Syrian Arab Republic: 2019 Progress Report - 3RP Regional Refugee & Resilience Plan in Response to the Syria Crisis (January - June)
Regional Overview
March 2019 marked the eighth anniversary of the Syrian conflict. 3RP partners continue to support host governments to improve the lives of Syrian refugees across the region. While much has been achieved, the length of the crisis has left many Syrians destitute and without hope. The needs of Syrians and communities hosting them in the region remain enormous.
The number of Syrian refugees in the region remains stable as of end-June 2019, currently standing at 5,625,871. This is in line with the projections of the 2019-2020 3RP Regional Strategic Overview and with return intention surveys conducted in 2018 which found that although the majority of Syrian refugees hope to return to Syria one day, most do not see this happening in the next 12 months.
The stability of the population reaffirms to the international community and donors the need to continue to support lifesaving and resilience-building programmes in 3RP host countries, which continue to share their limited resources with refugees. During the Brussels III conference in March 2019, donors pledged USD 7 billion to support humanitarian, resilience and development activities in 2019. As of the end of June, USD 1.6 billion has been reported as received by 3RP partners.
Resettlement and complementary pathways for admission into third countries also need to be expanded. Across the region, 16,429 Syrian refugees were submitted for resettlement to third countries in the first half of the year. However, the number of available spaces pledged by resettlement countries falls far short of the needs.
In support of nationally led response efforts, the 3RP’s more than 270 partner organizations across the region have continued to address the protection, assistance and resilience needs of Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities, reinforcing those communities to respond to the impact of prolonged displacement.
