Regional IAWG Meeting Syria Presentation 20 th March 2012 Cairo, Egypt 1

2 Outline  Background  Country Office response prior to 2011  Emerging situation  Challenges  Criticality Analysis  Achievements  Lessons learnt  Way Forward

Background  Complex and long-term emergency that started in  New Situation that emerged in 2011  Civil unrest coupled with Sanctions  Restricted access to health care, medicine and food. 3

Country Response Prior to 2011 UNFPA provided reproductive health kits & secured medical equipment and supplies for 59 health centers located in the areas of Iraqis concentration; UNFPA provided essential personal hygiene items to Syrian Red Crescent & other NGOs; UNFPA and SARC joint initiative aimed at establishing an evidence base through GBV research & building national UNFPA provided direct reproductive health services including emergency obstetric care 4

Emerging Situation  The coping mechanisms of some poor communities have been stretched to the limit which affects access to RH services and results in an increase of vulnerabilities of women in affected areas;  Access and provision of medical assistance without fear of reprisals, protection of civilians and access to basic commodities in besieged cities became a key challenges.  The new context has changed the priorities and created further financial burden  Continuous coordination and discussion with key implementing partners building on development components success/previous humanitarian intervention 5

Challenges ….  Available data and official statistics are inadequate.  Absorption capacity of stakeholders and NGOs;  The ongoing developments in the country may negatively affect the established patterns of contraceptive use because of the challenges related to the interruption of public services, including access to family planning services/modern contraceptives in the violence affected areas;  Limitation of resources, financial as well as man power. 6

Criticality Analysis Activities were assigned a set of scores based on the following criteria Feasibility/viability Importance (positive impact/outcome/stakeholders’ view) Consequences (sensitivity and vulnerability aspects) non-critical intervention, and therefore can be cancelled/postponed; moderately critical intervention, and therefore can be deferred; critical intervention, and therefore should be conducted as envisaged 7

2011 Achievements  RH Clinic at the UNHCR Registration Center provided essential health/reproductive health services to Iraqi refugees;  543 Iraqi women received emergency obstetric care;  Procurement of Mobile units & Ambulances  Outreach campaigns and mobile services resulted in the provision of psychosocial support and reproductive health counseling and services to 5375 Syrian beneficiaries residing in the violence affected governorates;  1040 Syrian beneficiaries were reached out with reproductive health messages 8

Lesson Learnt  Partnership with Ob/Gyn University Hospital proved essential for delivery of high quality EmOC  Partnership and coordination with UNHCR turned out to be instrumental in securing essential health/reproductive health services to Iraqi refugees;  Partnership with Syrian Family Planning Association and Syrian Association for Health Promotion and Development turned out to be the key to the outreach and provision of mobile counseling and services to Syrian beneficiaries residing in the violence affected governorates including reproductive health/family planning counseling and services;  Tailoring UNFPA program to contribute to meeting humanitarian needs (PCA); 9

Way Forward  Continuous coordination with ASRO and HQ  Continue to engage with IPs especially NGOs for systematic needs assessment, conducting joint monitoring mission;  Further promotion of the involvement of NGOs including volunteers, since they have an easier access within the affected areas  Extending UNFPA humanitarian support to most affected areas Lattakia, Hama, Idleb, Dayr Az Zor, Homs and rural Damascus; 10

Way Forward (2) 11  Creating a network of trained midwives with the aim of covering all neighborhood in all geographical areas  Addressing the issue of family planning as a must during the crisis since the outcome of the pregnancy might be affected

Thank You 12