URU, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 30: Rapport fra WFP om fødevaresituationen i Syrien og nabolandene Jordan, Libanon, Tyrikiet og Irak

HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIESSYRIA– September food distributions concluded on 18 October reaching 99.6 percent of target beneficiaries in all14 targeted governorates. October cycle, targeting 1.5 million beneficiaries commenced on 6 October andremains ongoing.Continuous displacement in the northeastern part of the country is affecting the market situation and food prices,putting more pressures on both the host communities and the displaced families.JORDAN– In the first October cycle of dry rations, WFP reached over 18,000 beneficiaries in Al Za’atri camp. Thesecond cycle of dry ration distribution started on 16 October and will be completed on 25 October. To date,UNHCR has installed 104 kitchens in the camp.LEBANON –WFP has started the October cycle distribution of food vouchers to 65,000 refugees in the BekaaValley and the North. The distribution of food parcels will continue for newcomers in both areas through theDanish Refugee Council (DRC). During the reporting period, the first October cycle food parcel and voucherdistributions took place in Tripoli; around 11,700 individuals (2,489 households) received 111 food parcels and11,055 food-vouchers. WFP Bekaa Valley handed over to its partners a total of 25,199 printed vouchers for over5,500 families for the first round of the October cycle.IRAQ–WFP has signed a Field Level Agreement with Islamic Relief Worldwide Iraq (IR) for the implementation ofthe value-based voucher programme, to support 10 -15,000 Syrian nationals in the Kurdistan Region.TURKEY-WFP and Kizilay have distributed 1,987 cards to cover the needs of 12,215 beneficiaries in Kilis camp.Cards were distributed to one household member per container; 74% of the cards were issued to women. TheHead of the Response Division at Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency made a request for WFP andKizilay to expand the programme to cover all of the camps in Turkey.

SyriaSITUATION UPDATEThe situation remains tense mainly in Damascus, ruralDamascus, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and Homs governorates.Aleppo city witnessed some improvement compared tothe previous reporting period, as few main streets inthe area were re-opened. Fuel shortage and power cutsin the eastern part of the city continue to be reported.Access to markets is still restricted, as the situation inthe area has not improved.The number of displaced families in both Aleppo andthe northeastern part of the country continues to bealarming, with almost 137,000 families in Aleppo and175,000 families in northeastern governoratesWFP RESPONSEFOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME:From September2012, as per the latest budget revision of theEmergency Operation (EMOP), WFP started providingfood assistance to 1.5 million beneficiaries in all 14Syrian governorates that have been directly orindirectly impacted by the current events. RuralDamascus, Homs and Aleppo continue to receive thehighest allocations of food assistance while more foodrations were allocated for Al-Raqqa in response to thecontinuous influx of families from other neighbouringgovernorates.September food distributions concluded on 18 Octoberreaching 99.6 percent of the target beneficiaries.October cycle commenced on 6 October and is ongoingin Damascus, rural Damascus, Homs, Hama, Aleppo,Idleb and Al-Raqqa governorates. Overlaps betweencycles are avoided through prioritization of delivery offood assistance of the new cycle to areas wheredistributions of the previous cycle were concluded. Asthe overall situation deteriorates further and thenumber of displaced families reported continues toincrease, WFP is concerned about the possibleexistence of some areas that may be in need of foodassistance but are not currently accessible either byWFP or SARC due to ongoing armed activities.The food basket for the October cycle includes thefollowing items: rice 10 kg, bulgur 3 kg, vegetable oil 5liters, sugar 3 kg, dried pulses 4 kg, canned pulses 2 kg,pasta 3 kg and salt 0.5 kg. The current basket providesapproximately 1,000 kcal per person per day.WFP monitoring activities including household visitsand market price collection continued in areas wherethe situation permitted. During the reporting period,monitoring missions to some areas of rural Damascusgovernorate had to be cancelled due to the situation onthe ground.LOGISTICS ACTIVITIES– Dispatches of food assistancefor the October cycle commenced on 6 October andremain ongoing. As of 20 October, food assistance for804,625 beneficiaries or 53 percent of the total targethad arrived in the final distribution points (FDPs).During the reporting period, consignments ofapproximately 2,000 mt of assorted commodities (rice,bulgur, lentils, canned pulses, sugar and pasta) werereceived at WFP warehouses. Meanwhile, additional1,800 mt of pasta, bulgur and vegetable oil, whicharrived on 15 October at Tartous port, will be deliveredto WFP warehouses once customs clearance isfinalized. As of 18 October, in-country stock stood at9,000 mt of assorted food commodities while 16,400mt are currently in-transit and expected to arrive in thecountry within the next two months.COORDINATION: WFP along with FAO, the Ministry ofAgriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR) are currentlyplanning to update the findings of the Joint Rapid FoodSecurity Needs Assessment conducted mid-June thisyear. A technical committee for the exercise has beenestablished and two technical meetings took place on10 and 18 October. Tools for data collection activitiesare currently being designed and will be discussed inthe next meeting.currently registered by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent(SARC). Sixty percent of those registered in thenortheastern region are in Al-Raqqa alone, most ofthem came from neighbouring Al-Hasakeh and DeirEzzor governorates. The deteriorating volatile situationin this part of the country is affecting movements ingeneral and hence people’s access to food. As a copingstrategy, families are reportedly minimizing their mealsto two per day and in many cases, babies are given teainstead of milk. Such an influx is affecting the marketsituation and food prices, putting more pressures onboth the host communities and the displaced families.

