Report: 16 to 31 December 2020

As nations in the ME region still quarrel with the pandemic, other countries prepare to send vaccines to the region. Although some experts from the medical community detest using the vaccines due to unknown side effects that may befall a patient, there is no doubt that many people are willing to give it a try. There are already high hopes and positive outlooks for national economies. Some officials went as far to claim that we will witness an economic boom. So let us just hope and pray for the best. May this be a chance for us to turn things around and thus begin to reconstruct our region.

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION

Egypt

According to an assessment released by Oxford Business Group (OBG), Egypt’s economy will be the only economy in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region to experience positive growth in GDP this year.[1]
The World Bank Group urged Egypt to enact more transparency measures about the state’s economic activity, a step that would encourage investment. [2]

International Monetary Fund, photo credit: Middle East Monitor.

Jordan

After completing its first review of Jordan's economic performance, the IMF said that Jordan's "monetary policy should remain supportive given the still-fragile economy" calling for more efforts "to preserve stability and promote financial inclusion."[3]

Iraq

As Iraq’s economy dwindles, the central bank devaluated in an attempt to save it. Yet, experts suggest that this might not be enough and that it may not be able to pay public wages.[4]

President Michel Aoun and Mr. Saad Hariri in  another fruitless meeting, Dec 22, 2020, photo credit: Daily Star. — President Michel Aoun and Mr. Saad Hariri in another fruitless meeting, Dec 22, 2020, photo credit: Daily Star.

Lebanon

Despite former PM Saad Hariri’s promise to form a government before Christmas, Lebanon still does not have one in place.[5]
According to the official National News Agency, Lebanon’s parliament approved a bill that suspends banking secrecy laws for one year to allow for a forensic audit of the central bank, which is a key demand of international donors.[6]

Palestinians hope the economy will improve due to the availability of the vaccine. Dec.20 2020, photo credit: Wafa.

Palestine

According to the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) the Palestinian economy is likely to improve and recover during the year 2021 despite its drop by 12 percent during 2020.[7]

Syria

Syria once again hiked prices for Portland cement, although stable production at state-owned factories and a continuous flow of the building material from Lebanon and Turkey has kept supply levels high.[8]
Bread shortage in Syria continues to increase in Syria as even children skip school to wait several hours in line.[9]

Cyprus

Seeking to revitalize its economy, Cyprus started allowing foreigners from third world countries to easily set up their own businesses. [10]
Cyprus' lawmakers voted down 2021’s state budget for the first time since the country's founding in 1960, amid a disagreement over a probe into a corrupt "golden passport" program.[11]
1. 18 USD Euro official currency value[12]

THE REFUGEE SITUATION

Egypt

According to a recent estimate, the unemployment rate among refugees in Egypt is 29 per cent, compared with 8.9 per cent nationally.[1]

Jordan

[Please note that the section regarding displacement of refugees has not been updated by UNHCR Jordan]

The UNHCR states that there are currently 659,673 registered refugees in Jordan up until the beginning of November.

The proportion of Syrian displaced people registered within the UNHCR for November, are distributed as follows:

194,865 in Amman Governorate (29.5 %)
164,087in Mafraq Governorate (24.8%)
136,186 in Irbid Governorate (20.6%)
96,553 in Zarqa Governorate (14.6%)
18,338 in Balqa Governorate (2.8%)
13,093 in Madaba Governorate (2%)
9,371 in Jarash Governorate (1.4%)
8,482 in Karak Governorate (1.3%)
8,378 in Maan Governorate (1.3%)
6,556 in Ajlun Governorate (1.0%)
3,697 in Aqaba Governorate (0.6%)
1,694 in Tafilah Governorate (0.3%)

A team from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) convened with UN officials plans to renovate schools in the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan.[2]

Qatar Charity, in partnership with Qatar airways, started distributing basic winter aid to 5000 low-income and Syrian refugee families across Jordan, as part of its continued “Warmth and Peace” winter campaign.[3]

Iraq

The UNHCR states that there are currently 241,682 registered Syrian refugees in Iraq.

The proportion of displaced Syrian people registered within the UNHCR up until the beginning of December, are distributed as follows:

122,666 in Erbil (50.8%)
84,188 in Dahuk (34.8%)
31,212 in Sulaymaniyah (13.0%)
1,192 in Anbar (0.5%)
2,323 in other areas (0.8%)[4]

The Government of Sweden, represented by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a three-year, SEK 140 million* (US$ 16.4 million) agreement to further support vulnerable communities in Iraq.[5]

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in cooperation with the German government, is supporting IOM Iraq’s continued efforts to boost economic recovery and sustainable job creation, by providing a further EUR 20 million in funding for 2020-2024.[6]

Lebanon

[The statistics regarding the distribution of refugees has not been updated by UNHCR Lebanon.]

