Disruption of livelihoods 

UNDP aims to address diminishing livelihood opportunities and the damage this inflicts on social cohesion. UNDP supports more sustainable, equitable and gender-sensitive local economic recovery, that will help generate livelihood opportunities for vulnerable Syrians and thereby alleviate frictions over rising inequality, competition over scarce resources and negative coping mechanisms that are weakening the social fabric. UNDP will do so by addressing the underlying and immediate causal factors that impact poverty, vulnerability, and inequality, including the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19. 

What we do 

Contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 1-2, 5-11, 13 and 15, this priority area aims to reactivate the production process and provide sustainable livelihood resources for the Syrian population. Interventions in this area aim to enhance skills, capacities, and resources in the most affected communities, targeting internally displaced persons, host communities, returnees and crisis-affected areas. 

Within the UN Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), UNDP interventions in this area includes: 

1) Sub-national economic recovery initiatives that contribute to improved livelihoods of vulnerable Syrians in urban and rural communities. This outcome will pay special attention to labour market needs in urban areas and agriculture-based livelihoods in rural areas. Moreover, it will support improved local economic governance and scaling-up of innovations and technological solutions for MSMEs to address inequalities and vulnerabilities;

2) Support for the enabling environment for gender-responsive social protection, social cohesion and sustaining peace at the local level. Sustainable and innovative approaches will be sought to strengthen community-based systems and structures with capacity development and innovative partnerships at the local level (cf. para. 18). This will also include the introduction of specialized services for the vulnerable population including digitalization and behavioural change initiatives to promote gender equality and community reconciliation. Integrating sub-national economic recovery and social protection and cohesion underscores a strategic approach to incentivize social cohesion through qualitative changes in peoples’ lives and welfare.