JordanSITUATION UPDATEAs of 21 October, UNHCR has registered 58,622 Syriannationals in Jordan, with 31,094 awaiting registrationappointments.The number of beneficiaries in King Abdullah Park(KAP), in Ramtha, decreased from 1,000 to 950 asWFP RESPONSEIn October, WFP plans to assist 41,000 Syrian refugeesthrough its voucher programme. WFP’s voucherprogramme cooperating partners Islamic ReliefWorldwide, Save the Children and Human ReliefFoundation are distributing vouchers to beneficiariesfor the first October cycle and have reached over23,000 beneficiaries thus far; distribution is ongoing.WFP completed the last day of hot meal distribution inKing Abdullah Park (KAP) and Al Za’atri camp on 16October. Since then, WFP is distributing welcome mealstogether with UNHCR complimentary packs in KAP untilan adequate shop is set up and the voucher programcan be implemented. Dry ration, complimentary packand tent-by-tent bread distribution is ongoing in AlZa’atri camp. In addition, WFP provided 2,670 welcomemeals to new arrivals in Al Za’atri camp. Welcomemeals are now being distributed in lieu of hot meals on3WFP’s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee EmergencySitrep #24, 20 October, 2012

a daily basis to patients hospitalized at the French andMoroccan health clinics in Al Za’atri camp.The second cycle of dry ration distribution that startedon 16 October will be concluded on 25 October in AlZa’atri camp. During this cycle, cooperating partnerSave the Children simultaneously distributed couponbooklets that beneficiaries can redeem for bread at thefood distribution point, once re-fencing is completed.Distributions were orderly and beneficiaries noted theirappreciation for the quick processing time andamenities provided in the waiting hall such as water,seating and shade.The WFP two-week rations consist of: bulgur wheat,lentils, pasta, rice, sugar and vegetable oil. WFP hassufficient stock for the first cycle of the November dryration distribution in Al Za’atri camp. Pasta will bediscontinued from the food basket following the

