some of the key priorities of the government in its 11th Five Year Plan are, inclusive pro-poor economic

growth, human development, addressing the disparity in regional development, social protection and a comprehensive environmental policy. Creating job opportunities for new entrants in the labour market is also seen to be a major challenge, as despite positive economic growth rates, unemployment has increased, particularly among the young and among women.

Internal factors

UNRWA has been undertaking an extensive process of review of its services in the Education, Health, and Relief and Social Services Programmes. Reforms based on these comprehensive reviews are currently being developed by UNRWA Departments at the Field and Headquarter levels. Once developed, implementing them will be an important component of strategy in Syria for 2012-2013. The capacity to deliver proposed reforms for UNRWA in Syria is dependent on prioritising reform within the programmes and to identifying and implementing key process improvements relevant to administrative and support services.

The Syria Field office is well positioned to maintain our ongoing basic services, however there is a need to review processes and procedures to ensure that services are delivered efficiently and effectively, that quality is appropriate and to provide incentives for performance. We also need to look at providing better training opportunities for staff development. Due to the salaries that UNRWA is able to offer, we are becoming less competitive with the local and international markets and finding it increasingly difficult to attract qualified staff.


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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATIONEnsuring that our staffing profile has the appropriate experience and gender balance is also a challenge. The maintenance of ageing infrastructure is an ongoing concern – we are budgeting for this situation to ensure that our facilities are maintained at an appropriate level.

Strategic Priorities

A comprehensive prioritisation exercise has been undertaken for the 2012-2013 FIP, and a logframe developed that reflects the proposed approach. The logframe document reflects goals and targets and the indicators that will be used to reflect these elements. At time of writing, logframes were still under being developed and will be reflected more comprehensively in a future version of the F|P. Budgets in relation to priorities will also be reflected in a future version of the FIP, as the UNRWA Budget is currently under development and Field allocations are still being determined. An indicative budget by goal has been included with the draft FIP, but this is subject to the allocations provided to the field and donor commitments to UNRWA’s General Fund.

Our core priorities, in order of priority, for 2012-2013 are to:

maintain our basic services and implement relevant reforms, including streamlining administrative processes to enhance the quality of services;

enhance our focus on youth and employability;

enhance communications with refugees about changes to programmes;

address poverty more effectively; and strengthen strategic partnerships.

This FIP is intended to be a framework document, focussing on achieving these core priorities, and will be supported by a field specific workplanning process in late 2011, which will identify activities and roles and responsibilities in light of agreed outcomes and outputs.

From the Needs Assessment conducted in early 2011 and the outcomes in the results monitoring system, it is clear that these issues continue to be high level priorities for UNRWA in Syria or need to be strengthened. Research particularly highlights the requirement for UNRWA to continue to work to address issues of poverty, demography (youth) and employability and to focus its interventions on areas of greatest need for Palestine refugees in Syria.

UNRWA has been undertaking an ongoing process of review and reform of how it delivers and can improve its services. These processes are currently underway and are being reflected through UNRWA’s strategy of Sustaining Change. Furthermore, the Syria Field office is considering how best to maintain the levels of continuously good service delivery and results and how these services can be improved in the context of an ongoing reform process and tight budget constraints. Reform is an important focus of the forthcoming FIP – UNRWA is working to strengthen the capacities of staff delivering services in all sectors, and to create a competitive environment to improve our service delivery. It will also be important as part of this FIP to look closely at streamlining administrative processes, following the organisational development process that UNRWA has undertaken, and introducing principles of ‘Working Smarter’ - simpler and more relevant administrative and support service processes in the field and area offices.


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A further priority is to enhance communications with refugees about changes to UNRWA’s programmes.

In relation to programmatic interventions, there will be a focus on supporting the educational future of Palestine refugee children, maintaining and, where possible, improving the health services, providing support to the poorest refugees to assist them out of poverty and ensuring that refugees enjoy their human rights to the fullest extent possible.

Cross-cutting issues

Youth

The issue of youth is one of the most significant issues which will have a continuing impact on strategic programmatic direction and policy decisions for UNRWA in Syria. Youth is a core part of UNRWA’s strategy in Syria for 2012-2013. Addressing the challenge of the large population of Palestine youth has been an ongoing initiative of UNRWA in Syria since 2006, supported by the European Union. UNRWA will work to ensure that schools are better equipped to prepare young refugees for the challenges of adulthood; that Palestine and Iraqi Palestine refugee youth have acquired marketable vocational skills and their opportunities to access employment opportunities in the private sector are improved; and advocate for entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for young refugees in Syria. These activities will be supported through a combination of UNRWA General Fund and project funds.

Protection

Registration of refugees is a key protection issue and one which UNRWA will continue to implement in Syria through its General Fund allocation. UNRWA will also investigate the situation for non-registered Palestine refugees in Syria. Protection activities also will focus on providing support to Iraqi Palestine refugees, both in Damascus and in the remote Al-Hol camp, if it is still open, which is on the border between Iraq and Syria.

Through the assistance of UNICEF over the past ten years, UNRWA has been supporting child rights education in schools in Syria. Activities include student and teacher training courses, workshops and summer camps. Parents and local communities are engaged in the process, and awareness raising is conducted with them. The concept of human rights has been integrated within the curriculum, aiming to reduce violence in schools by building communication skills between students and teachers. These activities will be supported solely by project funds. This issue is addressed under Goals 2 and 3.

Gender

UNRWA is part of the United Nations Country Team and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) Task Force in Syria and will contribute to UN gender programming and results monitoring in Syria. UNRWA’s gender results contribute more widely to national gender outcomes in Syria with a special focus on vulnerable groups. UNRWA will work with partner organizations to provide referral services for victims of gender based violence in coordination with the Syrian Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MOSAL) and the General Authority for


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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATIONPalestine Arab Refugees (GAPAR). UNRWA will participate with the Syria Commission of Family Affairs on the development of a national strategy for family protection.

UNRWA is continuing to mainstream gender as a programming principle in Syria and is integrating a gender-based approach into its programs and projects. Our statistics in our FIP and related to our projects will include gender disaggregated data.

