Syria is not a party to the 1951 Convention or the 1967 Protocol and has not enacted a national asylum law/system. As such, UNHCR provides registration, refugee status determination (RSD) and issues documents to refugees and asylum-seekers based on its mandate. In 2020, registration and RSD were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote registration proved unfeasible due to poor network connection and because many people of concern lacked familiarity with or access to the internet so as to be able to access online services. UNHCR issued 6,027 identity cards to refugees and asylum-seekers and 48 RSD cases were processed.
To mitigate the protection risks associated with lack of documentation, UNHCR advocated with the authorities resulting in the issuance of two circulars instructing immigration branches to renew residency of concerned individuals despite the lapsed validity of their refugee or asylum-seeker cards, and waive fines for delayed applications for residency permits renewals.
Legal services were provided either remotely, through hotlines, or directly when feasible and necessary. A total of 3,686 refugees and asylum-seekers were assisted on issues primarily related to residency, gender-based violence and child protection.
UNHCR estimated that 1,900 refugees were in need of resettlement in Syria. A quota of 110 individuals was allocated to Syria for submission to the United Kingdom. Due to the pandemic, resettlement interviews were suspended mid-March. Thus, only nine cases out of 28 individuals were submitted to the UNHCR MENA Bureau for onward transmission. No resettlement departures took place in 2020.
UNHCR conducted 243 assessments for refugee children at risk, and 550 children received counselling and follow-up support. Furthermore, 2,500 children benefited from social and recreational activities. 215 awareness sessions on children’s rights and child protection were provided to children and caregivers.
In 2020, 92 refugee and asylum-seeker gender-based violence survivors were identified and supported with psycho-social services, livelihood opportunities, legal aid and material assistance. The survivors were also linked with outreach volunteers to ensure they benefit from support from within their communities. Additionally, UNHCR held 304 gender-based awareness sessions attended by 4,359 people.
In 2020, UNHCR provided 4,851 households (13,804 individuals) with multi-purpose cash grants averaging SYP 98,000 ($78.4) per household per month. Another 511 households (1,155 individuals) received COVID-19-related one-off cash assistance of SYP 98,000 per household. In late 2020, UNHCR provided winter cash assistance to 4,997 households (13,794 individuals) of SYP 426,000 ($340.8) per household. The transfer value was in line with the recommendation of the Cash/Voucher Working Group. In addition, 110 refugee students (61 females and 49 males) received higher education scholarship, including 14 DAFI scholarships. Cash for education was provided to 4,346 school-age children. The total spending on cash-based interventions in 2020 was $6.5 million.
A total of 18,374 refugees and asylum-seekers received primary health care services. 90 refugees received basic business training, and 64 received small start-up business support in Al-Hol camp. UNHCR also supported 104 people of concern through cash-for-work activities. 129 outreach volunteers representing refugee communities supported their communities.
UNHCR provided care and maintenance services to Al Hol and Roj refugee camps such as road rehabilitation, solar light installation and maintenance, and casting concrete slabs. 3,818 tents were distributed in Al Hol and Roj camps benefiting 3,553 households (15,441 individuals).