Camp Crisis
• There are two million people living in camps and informal sites in Syria. 86% are located in the north-west of the country (HNO Syria 2022).
• Over 11 years of conflict has led to a camp crisis in north-west Syria. Camps are a last-resort, emergency solution.
However, camps and informal sites in north-west Syria host 1.8 million internally displaced people. Including 56% children and 23% women.
• 87% of these sites are informal, meaning they are disorganised, self-settled and they lack site planning, services and camp management.
• As the HNO highlights, ‘Despite the temporary nature of IDP sites, designed to act as a last resort for the short term, millions of IDPs today find themselves trapped in IDP sites/camps as an only means to survive’.
Key Issues
• Overcrowding: 79% of IDPs are living in sites that are critically overcrowded. Less than 29 sq. m for the average camp area per person is in the critical range.
• Unmanaged camps: 76% of IDP sites do not have camp management systems in place.
• Climate impact (floods, snowstorms): One third of IDP sites flooded in the past year. Vulnerable people living in camps/informal sites experienced unprecedented snow-storms last year.
• Fires: 12 IDPs were killed in 345 fire incidents in IDP sites in 2021, 61 people were injured and 516 shelters were destroyed. Economic deterioration has forced people to burn hazardous fuel sources for survival.
• Inadequate shelter and site planning: 93% are living in tents that are more than one year old. 87% of IDP sites are unplanned • Protection risks (GBV, CP, PWD, HLP): Unmanaged camps/informal sites increase protection risks. 93% of IDPs are living in sites with no specialized services for persons with disabilities. 65% of sites do not have lighting on the main roads. 67% of sites’ HLP status is invalid or pending.
CCCM Response
Strengthening Camp Management Systems: Monitoring & coordinating multisectoral assistance, participatory structures, information management, community engagement & awareness, exit strategies, capacity-building on CCCM.
Mobile CCCM Teams: Reaching multiple and informal sites – benefitting from a lighter footprint, cost-eective and easier access.
Fire Mitigation and Response: Fire extinguishers, fire blankets and first aid kits, fire warden systems and committees, fire points, trainings.
Care and Maintenance to Infrastructure and Facilities: Building local capacity to sustain infrastructure and facilities in IDP sites – such as lighting on main roads, drainage and water works, latrines and showers etc.
Information Management: Registering IDP sites, monitoring and analysing multi-sectoral needs, tracking displacement trends, reporting incidents.
Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees