Syria’s crisis has severely affected Lebanon and Jordan. In Lebanon, the initial consequence of revolution and war in Syria was an influx of up to 1.5 million Syrian refugees. With 855,000 of these refugees registered with UNHCR, Lebanon has on that measure the highest proportion of displaced people per capita in the world. With the recent economic crisis in Lebanon, UNICEF estimates that over half of the population in Lebanon is now under the poverty line, and 89% of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are below the extreme poverty line. 

In Jordan, the Syrian crisis has resulted in a large influx of refugees. In August 2021, 669,497 Syrian refugees were registered with UNHCR in the country, 80% of whom are living outside of refugee camps. Jordan's economy, which already showed high unemployment and debt levels, was badly hit by the pandemic. The unemployment rate spiked to 23% in the second quarter of 2020, a 3.7% increase from the previous quarter. World Bank research in 2020 showed that 54% of businesses in Jordan report that they fell, or are soon expected to fall, into debt. Additionally, one third of Syrian refugees who were employed before the start of the pandemic have lost their jobs, increasing risks of a further drop in the income of refugee households.

Within this context, civil society actors are of increasing importance in addressing protection concerns among refugee and vulnerable host communities in both Lebanon and Jordan, not least as political, economic and social challenges are mounting in the region. In this, international non-governmental organisations have an increasingly relevant and important role in delivering protection services and in related advocacy, often in partnership with national civil society organisations.

To generate projects from international civil society partners that focus on sustainable improvements in protection outcomes and seek to promote longer-term, inclusive and sustainable solutions for refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon, DANIDA has issued a Call for Proposals.

Specifically, the Call for Proposal will aim for sustainable activities that address vulnerabilities and social tension, and increase capacities for change, in particular among youth and women, through conflict-sensitive, protection-focused activities that strengthen access to basic legal, social and economic rights. For instance, this may be in the form of projects that:

1. address challenges related to legal stay along with housing, land and property issues;
2. address gender-based violence;
3. improve mental health and psycho-social well-being;
4. address child labour;
5. empower youth as agents of change;
6. or address any other central protection challenges as identified through a thorough context analysis

The overall amount made available under this CfP is DKK 90 million and it will result in a maximum of 3-5 grants, each totaling DKK 10-35 million with a duration of 24-48 months.