The conflict in Syria has severely impacted the lives of Palestine refugees. Almost 300,000 of the total 540,000 Palestine refugees have been displaced. UNRWA has responded with key programmatic measures to counter these adverse impacts, especially by providing emergency cash assistance for refugees to be able to meet their basic needs of food and shelter. In 2011 the Syria Field Office (SFO) started implementing the Emergency Response Programme which is supported by emergency assistance funding. The main components of the Emergency Response Programme are cash assistance, food assistance, and non-food items distribution.
In 2013 SFO requested an evaluation of the Emergency Cash Assistance component of the Emergency Response Programme mainly to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the Programme. The evaluation was conducted between December 2013 and July 2014 using a mixed team approach with an external expert supported by UNRWA Evaluation Division and the Assurance and Advisory Service Division staff. The report is based on a review of relevant documentation, discussions with key stakeholders, structured and semi-structured interviews, and analysis of this information.
