New City Profiles

With support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the EU, 25 new and updated Rapid City Profiles ill be produced during 2015. The new City Profiles will cover both primary and secondary cities from different Syrian governorates including Aleppo, Homs, Dara'a, Idleb, Hama, Ar- Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zour, Al Hasakeh and Rural Damascus. The new profiles are being produced in consultation with the different humanitarian sectors and will identify humanitarian and recovery priorities at the neighbourhood level.

Support to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, and Solid Waste Management

Since late 2014 and supported by UNICEF, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration and BMZ, UN-Habitat has expanded its cooperation in the WASH sector to provide technical support on Water, Sanitation, and Solid Waste Management to Syrian cities. The projects focus on three areas (i) producing more detailed GIS-based information on the status of urban WASH assets – water, wastewater, treatment plants, landfills and transfer stations; (ii) quick impact community projects to address local priorities; (iii) health and hygiene awareness and neighbourhood clean-up campaigns. The projects are being implemented in Aleppo, Homs and Rural Damascus.

Shelter Response

In 2015, UN-Habitat is increasing its engagement in the shelter sector. City-wide and neighbourhood shelter assessment will be conducted as a part of the City Profiling process. Additionally, more detailed assessments will be also done at a neighbourhood level to identify the most appropriate forms of shelter support in different neighbourhoods. Moreover, it will include a capacity assessment of local shelter actors and will mobilise the private sector to become more engaged in shelter activities in order to boost the local economy.

Based on the findings of the shelter needs assessment, mobile teams will implement the rehabilitation works including weatherproofing, partitions, services maintenance, building maintenance, feasibility studies for more significant rehabilitation works, provision of advice and training for collective centre management and prepare and oversee agreements between landlords and tenants that provide for security of tenure to vulnerable families. Support to host families will be provided through conditional cash support on a pilot basis.

State of Syrian Cities Report

UN-Habitat, in collaboration with national experts and institutions, will build on the City and Neighbourhood Profiles to produce a detailed analysis of the impact of the crisis on Syrian cities. Recovery oriented, the report will examine key issues such as urban economy, housing, land and property issues, energy and water supply.