Disability

In line with UNRWA’s disability policy and strategy, UNRWA’s priorities are to enhance service delivery to persons with disabilities. In particular, to ensure that persons with disabilities and their families participate and benefit from: rehabilitation services; appropriate prosthetic devices; well modified homes and that the capacity of rehabilitation workers who provide services to persons with disabilities and their families is built. We seek to strengthen coordination, partnerships and referral system to other services providers and to undertake effective advocacy, particularly by raising awareness activities on disability issues and contributing to the implementation of the National Disability Plan in Syria. We further seek to build an UNRWA work environment that is inclusive of persons with disabilities and strengthen inter-departmental cooperation and cooperation on this issue.

Environment

In relation to the environment, UNRWA will work to prevent and control communicable diseases and to maintain environmental health services in camps in Syria. An ongoing environmental health education campaign will be conducted in partnership with the United

Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This will focus on making all the nine UNRWA camps in Syria environmentally friendly through tree planting and greening local neighbourhoods as well as recycling.

Strengthening donor partnerships

Partnerships with donors are critical to UNRWA’s work in Syria in support of our ongoing programmes and projects. Through the support of donors, in particular the European Union (EU), GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (formerly GTZ), the Swiss Development Cooperation, and UNICEF, UNRWA has realised substantive achievements, some of which are outlined above. The long-term support of the EU and GIZ and a range of other donors have been critical to the ongoing implementation of project activities in Neirab. UNRWA has also received extensive assistance from the United States Government to build schools and a community centre in support of the Neirab project. Generous cash assistance has been provided by the Embassies of Oman and the United Arab Emirates in Syria, with a special focus on the holy month of Ramadan.


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The support of international volunteer agencies has been critical to the work of UNRWA in Syria, providing contributions and resources to support delegates and secondments. Particular assistance has been provided by the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Japanese Government and the Australian Government through Australian Volunteers International. UNRWA is currently receiving assistance through the Swiss Development Cooperation for a Junior Professional Officer from 2011-2013 and through the Norwegian Refugee Council related to legal advice and protection and monitoring and evaluation.

UNRWA has also worked to support and complement the work of other donors, in particular the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in assistance to Palestine Iraqi refugees. More achievements are yet to come, as we continue our engagement in 2012-2013 and beyond. Syria Field Office will seek to continue and deepen our range of partnerships especially with UNICEF and potentially other UN Agencies. These partnerships will also be considered in the light of UNRWA’s efforts to develop a partnership policy – including with the private sector.

Project – based assistance in support of UNRWA’s four human development goals

Donors provide significant project-based as well as General Fund contributions to UNRWA in Syria in support of the achievement of UNRWA’s four human development goals. Their assistance will be critical to ongoing achievement in 2012-2013. In relation to achieving the human development goal of achieving a decent standard of living, one of the most significant projects we are currently developing for donor support in 2012-2013 is to further strengthen our focus on youth and employability, including providing career counselling. In relation to achieving the goal of acquired knowledge and skills, UNRWA will seek to enhance the school infrastructure that is currently lacking. UNRWA seeks to continue to ensure that human rights are enjoyed to the fullest by helping to meet the needs of Palestine Iraqi refugees in Syria through donor support and partnership with UNHCR. Further assistance will be sought from donors to support achievement of the goal of a decent standard of living by providing a holistic solution to the sewage problems of Dara’a camp in southern Syria. This will assist to reduce the prevalence of water borne diseases in the camp. UNRWA will continue to focus on cross-goal initiatives to reduce poverty in areas such as Ramadan and Neirab, where the intensity of poverty is higher as compared to other refugee camps. An extension to the Ramadan initiative will be considered based on results achieved under the current project.


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4 Field Plans

GOAL ONE: A long and healthy life

Challenges

Overall health statistics for Palestine refugees in Syria are broadly comparable with the Syrian population especially in the area of primary health care. While the statistics for health among Palestine refugees show positive results, administrative and infrastructural support related with the provision of health care are challenges. According to an agency-wide survey conducted in 2008, the overall infant mortality rate for Palestine refugees in Syria per thousand live births was 28.2. Syria had the highest statistics in this respect of all UNRWA fields and it is clear that child health remains a critical issue. The maternal mortality ratio was higher for Syrians than for Palestine refugees, at 52 for Syrians per 100,000 live births2 and 34 per 100,000 live births for Palestine refugees in 20093. Anaemia rates for pregnant women were 33.7 percent and 36.8 percent for infants under one year. Life expectancy is consistent with Syrians at 73 years for women and 69 years for men. There were high levels of child immunisation, with nearly 100 percent of children covered. The most demanding health conditions for management are Type 1 Diabetes (where 62 percent of patients are non-controlled) and the combination of Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus (where 57 percent are non-controlled).

UNRWA specific challenges range from the short consultation time with health staff, and the partial absence of an outpatient

appointment system. Consultations at UNRWA clinics for maternal and child health are higher than the World Health Organisation standard at up to ten consultations per patient. A recent review found that UNRWA clinics in Syria in 2008 had about 1.5 million contacts (or 2.1 million contacts including lab tests) or 3.3 contacts per registered beneficiary. In total in 2008, there were over one million curative consultations – or over two consultations per registered beneficiary – 275,000 were first visits and 700,000 were repeat visits, resulting in an average of 3.6 consultations per patient (attending a first visit). Recent trends show an increase in the trend for visits by around 5 percent when comparing the first quarters for 2010 and 2011.

Since the introduction of a registration card in Syria for Syrian nationals in national public health centres for their areas of residence, Palestine refugees are not able to use these Syrian health centres, and are dependent on UNRWA services. Refugees also do not have access to free hospitalisation (excepting in emergency situations) in public hospitals, as Syrian citizens do.