completion of the second cycle of October distributionsand together with wheat flour, be replaced by the dailydistribution of fresh bread. WFP is working on aconversion plan for wheat flour to bread through thecurrent supplier. Salt will be added to the food basketfor the first cycle of November dry ration distributionsAs of 16 October, UNHCR reports that it has opened107 communal kitchens in Al Za’atri camp. The kitchenfacilities will allow beneficiaries to prepare their ownmeals and diversify their food consumption.Assessments:The interagency General Nutrition Surveywill begin data collection in Al Za’atri camp on 22October. Data collection for host communities isongoing, with plans to be completed by 25 October.Monitoring:During this reporting period, WFP fieldmonitors visited and monitored four shops, fourdistribution sites including 27 beneficiary surveys andinterviewed 40 beneficiaries using the post-distributionmonitoring tool. Field monitors also logged 84 callsthrough the voucher hotline mostly pertaining toclarification issues for new arrivals and allowedcommodities.The harmonization of monitoring tools continued thisweek during a meeting with CO Lebanon. Bothcountries agreed to monitor the same indicators and

successfully harmonized the Shop Monitoring andDistribution Monitoring tools. Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq,and Turkey COs are working to align their monitoringtools to prepare for the installation of a shared voucherdatabase.On 17 October, a meeting was held with the RegionalVAM officer to advise on food security modules to beincluded in the post-distribution monitoring andMarket Survey tool.Coordination:On 15 October, WFP and UNHCRorganized a meeting with the men’s and women'srefugee committees in Al Za’atri camp to remind thecommunity that the transition from hot meals to dryfood would take place on 16 October. This meetingensured a smooth shift in WFP’s food assistance to dryrations.The joint WFP-UNHCR Cash and Protection study whichplans to look at the implications of cash and voucherassistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan is currentlyunder way. The study will be based on focus groupsincluding key informants and beneficiaries fromUNHCR’s cash and WFP’s voucher assistancemodalities. A presentation of results will follow thecompletion of the study.

LebanonSITUATION UPDATETo date, 70,440 Syrian refugees are registered withUNHCR in Lebanon; an additional 30,000 are awaitingregistration bringing the total number of Syrianrefugees in Lebanon to around 100,000. UNHCR has setup a registration centre in Arsal where it has alreadyregistered over 4,000 refugees in the past two weeks.Due to escalation of violence in Syria during thereporting period, the Bekaa Valley has experienced anew influx of refugees. According to various NGOs inthe field, about 400 new families (2,000 people) haveWFP RESPONSEIn the North,between 16-18 October, the first foodand non-food item distribution under the October cyclestarted in Tripoli. During these three days (out of four),around 11,698 individuals received 111 food parcelsand 11,054 food-vouchers. Through DRC, WFP hasdelivered food parcels to 234 newcomer vulnerable4WFP’s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee EmergencySitrep #24, 20 September 2012

refugees who would normally receive food parcels dueto the remoteness of their location have expressedtheir preference to receive food vouchers even if theyhave to pay for transportation to access the nearestshop.So far, WFP cooperating partners have finalised thefirst round of distribution in Saadnayel, Zahle and QaabElias in Central Bekaa (WV) and in Arsal, Al Ain, Fakhiafor North Bekaa (DRC).Assessments:Based on shop evaluations regardingvoucher misuse, World Vision (WV) and Danish RefugeeCouncil (DRC) sent reminder letters to all contractedshops. WV also sent warning letters to the violators.The joint UNICEF-WFP Nutrition Survey report is beingprepared for Lebanon. Completion of the report isexpected by the end of October, thanks to the supportof the WFP Regional Nutrition Officer.Once recruited, the new Beirut Field Assistant Monitorswill go with the Beirut Senior Programme Assistant toQobayat for one week to familiarize themselves withthe voucher programme. Shop assessments in theSouth will start immediately thereafter with thesupport of the Qobayat Programme assistant in orderto capitalize on the expertise of the sub-offices.Monitoring:During the reporting period, the BekaaValley team conducted shop visits (post-distributionmonitoring and price monitoring) in Central and NorthBekaa and visited four distribution centres. Highlightsfrom the previous week’s monitoring include:The distribution process in Al-Ain, Fekha, Arsal andQab-Elias was well organized in terms of crowdcontrol, waiting time and pre-informingbeneficiaries by SMS.All visited shops were clean and the quality of thefood was good.Shopkeepers are satisfied with the benefit andimpact of the voucher programme on theirbusiness, which can be visible directly after thedistribution.On 12, 15 and 19 October, WFP staff made the monthlypost-distribution monitoring shop visits and pricessurvey in the 48 selected shops in the North. Dataanalysis is ongoing.Coordination:WFP Emergency Coordinator (EC) metwith UNHCR Deputy Representative to discuss theextension of the programme to the South. It wasagreed that UNHCR will share with WFP the preliminarypopulation figures for the South to enable WFP’s5WFP’s Response inside Syria and Regional Refugee EmergencySitrep #24, 20 September 2012

targeting of priority areas for voucher assistance, whichis planned to start early December.WFP Emergency Coordinator met with World Vision’sNational Director Lebanon, Regional Food AssistanceAdvisor and Special Advisor for enhancement of theLebanon Operation. During the meeting, the ECdiscussed how to improve WV’s implementation of theprogramme and stressed the need for WV to rapidlyreinforce its management capacity at the field level.WFP, IOM and the Government’s High ReliefCommission (HRC) had a technical meeting to discussthe tripartite Memorandum of Understanding definingthe roles and responsibilities of each organisationregarding the assistance to Lebanese returnees fleeingfrom Syria. HRC is the only governmental institutionleading this response in the country and will coordinatethe assistance. IOM intends to deliver the dataconcerning the Lebanese returnees to HRC, which willbe the owner of the database and will share thisinformation with cooperating partners.The EC held consultations with potential partners forthe programme in the South. The EC met with Terredes Homme (TDH) Italy and Save the Children. Ameeting with Premiere Urgence has been postponedtill next Wednesday. Consultation with ACF is plannedfor next week.On 19 October, WFP participated in the second UNHCR-led Cash Transfer Programming Working Groupmeeting to discuss the terms of reference of theWorking Group and a number of issues including:harmonization of tools and approaches; planning for anexpansion of projects in 2013; technical issues andconstraints on the NGOs to shift from in-kind assistanceto cash assistance. Attendees agreed to roll out a pilotproject in the South to allow time for preparation ofthe cash transfer programme implementation, mainlydirected to NFIs and rental costs. WFP informed theattendees that it is planning to shift for electronicvouchers within 2-3 months.Bekaa Valley HoSO and DRC visited local authorities inHermel to discuss the programme progress andchallenges and to share the actions that will be takenagainst misbehaving shops. A visit to Baalbeck also tookplace to assess the potential schedule for the ED visit atthe beginning of November.WFP attended a Distribution Sector Coordinationmeeting in Bekaa.Bekaa Valley SO Programme Assistant attended athree-day SPHERE training organised by Oxfam GB.

IraqSITUATION UPDATEAs of 17 October, UNHCR reported that there are41,955 registered refugees in Iraq. The majority are inKurdistan Governorates: 26,702 in Dohuk, 5,709 inErbil and 1,655 in Suleimaniyah. The remaining, 7,889Syrian refugees are in Al Qaim in Anbar Governorate.UNHCR reports that some 13,000 refugees currentlyreside in Domiz camp, while others move betweenthe camp and host communities due to a lack offormal shelter facilities.WFP RESPONSEIn September, WFP and Islamic Relief Worldwide Iraq(IR), working in partnership with Barzani Foundation,distributed 133.3 mt of food to 10,212 Syrian refugeesin Domiz camp.The commencement of the October distribution cycleis postponed due to the delay in the arrival of 162 mtof food commodities procured from Turkey. WFP isexpecting the commodities to arrive from Turkey inOctober. DDM is providing emergency rations in thecamp until the shipment arrives and WFP can resumefood distributions. WFP’s cooperating partners areprepared for the next in-kind food distributions assoon as the commodities are received in Domiz camp.The procurement of 362 mt of food commodities for atwo-month ration (October-November) for 10-15,000refugees in Al Qaim is in process. The rations will becomprised of fortified wheat flour, rice, vegetable oil,sugar, lentils and salt.A separate procurement of 162 mt of food fromJordan is ongoing to cover the urgent needs of 10,000Syrian refugees in Al Qaim camp. The delivery isexpected to arrive in early November. A furtherprocurement has started for additional food rationsfor November and December to assist up to 20,000refugees expected in Al Qaim by the end of the year.During the reporting period, WFP participated inseveral coordination meetings in Domiz campincluding sub-working groups on education and healthand the regular UNHCR-led camp coordinationmeeting for the month of October. The meetingsdiscussed camp construction and relocation plans,coordination of assistance to refugees, additionalneeds in light of winterization and improved campinfrastructure and food assistance. The UNHCR PublicHealth Officer recommended increasing kilocaloriesfor refugees during the winter; WFP has suggestedthat this recommendation be formalized for reviewthrough WFP’s budget revision process.Food prices during the first week of October in Dahukindicate relatively stable market prices for cereals,sugar, salt and meat; however there has been a 10-12% increase in the price of pulses and vegetable oil.WFP plans to conduct regular price monitoring in Erbiland Suleimaniyah. Trade between the KurdistanRegion of Iraq with Turkey and Iran is operatingnormally, with many trucks carrying goods includingvarious food items.

