Emergency humanitarian assistance for persons displaced from Syria seeking protection in Armenia

UNHCR Armenia has provided humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable families displaced from Syria to Armenia to help them meet their basic needs and mitigate the social and economic challenges caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

The humanitarian support was made possible in the frame of the “UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund” project aimed at supporting the Government’s efforts in ensuring the mainstreaming and inclusion of the displaced Syrian families in the national preparedness and response plans.

Figures at a Glance

• In total, 247 households received multi-purpose cash assistance through bank transfers.
• The overall budget of the cash assistance was USD 70,000.

Objective and scope of assistance

In the spirit of the United Nations and humanitarian values, and to complement the Government’s efforts in addressing the economic impact of the pandemic on the population, UNHCR elaborated an emergency support component targeting extremely vulnerable displaced families. Individuals ineligible for the ongoing state assistance schemes and, hence, unable to relieve the negative consequences of the pandemic on their livelihoods were among the beneficiaries.

During August-September 2020, one-time cash assistance was delivered by UNHCR’s partner – Mission Armenia NGO – in close cooperation with state authorities, UN agencies and partner NGOs. By eliminating duplications and applying complementarity, the Project ensured no one was marginalised and left behind. The beneficiary households were selected based on the following vulnerability criteria: single elderly, women or children at risk, persons with disabilities and specific needs, single parents or caregivers and those living in remote communities with limited access to livelihood and decent education, social services and community support, or state social protection schemes.

In view of the months-long COVID-19 emergency affecting displaced populations in Armenia, UNHCR has initiated two large-scale assistance projects as such, with the first project targeting 507 vulnerable refugees, asylum-seekers and other displaced populations accomplished last spring. The assistance projects went in parallel with distribution of food and clothing, masks and hygiene items, awareness-raising and counselling, care to the bed-ridden and elderly and outreach to the vulnerable families, and other emergency support.