Current Capacity and Service Delivery Methods

UNRWA has a comprehensive record of service to Palestine refugees in Syria and has

2 The Syrian MDG report 2010., Ibid. p. 433 UNRWA Syria Health department statistics


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some particularly good results in pre and post natal care for women. A variety of services are offered, including primary medical care, comprehensive dental treatment, maternal and child health, immunisation and family planning. These services are provided directly and at no cost to refugees. UNRWA in Syria runs 23 primary health care facilities and two weekly health points. There are 413 staff working in the Health programme in Syria (2011 figures). Most of our health programme resources are focussed in Damascus, where the majority of Palestine refugees are located. The three UNRWA clinics located in the Yarmouk area of Damascus provide basic health care services to 39 percent of registered households. UNRWA is currently reforming its health programme agency-wide. The Syria Field office will be actively supporting these reforms.

UNRWA subsidises the costs of hospital care up to 75 percent for refugees and up to 95 percent for refugees registered as Special Hardship Cases (SHCs), especially for emergency and life saving treatments. The Syrian Ministry of Health provides vaccines for UNRWA’s immunisation services and oral contraceptives and anti-tuberculosis drugs and UNICEF provides safety boxes for syringes.

Priorities

Maintenance of our core services is the highest priority for UNRWA in Syria. In relation to the goal of a long and healthy life, key priorities are to build on achievements in maternal and child health and continue to reduce the incidence of maternal and child mortality and to also build on achievements in

the detection and prevention of non-communicable diseases. These priorities reflect UNRWA’s current capacity and levels of service deliver in Syria Field, as other than the support for reform initiatives, considered and budgeted separately to this FIP through UNRWA’s sustaining change initiative, it is not anticipated that our services or staffing levels will differ from the current situation assessment.

Quality of services and service provision is the overarching objective of the health programme. In relation to non communicable diseases, there have been particular achievements in detection and control, but there are still challenges - in particular the comprehensive provision of costly tertiary care for non-communicable diseases due to budgetary constraints for the provision of hospitalisation services. It should be noted that there are approximately 24,000 patients with non-communicable diseases that UNRWA currently serves. UNRWA’s health services in Syria will include a focus on better prevention and diagnosis of non communicable diseases, within the resources available, as this is a high-cost initiative, particularly in relation to tertiary care. UNRWA will also support the improved health and nutrition of school children and maintain environmental infrastructure.

Under this goal we seek to build on achievements to:

deliver comprehensive maternal and child health services to approximately 9000 pregnant women, 28,000 children between the ages of 0-3 and up to 40,000 children between the ages of 0-5, and provide support for 7000 family planning consultations; and in so doing support the


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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATIONreduced incidence of maternal mortality of Palestine refugee women and children;

ensure the appropriate management of non communicable diseases; and

maintain the prevention and control of communicable diseases.

In order to improve the quality of our services UNRWA in Syria will:

be implementing a triage system in our health centres, following initial trials in 2011 and conduct awareness campaigns in the community about the use of health services and the rational use of drugs and working with the community to reduce the prevalence rate of anaemia;

maintain and improve outpatient and outreach services – in particular improving doctor-patient consultation time and reducing the extremely high number of visits per day by providing an appointments system to better manage our health consultations.

ensure access of Palestine refugees to high quality hospital care through the contractual services that UNRWA has established with leading hospitals in Syria.

The performance of providers will be monitored closely and a database of results kept;

strengthen health management support; including further implementing an E Health programme to provide connectivity to all health centres; and improving health care information systems so that all of the Syria field centres can use up to date and accurate data;

ensure that an effective drug management system is in place, which will help with budget management and may result in cost savings; and

improve health centre infrastructure.

UNRWA will further seek to support health in UNRWA schools and environmental health by:

strengthening school health services;

improving school canteens to ensure healthy food options which will help to improve both the health of refugee children, their academic performance and future prospects; and

maintaining environmental health services which are provided to refugees.


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GOAL TWO: Acquired knowledge and skills

Challenges

Education is one of the most critical areas for the future of Palestine refugees in Syria. There are currently an estimated 66,400 children who attend UNRWA schools and 22,757 who attend government and private schools. An estimated 3,886 children attend UNRWA schools whose mothers are married to non-refugees and over 2000 Palestinian children attend who are not registered with UNRWA. Palestine refugee children have access to both UNRWA schools and to Government of Syria schools. Meeting the needs of such a large population of students requires an extensive staffing commitment and qualitative and quantitative interventions, including comprehensive reform of curricula and teaching competence. To this end, supporting reform in UNRWA’s education system, through Sustaining Change will be one of Syria’s future programmatic challenges and an important initiative to improve the educational results and future employment prospects of Palestine refugee children.

Ensuring that there are adequate facilities available for UNRWA students to have a safe and stimulating learning environment is an ongoing challenge in the current resource environment. Currently only six of UNRWA’s 118 schools run on single shift whereas the Syrian Ministry of Education plans to transform all the Government schools to single shift schools by 2015. This will put pressure on UNRWA’s schools, as 95 percent of schools are double shift. The average pupil to teacher ratio in UNRWA schools is 31 students per class. UNRWA needs to work

to maintain and improve the results of Palestine refugee students in Syria, particularly boys – as academic results in this respect in Syria reflect international trends of the underperformance of boys, and to work with teachers and parents to strengthen their involvement in the learning process. It further needs to conduct regular testing and to closely monitor the performance of schools and students to ensure that a consistently high standard of education is provided to students in Syria. The qualifications of teachers need to be maintained and strengthened, through targeted training and teaching enrichment materials.


UNRWA is a significant employer of educationalists in Syria, with an education staff of 2,680 persons in its basic education programme and at its Damascus Training Centre (DTC), a leading vocational training centre in Syria. Regular testing is being conducted of student achievement; at the beginning of the year, with a baseline placement test, to determine what level students are at, and a diagnostic test is undertaken after the unified test baseline study. The Field Education Programme has identified schools where learning results are not in line with the other schools. Ten schools in the Damascus area are now the beneficiaries of support classes in languages and mathematics, in partnership with UNRWA’s Engaging Youth project. Further


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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATIONschools will be included as funding becomes available, and initiatives will also focus on well performing schools and talent management.

