In support of resilience

“Now is the time for action to support resilience,” says a just-released report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) about the impact of the Syria crisis in the sub-region.

The attempt to convene key partners in Kuwait City, where the Top Donors Group for Syria is meeting today, happens against the backdrop of the international community’s inability to resolve, let alone finance the response to, the crisis in Syria.

At the end of 2013, the regional United Nations Development Group (UNDG) — a platform that gathers key UN development agencies — endorsed a “resilience-based development approach”.

I am now pleased to launch a joint UNDP-ODI report, “Towards a resilience-based response to the Syrian refugee crisis”.

The report suggests that prioritising responses should be based on an understanding of drivers of vulnerability, of capacities that can be supported and of the probable impacts of different responses.

I am in full agreement with authors who suggest that the time for reflection is never over, but now is the time for action to support resilience.

There is recognition amongst concerned governments and the international community that the Syrian crisis has compromised not only development gains but also the overall stability of countries in the sub-region.

Social tensions between refugees and host communities continue to increase as a result of competition for jobs, land, housing and water.

The demographic shock, coupled with insecurity in the sub-region also has a severe fiscal and economic impact on concerned countries.

Ongoing responses risk not being sustainable in the context of a protracted crisis. Thus, more integrated and resilience-based interventions are required, guided by short- and medium-term interventions that can address humanitarian needs while supporting national systems and capacities.

Beyond its devastating humanitarian impact in Syria, the conflict is also reversing Syria’s development progress and impacting the neighbouring refugee-hosting countries.

Those countries have seen their development progress greatly hindered and at times reversed.

In Lebanon, for example, the loss in GDP on account of the crisis over the past two years (2012-2014) is estimated at over 3 per cent and the negative impact on the government’s budget is estimated at $2.6 billion.

Similarly, in Jordan, the fiscal impact of the crisis on the education, health, electricity and water sectors exceeded $850 million in just two years (2012-2013). Moreover, Jordan has responded to the fiscal shortfall by making cuts in essential subsidies needed for the welfare of poor and vulnerable households.

Both regional and national response plans are meeting severe challenges. The regional appeals for Syria and for the refugee response remain severely under-funded.

Funding of the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP6) annual appeal of $4.2 billion does not exceed 27 per cent and the funding of the Syrian Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan (SHARP) does not exceed 25 per cent.

At the same time, the national resilience plans are facing operationalisation issues, including deficits in cost.

In this context, the magnitude and longevity of the situation is not only defying conventional conflict resolution and development approaches, it is also challenging standard aid responses and coordination mechanisms.

When deliberating in Kuwait City, I again urge the top donors and all partners to be generous in their support.

I can confidently reconfirm that the Regional United Nations Development Group (R-UNDG) will continue to take into account how to best optimise existing resources and capacities, as well as make the response more sustainable in the long run.

The critical challenge is how to shift from the existing setup — markedly humanitarian — to a new one that puts resilience as the main outcome.

The report argues that an analysis framework, as opposed to categorical criteria, would allow a more in-depth analysis of root causes of vulnerability and allow appropriate development response to the Syria crisis.

The resilience based development approach focuses on ensuring that people, communities and institutions not only recover from the crisis, but also improve the longer-term development prospects for lasting stability.

The report indicates that processes and structures are in place that can support the response analysis and decision making. 

While they are by no means perfect, there are multiple sources of data available to support these types of analysis, including the assessments underpinning the National Resilience Plan of Jordan and Lebanon Stabilisation Roadmap.

In conclusion, the top donors’ meeting is again the time for action to support resilience through development assistance.

Responses and strategies should be pursued with flexibility so they are able to adjust according to emerging lessons and changing circumstances.

I am particularly grateful to colleagues inside Syria, neighbouring countries, R-UNDG partners and my team at the UNDP Sub-Regional Facility for their latest analysis.

The writer is the sub-regional development coordinator for the Syria crisis at the United Nations Development Programme. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.