Needs Assessment Review of the Impact of the Syrian Crisis on Jordan

English

pdf (1MB)

Download

Needs Assessment Review of the Impact of the Syrian Crisis on Jordan

March 26, 2020

The Government of Jordan is faced with the challenge of not only meeting the financial gap needed to cover the added costs incurred as a result of hosting Syrian refugees in Jordan, but also with responding to the urgent needs of Jordanian host communities, particularly in expanding services and infrastructure access, and at the same time accelerating efforts to create employment opportunities for Jordanians.

In order to cope with and minimize the negative spillover of the Syrian crisis, the GOJ has adopted a diverse set of measures. It is apparent, however, that as the crisis grows and manifests itself in greater challenges within Jordan, increased assistance from the international community is paramount.

This “Needs Assessment Review” was initiated based on the general consensus within the international community that the Syrian conflict has turned into a protracted crisis, with profound long-term implications on neighboring countries, in particular Jordan and Lebanon. As the crisis is reaching a point where its impact on the sustainable human development prospects in the sub-region can no longer be ignored, it is critical that the on-going humanitarian response is rapidly complemented by a more sustainable and development-oriented response. This will help provide sustainability to ongoing interventions, address structural issues that affect the host population, and help preserve the development gains achieved so far.

In September 2013, responding to the impact of the Syria crisis on Jordan, the GOJ launched the Host Community Support Platform (HCSP) as the coordinating mechanism to initiate policy dialogue, provide strategic guidance, and to develop a new National Resilience Plan (NRP) that addresses the emerging needs of the host communities. The Platform, led by the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, is supported by a dedicated Secretariat and relies on the technical work of five Task Forces: Employment and Livelihoods; Municipal Services; Education; Health; and Water and Sanitation. Each Task Force is chaired by the corresponding line ministry, supported by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, a UN agency, a donor and a national and international NGO as focal points.

This “Needs Assessment Review” report is the first step towards assisting the Government in formulating the National Resilience Plan as a 3 year investment plan for resilience-based interventions in host communities. The National Resilience Plan will also include investment requirements in the various productive and service sectors.

This “Needs Assessment Review” report aims at providing a resilience-based reading of the impact of the Syrian crisis in Jordan. It undertakes an in-depth analysis of the pre-crisis and present status of major sectors and subsectors, including health, education, livelihood, municipal services and water. It goes on to identify possible options to support the GOJ to efficiently,  effectively and sustainably steer and manage its response to the crisis.

The review was coordinated by the Host Communities Support Platform Secretariat, and was conducted during 20 October-10 November 2013 with the participation of UN agencies7, and in close consultation, coordination and cooperation with relevant line ministries, donors, and key international and national NGOs.

A dedicated team of technical experts was deployed by UN agencies to support the preparation of the sector specific assessments. The team benefited from available data, reports and studies and technical consultation meetings with the sector Task Forces and other relevant institutions.