Strengthening Regional Policy Dialogue and Partnerships for Solutions in the Syria Crisis Context

The Syria crisis remains one of the world’s largest displacement emergencies, with over 9 million Syrians forcibly displaced, including more than 3.3 million refugees currently residing in neighbouring countries. Host communities in Lebanon and Jordan continue to bear significant social and economic pressures from this protracted situation. At the same time, regional dynamics – including declining humanitarian and development funding, and the evolving context in Syria – are reshaping the response landscape. Within this context, coordinated, evidence-based advocacy and regional dialogues are critical to strengthening national and local capacities, improving socio-economic conditions, and fostering social cohesion for both refugees and host communities. 

About the Initiative 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-Mercy Corps initiative, funded by the European Regional Development and Protection Program for Jordan and Lebanon (RDPP III), aims to strengthen regional policy dialogue and partnerships on solutions for refugees and host communities. It supports evidence generation, joint advocacy, and coordination, leveraging the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) across Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria to promote more coherent and sustainable responses to protracted displacement. 

This initiative aims to produce context trend periodicals, thematic in-depth research/analysis, and policy briefs (options & trade-offs). 

The initiative is anchored on four strategic pillars: 

  • Advocacy & Research Roadmap: Inclusive planning to advance advocacy and policy dialogue on sustainable solutions.  
  • Analysis & Evidence: Development of timely, policy-relevant products – such as briefs, thematic analysis, and studies – to inform evidence-based advocacy.  
  • Partnerships & Alliances: Building coalitions with governments, CSOs, IFIs, private sector, and philanthropies to strengthen the policy ecosystem.  
  • Policy Dialogue & Advocacy: Targeted engagements to influence policies and programming, adapted to national and regional contexts.  

WHAT WE DO

  • Advance More Sustainable, Nationally Owned and Localized Forced Displacement Responses  
  • Improve the Socio-Economic Conditions of Syrian Refugees and Host Communities  
  • Advocate for Effective Initiatives and the Operationalization of Inclusive and Innovative Financing for the Solutions Agenda  
  • Strengthen Linkages to Syria and Promoting Sustainable Returns and Effective Preparedness 

Through

  • Collaborative and Inclusive Planning  
  • Timely analysis and publications to inform decisions: briefs, thematic analysis, studies  
  • Partnerships and alliances to strengthen the policy ecosystem and amplify impact  
  • Strategic advocacy and events to influence policy and programming at national and regional levels 

3

Regional

sensemaking / inception workshops convened

40+

Unique

agencies and organizations engaged

200+

Participants

engaged across regional consultations and policy dialogue events

4

Areas of policy

focus identified through stakeholder consultations

3

Regional

socio-economic bulletins produced

3

Thematic

research products advanced

2

High-level

policy dialogues convened


The Partnership 

This initiative is funded by the Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP III) for Jordan and Lebanon, supported by Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the European Union, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and implemented jointly by UNDP and Mercy Corps. 

The contents of this webpage are the sole responsibility of UNDP and do not necessarily reflect the views of RDPP III, its donors, or participating countries. 

Our Team: 

For more information about the project, please reach out to:

Lana Stade, Recovery and Human Mobility Specialist, UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States,
lana.stade@undp.org