Background 

Homs and Aleppo Cities were highly affected by the Syrian crisis both in terms of physical, economic, and social repercussions, Earthquake 2023, and then the fall of Assad. The damage to housing, infrastructure, service facilities and economic activities was accompanied by population displacement and loss of social networks and capacity. This crisis had an even further impact on the urban informal settlements’ communities. During 2022 both cities have undergone a highly participatory recovery planning process that resulted in the area-based and community-based prioritization of thematic and geographic areas for short- and mid-term interventions. 

The project The Project for the Improvement of the Living Conditions in the Informal Settlements in Aleppo and Homs” supports the preparation of the informal neighborhoods profiles and following a community-led approach that integrates soft and hard activities focusing on four priority neighborhoods: two in the city of Homs and the other two in the city of Aleppo. This process accompanied with focus on implementing the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) plan in prioritized selected four neighborhoods, As-Sabil, and Deir Ba’albeh North, Deir Ba’albeh South informal neighborhoods in Homs and Karm Al-Daudau and As-Sukkari Informal Neighborhoods in the Bab Al Nayrab and Ansari Service Directorates in Aleppo.  

The project “Improving Community Disaster Reduction Response in Informal Settlements in Homs and Aleppo” focuses on a series of soft activities organized under three main objectives:

• Strengthening the capacity of urban informal settlements’ communities in Homs and Aleppo to respond to disasters and shocks.

• Facilitating participatory Hazard Vulnerability Risk Analysis and Assessment (HVRA) within targeted neighborhoods, led to developing Disaster Reduction Management Plan on neighborhood level.

• Raising awareness among entire communities of these neighborhoods. 

To achieve these objectives, the project includes training, coaching, and participatory HVRA activities that directly support project planning and design. This approach aims to build local resilience and ensure that interventions are informed by community needs and risks.

Purpose of CFP

UN-Habitat is intending to enhance the urban community-based resilience in the areas of DRR in As-Sabil, and Deir Ba’albeh North, Deir Ba’albeh South informal neighborhoods in Homs and As-Sukkari Informal neighborhoodsin Ansari Service Directorate in Aleppo. Consequently, fostering the readiness of the communities of these neighborhoods to effectively respond to potential disaster might encounter these communities. 

The intervention seeks to achieve this by providing training in areas such as Rescue, Emergency Preparedness, first aid, preliminary psychosocial support, schools safety, and Evacuation procedures. Another objective is to empower these community-based teams to actively participate in their neighborhoods and assist in conducting hazard vulnerability risk assessments for the purpose of development disaster plan. This will support the reintegration of returning residents, with a particular focus on women, youth, and individuals with disabilities. 

Ultimately, the intervention aims to strengthen the community's capacity to contribute to a resilient recovery plan of these neighborhoods and strengthen their preparedness to disaster response, which has been affected by a prolonged crisis and earthquake. The implementing partner will collaborate with local, community and stakeholders to select team members from each of the identified locations in the two governorates to be master trainers and lead the process of DRR in their neighborhoods.

Submission Requirements and Guidelines

The EOI must be delivered in electronic format no later than Sunday 5 April 2026, 23.59 (Syrian Time), to unhabitat-syria@un.org