/ 19 4.4. Syria Field More than 490,000 Palestine refugees are registered with UNRWA in Syria. The refugees have access to social services provided by the Syrian government. However, the Palestine refugee population suffers from lower performance in some of the main development indicators, such as higher infant mortality, compared to the host population. Furthermore, school enrolment is lower and school drop out higher in the refugee community than within the host community. Unemployment rate is high within the refugee community, especially among youth, of whom more that 50 percent are unemployed. There are also a number of Iraqi Palestine refugees in Syria, whose situation is difficult; vulnerable to harassment and exploitation.21 4.4.1 Syria Field key protection initiatives Ensure access for refugees with disabilities UNRWA has identified over 5,400 persons with disabilities as a group in the Palestine refugee population that is particularly vulnerable in terms of access to services. In order to prevent neglect and support disabled persons to access services to which they are entitled, the need to enhance social and physical accessibility of UNRWA installations for persons with disabilities has been identified as an important protection priority. UNRWA has conducted an audit of all its facilities in Syria and identified a number of facilities that are not currently complying with physical accessibility requirements. To ensure the equal enjoyment of human rights for persons with disabilities the Syria field has designed a project, yet to be implemented, to: Syria field office will focus its protection within the following areas: • • • • • Disability - Mainstreaming disability in programming and ensure access to UNRWA services for persons with disabilities. Youth - Equipping Palestine and Iraqi Palestinian refugee youth with marketable vocational skills and advocating for entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for young refugees in Syria. Iraqi Palestinian refugees – in cooperation with UNHCR continuing to support the needs of this vulnerable group. Enhance accessibility of UNRWA services for persons with disabilities; Work with UNRWA staff and the community to address the social barriers to service access for persons with disabilities. This initiative will contribute to HDG 4 Human rights enjoyed to the fullest extent possible. More specifically to strategic objective 12: • Ensure service delivery meets the protection needs of beneficiaries, including vulnerable groups. Syria Field Office mainstreams protection through a number of thematic fields, including access to services, gender-based violence, cash assistance and psycho-social support. While protection projects remain ongoing, rapidly increasing needs among Palestine refugees are outpacing UNRWA’s ability to mobilise resources. In particular, the large rise in the number of urgent cash assistance applications since the beginning of the unrest, mean UNRWA lacks sufficient funds to support a majority of eligible cases. Palestine refugee households typically lack the asset base and wider social security networks of Syrian nationals, meaning their ability to respond to emergencies and wider economic challenges is significantly lower. As such, UNRWA’s protection activities focus on the poorest and most vulnerable sections of this population. 21 Syria FIP 2012-2013 © Isabel de la Cruz/ UNRWA archives