As the Syria crisis nears its seventh year,
civilians continue to bear the brunt. The crisis has
devastated the whole country resulting in deteriorated basic living conditions, leading to the quasi collapse or serious fatigue of
all institutions. As a result, household incomes dropped, productivity of economic
activities decreased, investments are impaired, market opportunities are
reduced, trust and social relations are weakened, and health, housing and
shelter conditions have drastically declined. Human capital is also severely
affected with an increased death toll, injuries, disabilities, displacement,
migration and brain drain. As a result, Syrian institutions face a risk of
breakdown in the coming period of time.
In this context, providing emergency humanitarian assistance alone
can no longer sustain long-term resilience of Syrians
people and institutions. More innovative approaches are needed not only to
improve the lives and livelihoods of affected individuals and communities but
also to sustain human capacity and vital institutions in Syria.
Since early recovery aims at turning the dividends of humanitarian
action into sustainable crisis recovery, resilience building as well as
development opportunities, sustaining and strengthening human and institutional
capacity is one of the most effective means to enhance people’s resilience and
adaptability to the changing contexts. Adopting a resilience building approach through
empowering the affected populations and institutions and building effective
partnerships among them and with their supporters in the humanitarian response
sphere is proven to be effective and efficient in helping people and
communities withstand the negative shocks of the protracted crisis.