The qualifications of teachers are being strengthened. In partnership with the Education Development Centre in Jordan, work is being undertaken with schools and a consolidated list of training criteria is being developed to provide teachers with better training. Now specialised teachers are available to provide temporary services – which will help in the future to improve academic results. Teaching enrichment materials are being introduced into the school curriculum to raise gender equity awareness among children. UNRWA is also providing child protection services and promoting child rights in school activities.

Priorities

UNRWA’s education system is currently undergoing reform, through the strategic framework of Sustaining Change and the Education Programme Reform strategy, to further educate students and give them the tools necessary to adapt to the requirements of a changing world and labour market needs. The Sustaining Change initiative will be articulated in a separate forum.

This FIP reflects the importance for the futures of Palestine refugee children in Syria that UNRWA continue to provide its current educational services and maintain its staffing profile. This capacity and its extent has been reflected on in the previous situation assessment, in order to support the educational needs of Palestine refugee children in Syria.

To support the goal of acquired knowledge and skills, the first of UNRWA’s priorities in

Syria will be to support inclusive education in schools, thereby supporting the protection needs and human rights of students with special needs. Ensuring access to facilities for children with special needs is an ongoing initiative, as is providing a supportive learning environment for them to develop skills and the capacity to build a future. This priority relates to the outcomes of:

reinforcing the protection support of our students by schools; and

ensuring equal access to quality education for all children, regardless of gender, abilities, disabilities, impairments, health conditions and socioeconomic status; and

furthermore, as part of supporting the rights of Palestine children to an education, UNRWA in Syria will work to ensure access, retention and completion of education by Palestine refugee children in a conducive learning environment, including operating in partnership with UNICEF to support child protection and child rights.

The second priority is to target underperforming schools, by undertaking comprehensive performance reviews of all schools to identify points where they need improvements, in relation to both quality of teaching and resources to support educational achievement. This priority relates to the outcome of implementing evidence-based policy making and undertaking informed decision-making at all levels.

The third priority for UNRWA in Syria is to strengthen the professional development of teachers in UNRWA schools and to upgrade teacher qualifications so that the academic


22


performance of children can be improved. UNRWA is currently working towards its target in the FIP for 2010-2011 of having 87 percent of teachers meeting professional requirements and will seek to improve on this in 2012-2013.

This priority relates to the outcomes of:

ensuring a professional, qualified and motivated teaching force and empowered schools;

improving the qualifications of teachers by upgrading to undergraduate degree level those who currently do not have a degree; and improve the ability of all teachers to understand better special education needs – including academically gifted students;

targeting underperforming schools and providing them with relevant support classes and empower schools by strengthening their administrative and management capacity; and

strengthening curricula to support a holistic approach to learning and personal development;

As part of education programme reform, a class teacher approach has been implemented up to Grade Four, and Syria has been the lead UNRWA field in piloting this approach. This will be further developed in 2012-2013 and will include classes up to Grade Six.

In 2012 – 2013 there will be a further Monitoring of Learning Achievement testing process undertaken agency-wide, to measure performance against previous test results. There is a discrepancy between the enrolment and performance of girls as compared with boys at the elementary and particularly secondary levels – with girls particularly outperforming boys at the secondary level. The future strategy will be considering steps to improve the performance of boys.

We will also be monitoring our infrastructure requirements for schools, and have a policy to gradually construct schools as donor funds become available. UNRWA will support the outcome of maintaining and improving the physical infrastructure and/or equipment of schools


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GOAL THREE: A decent standard of living

Challenges

Achieving a decent standard of living for Palestine refugees is an ongoing challenge. Refugees are faced with the issues of limited access to vocational training and high unemployment, poverty, lack of access to credit and financial services and poor living conditions.

According to UNRWA’s Relief and Registration statistics, approximately 34 percent of the Palestine refugee population are under 18. The percentage of the Palestine refugee population between the ages of 15-24 is approximately 22 percent of the population or 100,399 persons. The outcomes of the Norwegian Institute for Applied Social Science (Fafo’s) survey show that the majority of the poor are located in peri-urban and regional areas of Syria – and that compared to their urban counterparts they have less access to education, health services and employment opportunities4. It also found that those with access to education had better employment prospects. Fafo compared the income levels of Palestine refugees in the Middle East with other host countries and found that Syria had by far the lowest gross national income per capita, at USD 970 in 19995. Income disparities among Palestine refugees in Syria were also found by Fafo with the cost of living relative to income being highest in the poorest regions and with the poorest groups who are predominantly in rural areas.

Living conditions too reflect the impact of poverty and its predominately regional manifestation. According to Fafo the issue of

4 Age A. Tiltnes (Fafo). Keeping Up: A Brief on The Living Conditions of Palestinian Refugees in Syria. p.535 Fafo., Ibid. p.53

overcrowding is 2.5 times higher in households located on the periphery of urban areas or in the regions, than in urban households6. 26 percent of low income houses are overcrowded compared with 17 percent of high income households7. There is very poor access to piped drinking water and regular water for rural camps and gatherings, which stands at 50 percent compared to 100 percent of urban areas.

According to the MICS survey (2006) the majority of Palestine refugees are living in conditions of improved sanitation. This is not the case for the Dera’a camp. There are approximately 28,234 Palestine refugees (as at December 2010) living in Dera’a Camp in southern Syria, whose health is affected by unsanitary and unsafe living conditions. There are high incidence rates of waterborne diseases, due to the inadequate and leaking sewage system. This is contaminating the drinking water supply and causing unsafe living conditions by damaging the structural stability of many of the camp’s dwellings. Many residents are living in shelters that are deemed unfit for human habitation. The camp’s water and sewage infrastructure has not been subject to an overhaul or extension since it was first installed. There are ongoing issues with population growth in the camp placing further pressure on the limited infrastructure.

Unemployment rates, school dropout rates and lack of adequate skills to access the labour market are some of the major external challenges that will need to be addressed. 6 Fafo., Ibid. p. 207 Fafo., Ibid. p. 21


24


According to the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2012-2016), high unemployment rates, especially among the young are a major concern with 22.4 percent of 15-24 year olds and 15.5 percent of 24-29 year olds unemployed. Using the statistics for Syrians, if approximately 23 percent of these people are unemployed between the ages of 15-24, there are approximately 25,000 unemployed Palestinian youth. Some could be hidden unemployed (at home/early marriage) and in the unofficial workforce.


In Syria, where there is limited access to comprehensive vocational training, UNRWA services are high quality, well targeted and meet a key need for Palestine refugees. The Damascus Training Centre (DTC) for Technical and Vocational Education and Training provides targeted vocational training for more than 2000 students each year. It aims to improve the employability of students, to ensure access of vulnerable groups to training and to adapt the content of its courses to enhance employability in accordance with the labour market needs. The DTC provides competency based courses for free to Palestine refugee students. Short-term courses are provided at no cost to Palestine refugees, including Palestine refugees from Iraq and also to Iraqi refugees in Syria through the support of the European Community funded Engaging Youth project. These courses include clothing and computer technology, maintenance of air conditioning, computers and mobile phones, welding and electrical installation. With the support of EC funded projects, UNRWA has also been

implementing a comprehensive program to link youth with the employment market. Short term courses are also provided on a fee for service basis to Syrian youth.

In order to address poverty and target the most vulnerable groups and help to achieve a decent standard of living, the UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme works to empower women, refugees with disabilities and youth through specific community centres and training activities through 16 community based organisations (CBOs) affiliated with UNRWA. The CBOs run 16 women’s programme centres which organise activities to enhance the skills of women through courses in hairdressing, childcare, sewing, first aid, and computer skills. There are eight community based rehabilitation centres which provide different rehabilitation services such as: physiotherapy, development classes for children suffering from cerebral palsy and classes for children with hearing difficulties. These services are provided for very low fees to assure the financial sustainability of the centres (to cover the incentives paid to the volunteers and the running costs of the centres). UNRWA’s social safety net scheme once implemented aims to assist the abject poor through the social safety net programme and provides support to the absolute poor to lift them out of poverty8. Under its existing programme, the current number of Special Hardship Cases (SHCs) is 11,734 families comprising nearly 34,000 persons, which is about seven percent of the refugee population. Women (widow) headed households comprise 21 percent of the SHC families.

8 The SSN programme is currently unfunded.


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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATIONSHCs are provided with emergency cash assistance to cover essential medical expenses, minor shelter repairs, protection from severe weather conditions, to avoid loss of accommodation and to support families who are suddenly left without a breadwinner, through finances from UNRWA’s General Fund. However the amount allocated in 2011 is sufficient to support only two percent of the total number of SHCs. Rehabilitation of a limited number of houses is also provided for SHCs with the support of UNRWA’s engineering department through project funds.

As part of the reform of UNRWA’s Relief and Social Services programme, the agency is aiming at more strategic ways to address poverty through the development of a poverty policy. There will be a review of the poverty lines of Palestine refugees in Syria and a comparative analysis of their situation as compared with Syrians.

UNRWA’s microfinance programme provides sustainable and operationally self-sufficient microfinance services to Palestine refugees and non-refugees. The majority of its services in Syria are provided to non-refugees and UNRWA in Syria will seek to strengthen the microfinance department’s focus on Palestine refugees. It looks to contribute to the economic empowerment of women, youth and the poor (classified as those living below the national poverty line). With high levels of structural poverty and low-income, exacerbated by extremely high levels of youth unemployment, low women’s labour market participation rates and high dependency rate within the population where one wage often supports six persons or more in a household. The UNRWA microfinance programme in Syria has proven to be a low-cost and sustainable tool to provide economic

and financial resources to those at the bottom of the social pyramid, enabling them to become more self-reliant and economically autonomous. Although primarily investing in microenterprise, products such as consumer loans enable families to build household’s assets and to meet the education, healthcare and other household costs. The microfinance department’s constant growth in outreach has made it the second placed and fastest growing microfinance institution in Syria, where only its limited resources – despite its extending scalability – has prevented it from developing its services to their broadest and optimal potential.

In the event of additional financing, the Microfinance Programme will be able to respond to market demand and provide a significant boost to the local economies where its branch offices operate.

In 2011, the Microfinance Department plans to open an additional three branch offices in Aleppo, which will bring the branch office network to eight (four each in Damascus and Aleppo). Provided additional loan capital is received, it is planned to add five more branch offices during 2012-2013 in Latakia, Homs and Hama. The microfinance programme operations in Syria are operationally self-sufficient. The establishment of additional staff and new branch offices will be financed from revenues from loans. This will require financing to increase its loan capital and thereby enable it to increase its lending from 14,336 loans per year to 57,500 by 2013. During this time, it is anticipated that the annual gross loan portfolio will increase from just over USD 10 million (2010) to over USD 40 million.

Targeted assistance is provided to improve the quality of life of refugees in camps.


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Through a specific camp improvement initiative in Neirab, located in Northern Syria near the city of Aleppo, UNRWA is undertaking a community-driven rehabilitation of the camp and the construction of communal infrastructure. This initiative commenced in 2002 and is currently in its second phase. As the challenges that the project faces are better understood as a result of lessons learnt in 2010, the implementation plan for 2011 is much more realistic.

PrioritiesUNRWA’s priorities for assistance in Syria to achieve the goal of a decent standard of living are threefold – focussing on social protection and poverty, supporting the employability of youth and improving the living environments of refugees.

Through its Relief and Social Services Programme. UNRWA seeks to improve the ability of food insecure refugees to meet their basic consumption needs and to protect poor and vulnerable refugees. Priorities in respect of social protection and poverty in 2012-2013 will be to:

identify and classify poverty amongst refugees;

provide poor refugee families with meaningful social transfer;

mitigate the effect of small-scale emergencies on refugee families; and to

provide integrated services to poor and vulnerable refugees.

