Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme
Sixty-second session
Geneva, 1-5 October 2012
A. Situational analysis including new developments
Unrest in the Syrian Arab Republic has forced hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee to neighbouring countries. Smaller numbers of Syrian refugees have sought protection further afield, mainly in the Gulf States, North Africa and Europe. UNHCR and host governments have registered some 246,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. More than 100,000 refugees were registered in the month of August alone. In addition, an estimated 1.2 million Syrians are internally displaced.
As part of the UN’s Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria, UNHCR and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent have mounted a programme of cash and material assistance that aims to reach 100,000 internally displaced families by the end of 2012. Although there has not been a shift in the Syrian Government’s policy towards the entry and stay of refugees in the country, the number of refugees in the Syrian Arab Republic from Iraq and other countries has decreased. Since the beginning of 2012, the number of Iraqi refugees in the country has dropped from 102,000 to 87,000 as of the end of August.
Lebanon is hosting some 78,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, over 90 per cent of whom are Syrian. Of the 71,000 Syrian refugees in the country, 51,000 have registered with UNHCR, with the remaining number awaiting registration. The majority of Syrian refugees are being hosted by local communities in northern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Iraqi refugees and asylum-seekers remain a sizeable urban refugee population, with some 8,000 individuals living in Beirut.
The Jordanian Government estimates that more than 200,000 refugees have entered the country since the beginning of the Syrian crisis. Approximately, 91,000 have been registered or assisted by UNHCR. The Jordanian Government’s open border policy allowed Syrians to enter the country without restrictions on their movement or location. Most refugees subsequently settled with relatives, host families or in rented accommodations. In early August, the Government established a tented camp in northern Jordan where all new arrivals are being transferred. UNHCR and partners are assisting with shelter, ready-made meals, non-food items and health and education facilities. Some 29,000 Iraqi refugees are also being supported by UNHCR in Jordan.
