AMOUNT: EUR 260 000 000
The present Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) was prepared on the basis of financing decision ECHO/WWD/BUD/2018/01000 (Worldwide Decision) and the related General Guidelines for Operational Priorities on Humanitarian Aid (Operational Priorities). The purpose of the HIP and its annex is to serve as a communication tool for DG ECHO's partners and to assist in the preparation of their proposals. The provisions of the Worldwide Decision and the General Conditions of the Agreement with the European Commission shall take precedence over the provisions in this document.
0. MAJOR CHANGES SINCE PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF THE HIP
First modification (May 2018)
Inside Syria: EUR 140 000 000
An additional amount of EUR 35 000 000 is made available for humanitarian projects to be implemented inside Syria in 2018 in response to the emerging needs.
As of May 2018 the humanitarian situation inside Syria continues to deteriorate, with a staggering 13.1 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, including 6 million children and 6 million internally displaced persons. 5.6 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance, including 2.3 million people living in UN-declared hard-to-reach and besieged areas, while vulnerable groups such as women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities remain of particular concern and deserve specific attention. The Syria crisis has continued to be characterised by large-scale displacement of population, with some 2.6 million people displaced in 2017, and more than 500 000 newly displaced during the first quarter of 2018 alone.
In Syria, 8.2 million people live in communities reporting explosive hazards as a key protection concern while civilian infrastructure such as health facilities lays in ruins. 2.9 million people are living with permanent disabilities and some 30 000 new conflict-related trauma cases per month are leading to thousands of permanent disabilities. Less than half of the health facilities are operational: their destruction has deprived millions of people of access to health care. When it comes to education, in Syria 1.75 million children are out of school and a further 1.35 million at risk of dropping out.
Meanwhile, de-escalation agreements failed to deliver on their expectations. Humanitarian access remained severely constrained, civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian aid workers were victims of targeted attacks and indiscriminate shelling, and access to basic and lifesaving services were denied in blatant violations of IHL and relevant UNSC resolutions.
Humanitarian and protection needs remain immense while the conflict continues unabated across many parts of the country, most recently in Eastern Ghouta, Idlib and Afrin. Further escalation to other parts of the country may be expected, including in the Northern Homs area, Yarmouk, and southern Governorate of Der'a.
In Northern Syria, the situation in Idlib is of particular concern due to the high concentration of vulnerable civilians. In December 2017, a military offensive led by the Government of Syria targeted Idlib governorate causing destruction of already overstretched civilian infrastructures and more than 300 000 new displacements in an area already hosting more than 1.1 million displaced people over a total population of 2 million. Furthermore, Northern Syria has received more than 60 000 evacuees from Eastern Ghouta, Hama, and northern Homs in the first months of 2018. Idlib governorate is also an area of frequent clashes among armed groups which negatively impact the protection of civilians and humanitarian access.
Military operations in Afrin district and Tal Refaat sub-district (Syria, Aleppo Governorate) resulted in significant civilian casualties, increased humanitarian needs and 137 000 people are estimated to have been displaced.
As of May 2018, the military offensives continue in Central Syria, alongside forced reconciliations and thousands of evacuations. In April 2018, the besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta was retaken by the Government of Syria after an intense military operation conducted in a densely populated area, resulting in vast humanitarian needs. In May 2018, an offensive over the besieged area of Yarmouk was launched by the Syrian army.
Access to the Rukban area (the 'Berm') at the southern border of the country is still constrained, while humanitarian needs are still present in North and Eastern Governorates of the country.
The additional EU funding will allow timely, flexible and appropriate provision of humanitarian assistance to respond to the recent aggravation in the crisis and to the increasing needs, inter alia, in terms of: protection, food, health, WASH, EiE, in line with the Whole of Syria approach, and from all entry points and through all modalities. It aims to support those most in need through a targeted approach, as well as supporting humanitarian preparedness and contingency plan in anticipation of further displacement and continued access constraints. DG ECHO will support quality humanitarian interventions to respond to primary needs of the most vulnerable wherever they are in a timely, adapted, flexible and strategic manner. Particularly, the approach includes, as main components, lifesaving/first line emergency Response, life sustaining assistance and link with long term programming.