Reflecting the clear results of comprehensive research into needs and demographic trends is relation to UNRWA’s second core priority in

Syria to provide support for Palestine refugee youth, UNRWA’s objectives in Syria are to:

strengthen the focus on youth and employability through the Damascus Training Centre - using project funding, UNRWA will seek to expand the provision of vocational training opportunities to more locations in Syria;

provide relevant and quality technical, and vocational education and training, including support for vulnerable groups in vocational training – particularly Iraqi Palestine refugees;

provide support for employment and career guidance;

advocate for entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for Palestine refugee youth;

ensure that vulnerable and poor refugees have access to credit schemes; and

ensure that increased refugee clients and other marginal groups, including youth, women, and poor can access a variety of financial services.

In order to support improved standards of living in refugee camps in Syria, priorities will include

reducing the number of sub-standard shelters;

improving physical-spatial conditions in camps, particularly Neirab; and

ensuring that refugees contribute to the planning and design process.

Continued assistance will be sought from donors for a third phase of the Neirab project, which is expected to need support for its


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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATIONactivities until 2015. Looking at 2012 and the next biennium, the project plans to commence and complete housing units for 350 families, commence construction works for two new schools and to foster stronger local governance structures, to help local socio-economic development as well as the local management of the new physical structures in Neirab camp. All of these components will be thoroughly embedded in the participatory approach that the NRP has been piloting successfully since its inception. Implementation of a holistic socio-economic camp development initiative in Ramadan camp commenced in February 2010. An extension to this project will be considered in the context of results achieved in 2011.

A new area for donor support under this objective to directly improve both living standards and the health of refugees is to contribute to the solution for the situation of the sewage system in Dera’a, which is an increasingly severe public health issue. A


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GOAL FOUR: Human rights enjoyed to the fullest

Challenges

Challenges that UNRWA faces in terms of supporting the goal of Palestine refugees enjoying human rights to the fullest particularly relate to ensuring that our service delivery meets the protection needs of beneficiaries, including vulnerable groups, promoting respect for human rights, strengthening refugee capacity to formulate and implement sustainable social services and ensuring that our registration of refugees is carried out to a high standard. UNRWA needs to achieve its refugee registration targets and to complete digitisation of field archives, as well as to fully implement the new Refugee Registration System.

A particular focus has been the need to support the human rights of Palestine refugees who were living in Iraq before the war, and who fled to Syria. In Syria there was a substantial influx of refugees (2,500 to 3,000), whose situation is considerably worse than that of other Palestinians in Syria. The majority of the refugees made their way to Syria on non renewable Iraqi passports and their expiry has left them in constant fear of deportation or imprisonment9. They are vulnerable to harassment and exploitation, with many forced to work under exploitative conditions in the unofficial economy.

Many of the refugees were located in Al-Hol camp, in the remote north-eastern governorate of Hassakeh. The remainder of the Palestine Iraqi refugees are currently located in the Damascus area. UNRWA anticipates that in the future the Al-Hol camp 9 UNRWA Iraqi project 2010

will close and refugees who have not been resettled overseas will be relocated to the Damascus area. In January 2011, UNRWA distributed cash assistance to 774 families in Damascus (2,636 individuals). The current number of refugees residing in Al-Hol camp by the end of March 2011 was 360 individuals (114 registered cases). Those located in Al-Hol are resident in Syria legally, whereas those residing elsewhere are in the country illegally. In January 2011, UNRWA distributed cash assistance to 774 Iraqi Palestine refugee families in Damascus (2,636 individuals). The number of Iraqi Palestine refugees has declined following individuals being granted refugee status by the UNHCR and repatriated to settle overseas through UNHCR refugee intake programmes. There are a range of needs that relate to Iraqi Palestine refugees specifically, including health care (psychosocial support), education (remedial classes, skills training and vocational training courses) in Al-Hol as well as in the Damascus area; emergency assistance (in the events of deaths, births and accidents); and community activities (sports & other recreational activities to build community and mitigate intra-community tensions and disputes).

Current Capacity, Service Delivery Methods and Priorities

UNRWA provides assistance to support the human rights of Palestine refugees in Syria. This assistance ranges from the registration of refugees, to curricula based activities in schools with the support of UNICEF and the


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DRAFT FOR CONSULTATIONdirect support of Iraqi-Palestine refugees (IPR’s) living in Syria.

UNRWA has been supported by donors from the European Community, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland and the United States to address the protection issues facing Iraqi Palestine refugees in Syria. A range of assistance has been provided including, health care (psychosocial support), education (remedial classes, skills training and vocational training courses) in Al-Hol as well as in the Damascus area; emergency assistance (in the events of deaths, births and accidents); and community activities (sports & other recreational activities to build community and mitigate intra-community tensions and disputes). UNRWA provides free of charge preventive health care to Iraqi Palestine refugees, (ante and post-natal care, family planning and immunisation for children under five years of age).

Through the assistance of UNICEF over the past ten years, UNRWA has been supporting child rights education in schools in Syria. Activities include student and teacher training courses, workshops and summer camps. Parents and local communities are engaged in the process, and awareness raising is conducted with them. The concept of human rights has been integrated within the Syrian curriculum, and implemented by UNRWA. UNRWA also facilitates human rights training in school parliaments and protection activities.

Ongoing priorities in 2012-2013 will be to:

continue to support the protection needs of Palestine refugees in Syria, including those of Iraqi Palestine refugees;

to strengthen human rights awareness in schools;

to ensure disability is mainstreamed in programming and services; and

ensure that persons with disabilities have access to UNRWA services on an equal basis with other Palestine refugees.

UNRWA also works closely with community-based organisations (CBOs) as they are key resources in the community to help improve the resilience of poor and vulnerable refugees. The work of CBOs contributes to social protection and has the flexibility to target assistance towards the poor and specific vulnerable groups. UNRWA in Syria seeks to support the capacity of these refugee-run organisations so they can serve as resources in their communities to improve the situations of poor, vulnerable and marginalized refugees. Indeed, UNRWA in Syria currently supports and works with some very successful CBOs, which have through their endeavours become financially self supporting enterprises. Sustainable social services by community based organisations have also been assisted, through capacity assessments, training on financial management and community based service delivery. Community based organisation’s activities have included activities focusing on community empowerment, life skills training and access to micro-finance services.

