2014 UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOS - GENEVA

1. 2014 UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOS - GENEVA Side Event on Protection services for all: Integrating and empowering the diversity of refugee populations in sexual and gender-based violence programming, 18 June 2014 Martine Najem, MPH Center for Studies on Ageing CSA Center for Public Health Practice, FHS/AUB

2. Older Refugees in Crisis Situations • Deterioration of physical health and exacerbation of pre-existing health conditions • Chronic diseases • Sensory impairment • Neurological Problems • Mental Health worsened due to accumulation of stress • Economic constraints due to absence of income • Socio-cultural influences • Attachment to home • Traditional authority and respect within family is threatened with displacement

3. Older Refugees in Crisis Situations – Cont’d • Inadequacy of relief packages/Kits • Low access to health care services and relief supplies • Lack the knowledge and skills among care providers to attend to the specific needs of older people among refugees

4. Syrian Refugees Crisis • A regional priority of utmost urgency in the Middle East • More than 2 million Syrian refugees are dispersed in the region among Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq. • Amplified need for humanitarian aid and basic commodities • Shortage in resources to ensure appropriate response • Lack of attention to specific vulnerable groups

5. How vulnerable are Syrian refugees? • A significant proportion of registered refugees are above 60 years: 3000 to 20,000 in each refugee population • Research by HI and HAI in Jordan and Lebanon: • 30 per centof refugees have specific needs • 1 in 5 refugees is affected by physical, sensory or intellectual impairment • 1 in 7 is affected by chronic disease • Needs Assessment in Northern Iraq (Domiz Camp) • Women with disabilities more vulnerable as they were unmarried compared to men with disabilities who tended to marry non-disabled women. • No specific mechanisms to target older people or PWD

6. Zoom in …. Older Women Refugees • Systematically challenged and disempowered by poverty and lack of access to social services • Still expected to fulfill their traditional roles without resources • Compromise their own health and well being to take care of others • Lack of privacy undermines their sense of dignity • Excluded from receiving aid if widowed or single • Restricted movement because of insecurity and fears of harassment or attack • Increased vulnerability to exploitation in remote areas and where the terrain is difficult

7. Role of Older Women Refugees • Older women contribute in many ways: • Income generators • Caring for children, the sick, or orphaned dependents • Teaching younger people, especially by their example of co-operative action • Supporting in food production • Having a role to mitigate conflict within household and with the host community

8. CSA Symposium on Older Persons in Emergencies:December 2013 Objectives • To draw attention to seniors in emergency in the context of the Syrian refugee crisis • To present available data / statistics on older refugees • To discuss challenges faced in providing aid to older refugees based on experiences in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon • To discuss opportunities for engaging seniors as active contributors in their own communities • To draft the essentials of an action plan to address issues related to the seniors among the Syrian refugees in Lebanon

9. CSA Symposium: Older Persons in Emergencies Outcome • A bilingual action brief on “Seniors in Emergencies” • Distributed to participants to guide relief efforts in dealing with seniors in emergencies. • Made available to interested NGOs for ease of reference of relief workers in the field. • An updated policy brief on seniors in emergencies

10. Older Persons in Emergencies Selected Recommendations • Ensure the inclusion of older people in needs assessments • Fund programs specifically for older refugees • Ensure that older persons have easier access to services and humanitarian aid and their specific needs are met • Tap unto older persons as a resource in emergency situations • Include services which offer care-giving services to older persons • Develop a training program for social and relief workers on older people inclusive programming • Engage women and older women in scaling up the prevention against SGBV

11. Proposed Program Building understanding and technical capacity for older people-inclusive humanitarian response HelpAge International and Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) • Objective 1: Recognize the specific needs and capacities of older adults in humanitarian settings • Objective 2: Advocate within their organizations and communities for older-person inclusive programming • Objective 3: Develop an action plan for an inclusive humanitarian program in their sector and area of work • Objective 4: Support other peers in designing, implementing and evaluating older-person inclusive programs

12. References • HelpAge International and Handicap International (2014). Hidden victims of the Syrian crisis: disabled, injured and older refugees. • Chahda N, Sayah H, Strong J, Varady CJ. Forgotten voices: An insight into older persons among refugees from Syrian in Lebanon. Beirut, Lebanon: Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center 2013 • UNHCR & Help Age- International. Older people in disasters and humanitarian crises: Guidelines for best practice. • Handicap International (2013) Rapid Needs Assessment Situation of children, youth and adults with disabilities, within and around Domiz, Northern Iraq. • International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) (2013). Building capacity for disability inclusion in gender-based violence programming in humanitarian settings-Jordan. • Ministry of Social Affairs & UNFPA (2007). Experiences, Needs, Vulnerabilities, & Resources of Older Adults. Population and Development Strategies (PDS) Project. • El-Masri, R.,  Harvey, C., & Garwood, R.(2013). Shifting Sands: Changing gender roles among refugees in Lebanon.

13. Thank you