Paper details

Paper authors	Ola El-Taliawi
In panel on	Syrian Remittances: Navigating Forced Displacement, Sanctions and Humanitarian Needs
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Along with humanitarian assistance, remittances are known to be a lifeline for many Syrian households. In tandem, the sanctions regime imposed against the Arab Republic of Syria and the dire consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are seen to have impacted Syrian refugees’ capacity to remit to their country of origin. Notably, however, recent evidence and research on these flows is extremely limited, which compromises our understanding of their real dimension and impact. Hence, this study explores the case of Syrians in Jordan, bringing to light the landscape of Syrian remittances in that country as well as the impact of sanctions and COVID-19 on their remittance behavior. This also serves as an opportunity to amplify the voices of Syrians and make relevant policy recommendations based on their insights.

This study relies mainly on primary qualitative and quantitative data collected in 2021. Hence, while also corroborated and supplemented by secondary sources, most of its findings derive from (1) in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with major relevant stakeholder groups, (2) an online survey with 130 Syrian residents in Jordan, and (3) two interviews with money service businesses in Amman, conducted through a “mystery shopping” approach. Overall, the study finds that COVID-19 and sanctions have added to the pressures placed on Syrians and reduced their capacity to remit. In particular, the pandemic has affected Syrians’ sources of income, channels and ease of transfer, and amounts and frequency of remits. For their part, sanctions have disrupted transfer networks and restricted Syrians’ access to formal remittance channels, while also having affected exchange rates. Put together with cheaper service fees, these factors seem to drive Syrians to use informal remittance channels, such as hawala. The study concludes that remittances can be harnessed for local recovery, and regulations should take into account Syrians’ need to survive in displacement, calling for policy reforms and pointing the way to solutions based on the views of Syrians and relevant stakeholders.

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