Priorities for 2012-2013 in relation to CBOs are to:

strengthen the capacity of CBOs to deliver quality social and financial services; and

improve the ability of CBOs to target the poor and socially vulnerable.

UNRWA seeks to ensure that refugee registration and eligibility is carried out in accordance with relevant international standards. With the introduction of a new


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Refugee Registration System, there have been some challenges and targets have not yet been achieved. Completion of individual registration records is at 33 percent while the target is 100 percent. The digitisation of field archives is yet to be completed, currently at 67 percent. There are also concerns relating to the accuracy of data and the timeliness of registration and registration approvals with headquarters.

Ongoing priorities in 2012-2013 will be to:

provide eligibility and registration services to refugees in an efficient and dignified manner;

ensure that reliable eligibility and registration information is disseminated for planning, communication and advocacy purposes; and

undertake research on the number of non-registered Palestine refugees in Syria and any service gaps they might experience.


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GOAL FIVE: Effective and efficient governance and support in UNRWACurrent Capacity/Administrative Arrangements and Service Delivery Methods

Providing effective and efficient governance and support is important to ensure that our services to refugees are provided in the best manner possible – transparently, cost effectively and of a high quality. As previously mentioned, UNRWA has been undertaking an ongoing process of review and reform of how it delivers and can improve its services. These processes are currently underway and are being reflected through UNRWA’s strategy of Sustaining Change. The Syria Field office is considering how best to maintain the levels of continuously good service delivery and results and how these services can be improved in the context of an ongoing reform process and tight budget constraints. Reform is an important focus of the forthcoming FIP – we need to strengthen the capacities of our staff delivering services in all sectors, and create a competitive environment to improve our service delivery. It will also be important as part of this FIP to look closely at streamlining administrative processes, following the organisational development process that UNRWA has undertaken, and introducing principles of ‘Working Smarter’ - simpler and more relevant administrative and support service processes in the field and area offices.

UNRWA’s agency-wide organizational development has been implemented to facilitate decentralization of processes and the delegation of decision-making authority to managers; to re-engineer key processes to increase efficiency in delivering services to

beneficiaries; and create an environment in the Agency that encourages innovation in programming. Headquarters has already taken extensive measures in this direction. Field Offices are developing individual approaches that respond to their local operating environments. With the assistance of the Norwegian Refugee Council, the legal advisory support services and functions of UNRWA in Syria have recently been strengthened.

Priorities

UNRWA in Syria seeks to provide effective leadership to achieve all goals, and to provide optimal support services to stakeholders agency-wide. A skilled and diverse workforce is integral to UNRWA’s service delivery, equipped and motivated to provide high quality human development programmes to Palestine refugees. The ensurance of provision of International Public Sector Accounting Standards compliant optimal financial services is a core requirement to fulfill. Syria Field office will conduct a comprehensive assessment of its staffing structures and of the roles and responsibilities of its staff, as well as of systems, processes and reporting lines. Once this has been completed, Syria Field office will be able to proceed with the further implementation of organisational development.

This intervention is designed to empower staff in the field and area offices, to streamline existing processes and better manage workloads. The goal is to improve service delivery and providing better services to


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Palestine refugees in their interactions with UNRWA.

Under this goal we seek to:

ensure that appropriate goods, commodities and services are available to UNRWA beneficiaries in a timely and cost-effective manner;

develop a security management system for staff;

provide effective and efficient Information and Communication Technology management and support services to UNRWA in fulfilling its mandate towards the Palestine refugees;

ensure good performance and efficiency in the provision of general services to all UNRWA staff;

maintain and upgrade UNRWA installations;

provide enhanced human resource services and human resource management processes with regards to staffing and recruitment, performance management and reward, staff development and HR planning; and

provide strengthened financial management that is compliant with IPSAS and responsive to client information needs.


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5 Plan Implementation and Monitoring

Roles and Responsibilities

The responsibility for implementing the FIP lies within the Syria Field Office of UNRWA, with the support of Headquarters. In line with organisational development principles, while final responsibility lies with the Director of the Syria Field office, roles and responsibilities for delivery will be delegated to relevant programme staff. The process for delegating responsibilities and accountability will be undertaken through a performance management process and reflected in performance plans.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Data Management

The Syria Field Office will implement a Monitoring and Evaluation strategy in line with UNRWA’s Medium Term Strategy 2010-2015. This FIP will be

reviewed in line with Headquarters initiatives to review all Field Implementation Plans. UNRWA in Syria will ensure effective planning, implementation and management of programmes and initiatives. Project planning, monitoring and evaluation capacity will be strengthened at all levels. Staff involved in programming (especially planning, budgeting, expenditure control and monitoring) will be trained on various budgeting, monitoring and evaluation tools. Staff capacities will be further enhanced to monitor results and resources. Performance will be measured through the UNRWA Results Based Management System, which monitors performance based on achievements of key indicators. These indicators have been developed in close contact with the relevant departments in Headquarters and Field Offices and are closely aligned with corporate objectives. Quarterly budget and results reviews will be undertake of all programmes, departments and projects.


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Annexes:Annex 1 LogtreeAnnex 2 Integrated Planning and Budget MatrixAnnex 3 Consolidated list of projects Annex 4 Needs Assessment

KEY: >50% from Emergency Fund (EF)>85% from General Fund (GF)50% - 85% from GF <50% fundedunclassified

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Annex 1 : Objective Trees


STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:

OU

TCO

ME

S:

1.1 Quality of health services maintained and improved

1.1.1 General outpatient and outreach services maintained and improved

2.1 Coverage and quality of maternal and child health services maintained and improved

2.1.1 Comprehensive MCH services delivered

3.1 Coverage and quality of NCD care improved

3.1.1 Appropriate management of NCDs ensured

OU

TPU

TS:

