On a mission to northeast Syria in April, Refugees International interviewed a number of local groups providing humanitarian response in the region. The groups work in IDP camps, in host communities, with the displaced, with residents who never left, and with IDP and refugee returnees. These groups provide a range of services from food distribution to health care to shelter assistance. However, they are significantly limited in what they can achieve due to scarce funding and lack of capacity. As one IDP told RI, “Providing a bed and blanket does not solve the [displacement] problem.”
In general, the capacity of these local groups does appear promising, but there are no systematic efforts underway to grow this capacity. Now is the time for the United States and other donors to offer these groups the support they need to thrive. Specifically, new resources for northeast Syria should be channeled through a range of local groups that work with the people and communities in need, regardless of who the local authorities are. Donors should engage in ways that build capacity and enhance this coordination. For their part, the local authorities must facilitate better access to all populations in need. “As local as possible, as international as necessary,” is a principle that has long been talked about in humanitarian response circles, and it can be implemented to great effect in northeast Syria.