Since the beginning of October, the number of registered refugees in Lebanon is 879,529.

Refugees in Lebanon are distributed as follows:

340,600 in Bekaa (38.7%)
236,635 in North Lebanon (26.9%)
205,883 in Beirut (23.4%)
96,411 in South Lebanon (11.0%)[7]

More than 300 Syrian refugees were forced to flee an informal camp in northern Lebanon as members of the host community burned their tents.[8]

22 Turkish NGOs launched the “Palestinian Camps-Development and Improvement Campaign” held at the MÜSİAD (Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association) Headquarters with the aim of improving the living conditions of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.[9]

Syria

To support over 400,000 people in Safira district in south-eastern rural Aleppo, including families who have returned following a respite in violence after years on the move, UNICEF is installing five high water reservoirs and two underground reservoirs in the area with a total capacity of 1.5 million litters[10].
Belgium contributed 2 million Euros to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Syria to continue its humanitarian activities in Syria.[11]
An emergency appeal has been launched to raise a total of 30.8 million Swiss francs to support the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to continue providing life-saving assistance that meets the critical humanitarian needs of more than one million vulnerable people in 2021.[12]

Qatar Charity (QC) launched the “Support Non-Formal Education Activities (ALP Courses) for Out of School Children” project in northern Syria, in partnership with the Syria Cross border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF) of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 1200 children will benefit from this project.[13]

Cyprus

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris claimed that 78% refugees coming from Syria to Cyprus are not under threat and come from safe areas.[14]
According to Cyprus Mail, 2021 will start of “Phoenix Project” that will help refugees become entrepreneurs.[15]

The Refugee Situation References

[1] Relief Web, Dec 15, 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/humanitarian-action-children-2021-syrian-refugees

[2] Arab News, Dec. 29, 2020, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1784216/saudi-arabia

[3] OCHA, Dec. 27, 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/jordan/qatar-charity-qatar-airways-provide-winter-aid-5000-people-jordan

[4] https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/5

[5] OCHA, Dec. 28, 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/sweden-reaffirms-partnership-undp-support-vulnerable-iraqis

[6] OCHA, Dec. 27, 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/germany-iom-expand-partnership-support-economic-recovery-iraq-enarku

[7] https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/71

[8] Egypt Independent, Dec 27, 2020, https://egyptindependent.com/syrian-refugee-camp-burnt-to-ground-in-northern-lebanon/

[9] OCHA, Dec. 27, 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/aid-campaign-turkey-palestinian-refugees

[10] OCHA, Dec 25, 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/wash-project-benefit-over-400000-people

[11] OCHA, Dec 24, 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/belgium-supports-icrc-s-action-syria-contribution-2-million-euros

[12] OCHA, Dec 22, 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syria-complex-emergency-emergency-revised-emergency-appeal-n-9-mdrsy003

[13] OCHA, Dec 22, 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/qatar-charity-launches-education-project-out-school-children-northern

[14] Cyprus Mail, Dec. 2, 2020, https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/12/02/78-per-cent-of-asylum-claims-are-bogus-says-minister/

[15] Cyprus Mail, December 21, 2020, https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/12/21/new-project-helps-talented-refugees/

[1]Middle East Monitor, Dec. 24, 2020, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201224-report-egypt-the-only-mena-economy-with-growth-this-year/

[2] Bloomberg, Dec. 21, 2020, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-21/world-bank-outlines-steps-for-egypt-to-boost-private-investment

[3] Middle East Monitor, Dec. 16, 2020, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201216-imf-requires-more-economic-efforts-from-jordan/

[4] Central Banking, Dec 22, 2020, https://www.centralbanking.com/central-banks/monetary-policy/7726111/central-bank-of-iraq-devalues-currency-by-23

[5] Daily Star, Dec. 22, 2020, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2020/Dec-22/515615-hariri-aoun-meet-in-bid-to-resolve-deadlock.ashx

[6] Arab News, Dec 21, 2020, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1780611/business-economy

[7] Wafa, Dec 20, 2020, https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/122524

[8] https://www.syria-report.com/

[9] Washington Post, Dec 26, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/syria-economy-bread-wheat-crisis/2020/12/24/ed6a2d72-3e55-11eb-b58b-1623f6267960_story.html

[10] The National Herald, Dec. 2020, https://www.thenationalherald.com/cyprus_economy/arthro/cyprus_will_let_third_country_nationals_set_up_businesses_fast-1407749/

[11] The National Herald, Dec. 18, 2020, https://www.thenationalherald.com/cyprus_economy/arthro/cypriot_lawmakers_reject_state_budget_for_1st_time_ever-1425140/

[12] https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/policy_and_exchange_rates/euro_reference_exchange_rates/html/eurofxref-graph-usd.en.html

Socio Economic References