1 Ensure universal access to quality comprehensive primary health care

2 Protect and promote family health 3 Prevent and control diseases

3.2. Communicable diseases contained and controlled

3.2.1. Prevention and control of communicable diseases maintained

3.2.2 Current level of environmental health services maintained

1.1.6 Health Centre infrastructure improved

1.1.3 Health management support strengthened

1.1.4 Drug management system in place

1.1.2 Access to hospital care ensured 2.1.2 School health services

strengthened

GOAL 1: A Long and Healthy Life

4.1.1 Education access, retention, and completion to education in conducive learning environment

4.1.2 Physical infrastructure and/or equipment of schools provided, maintained or improved

5.1.1 Professional, qualified and motivated teaching force, and empowered schools in place

5.1.2 Curricula to support holistic approach to learning and personal development strengthened

5.1.3 Evidence based policy making and informed decision making at all levels in place

5.1.4 Reduce the incidence of violence in schools


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OU

TCO

ME

S:

OUTP

UTS:

4.1 Basic education available for all Palestine refugee children

5.1 Improved effectiveness of the UNRWA educational system 6.1 Equal access to quality education for all Palestine refugee children regardless of gender, abilities, disabilities, impairments, health conditions and socio-economic status ensured

6.1.1 Equal access to quality education for all children regardless of gender, abilities, disabilities, impairments, health conditions and socio-economic status assured

6 Better education opportunities for learners with special educational needs

4 Ensure universal access to and coverage of basic education

GOAL 2: Knowledge and Skills

5 Enhance education quality and outcomes against set standards


37



OU

TCO

ME

S:

OU

TPU

TS:


7.1 Ability of food insecure families to meet their basic consumption

7.1.1 Field able to identify and classify poverty amongst refugees

9.1 Increase the number of clients (including vulnerable groups) accessing microfinance credit

10.1 Improved employment opportunities for Palestine refugees

7 Reduce abject poverty 11 Improved the urban environment through sustainable camp development and upgrading of sub-standard infrastructure and accommodation

9 Provide inclusive financial services and increased access to credit and savings facilities, especially for vulnerable groups such as women, youth and the poor

10 Improve employability

GOAL 3: A Decent Standard of Living

GOAL 4: Human Rights Enjoyed to the Fullest


7.2 Poor and socially vulnerable refugees protected

7.2.1 Effect of small-scale emergencies on refugee families mitigated

7.1.2 Poor refugee families provided with meaningful social transfer

7.2.2 Integrated services provided to poor and vulnerable refugees

7.2.3 Vulnerable and poor refugees have access to credit schemes

9.1.1 Increased refugee clients and other marginal groups, including youth, women, and poor accessing a variety of financial

10.1.1 Relevant and quality technical vocational education and training structures and programmes in place

11.1 Vulnerable families living in improved shelters

11.2 Refugees living in a progressively improved built environment

11.1.1 Reduction in the number of substandard shelters

11.2.3 Improved physical-spatial conditions in the camps

11.1.4 Refugees contribute to the planning and design process (Neirab and Ramadan)

10.1.2 Entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for PR youth advocated

38

DRAFT FOR ADCOM


12.1 Protection needs are integrated through all aspects of programming and in the delivery of services

12.1.1 Support the protection needs of Palestine refugees in Syria

OU

TCO

ME

S:

OU

TPU

TS:

13.1 Awareness and respect for the rights, safety and dignity of Palestine refugees increased

14.1 Refugee capacity to formulate and implement sustainable social services to the most vulnerable in their communities increased

15.1 Palestine refugee status and entitlements to UNRWA services protected

12 Ensure service delivery meets the protection needs of beneficiaries, including vulnerable groups

14 Strengthen refugee capacity to formulate and implement sustainable social services in their communities

15 Ensure Palestine refugee registration and eligibility for UNRWA services are carried out in accordance with relevant international standards

13 Safeguard and advance the rights of Palestine refugees by promoting respect for human rights, international humanitarian law and international refugee law

EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT GOVERNANCE AND SUPPORT IN UNRWA (SUPPORT SERVICES)

12.1.2 Disability is mainstreamed in programming and services

13.1.1 Human Rights awareness in schools 14.1.1 Capacity of CBOs to deliver quality social and financial services strengthened

14.1.2 CBOs ability to target the poor and socially vulnerable improved

15.1.1 Eligibility and registration services provided to refugees in an efficient and dignified manner

15.1.2 Reliable eligibility and registration information disseminated for planning, communication and advocacy purposes



39


Legal

Programme office (Including project office and registration

Public Information office

Area Offices


16.1 Effective leadership and direction provided for achieving all goals

16.1.1 Provision of effective leadership and direction for achieving all goals (Front Office)

OU

TCO

ME

S:

OU

TPU

TS:

17.1 Optimal support services provided to stakeholders agency-wide

17.2 A skilled and diverse work-force equipped and motivated to provide high quality human development programmes

17.1.1 Ensure appropriate goods, commodities and services are available to UNRWA beneficiaries in a timely and cost-effective manner

17.2.1 Enhanced Human Resource (HR) services and HR Management processes with regards to staffing and recruitment, performance management and reward, staff development and HR planning

16 Provide leadership, strengthen governance and foster partnerships 17 To develop and sustain UNRWA, enabling it to carry out its mandate

17.1.2 Develop a Security Management System for Staff

17.1.4 Ensure good performance and efficiency in the provision of general services to all UNRWA staff

17.3 Provision of IPSAS compliant optimal financial services ensured

17.3.1 Financial services provided (management information and advice, financial transaction processing, accounting and reporting)

17.1.5 UNRWA installations maintained and upgraded

17.1.3 Provision of effective and efficient IT management and support services to UNRWA in fulfilling its mandate towards the Palestine refugees

Annex 4 – Needs Assessment

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

Public Information OfficePO Box 1914997200 East JerusalemTel: (+972 2) 589 0224 Fax: (+972 2) 589 [email protected] www.unrwa.org

http://www.unrwa.org/

mailto:[email protected]

UNRWA Implementation Plan€¦ · Web viewUNRWA’s assistance through its microfinance department...

Documents

Transcript of UNRWA Implementation Plan€¦ · Web viewUNRWA’s assistance through its microfinance department...