WFP Turkey continues to monitor ongoing tension onthe Syrian-Turkish border; the overall securityWFP RESPONSEThrough the Electronic Food Card programme, WFPand Kizilay will assist around 13,000 Syrians in Kilisand will expand to Hatay over the coming weeks tocover more than 25,000 people. Based on theGovernment’s request to increase further theassistance in Turkey, WFP is now planning to reach40,000 beneficiaries by the end of 2012; this is anincrease from the original planning figure of 30,000.Initial reactions indicate that beneficiaries arethoroughly satisfied with the programme. Since thelaunch of the programme, WFP and Kizilay havedistributed 1,987 cards to cover the needs of 12,215beneficiaries in Kilis camp. Cards were distributed toone household member per container; 74% of thecards were issued to women. There are 34 cards thathave not been distributed because the intendedowners were not present during distribution. Aninitial payment to cover two weeks worth of food hasbeen made, and the next payment to cover the firsttwo weeks of November will be made on 1November.WFP is working to establish a presence in Gaziantepcity to oversee operations in Kilis and other areas asthe programme expands. During the WFP RegionalDirector’s mission, WFP received Governmentcommitment to authorise the establishment of thesub-office.Assessments:WFP is now preparing to launch the e-voucher programme in Hatay. A WFP and Kizilaymission to Hatay is planned for 22 October.WFP is now undertaking joint planning with theGovernment to determine where expansion shouldoccur next.

Coordination:The Electronic Food Card Programmewas officially launched by WFP and Kizilay 13 October.On 14 October, WFP, TRC, AFAD, MoFA and localauthorities undertook a launch event in Kilis camp incoordination with the local Government; the launchevents were attended by WFP Regional Director, WFPRegional Refugee Emergency Coordinator, high-levelrepresentatives from the Disaster and EmergencyManagement Presidency (AFAD) and the Ministry ofForeign Affairs (MoFA). WFP is receiving strongsupport from all levels of the Government with theLocal Governor and Sub Governor responsible for Kilisparticipating in the launch event at Kilis camp.The Head of the Response Division at AFAD made arequest for WFP and Kizilay to expand the programmeto cover all of the camps in Turkey. On 19 October,WFP met with Kizilay and AFAD to plan for thisexpansion. AFAD or MoFA will provide WFP with awritten request to increase assistance to cover allcamps and a request for 15,000 sets of householdcooking facilities. WFP will confirm to theGovernment that it will work with partners to providethe cooking facilities.On 15 October, WFP and the UN Country Team held ajoint donor briefing in Ankara to discuss needs for theSyrian refugee response. The Government has calledfor a follow up donor meeting on the 22 October;WFP will also attend this.On 16 October, WFP Turkey staff and the WFPRegional Refugee Emergency Coordinator toured theKizilay Disaster Response Centre, including a tour ofthe tent manufacturing facilities and warehouses.