Helping to Save Lives and Rebuild Communities: UNHCR Syria Mid-Year Report 2016

The protection needs of the Syrian population are massive and agencies face huge challenges in terms of access and reach to meet their needs. UNHCR together with other UN agencies and partners advocate on the behalf of IDPs to ensure that they receive the protection that they are entitled to under international humanitarian law and that the public is well informed on the issues they face. As such, in 2016 UNHCR reached over 693,688 individuals with Protection and Community Services interventions, including capacity building of UNHCR partners and outreach volunteers, targeted material assistance, socio-economic activities, recreational activities, psychosocial support (PSS), legal aid, gender-based violence (GBV) referral, child protection services, community based initiatives, as well as awareness raising sessions on various issues, ranging from residency procedures to prevention of GBV and early marriages. In addition, in order to provide community services and legal aid and maximize the outreach across key governorates hosting the majority of IDPs, UNHCR signed project partnership agreements with 25 partners, including with our main partner the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), international and national NGOs, as well as local partners.