Researcher Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps has developed a Crisis Analysis function to support our programming in the most complex contexts, including Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine, and others. The Crisis Analysis supports Mercy Corps in-country programming as well as the wider humanitarian response in the region through the provision of quality, timely and relevant analytical products. This analysis is grounded in Mercy Corps position as an operational NGO, keeping our products constructive and relevant for humanitarian, early recovery, and development responders and donors within a given crisis.

This study directly serves the Regional Development and Protection Program (RDPP) audience and aligns with the advocacy priority of driving progress in improving the socio-economic conditions of Syrian refugees and host communities through inclusion and self-reliance. By mapping viable sectors, identifying enabling conditions, and analyzing barriers to investment, it will generate evidence that helps advocacy and policy actors pinpoint where private_x0002_sector engagement can meaningfully contribute to shared prosperity. The findings will also hold operational relevance for programs seeking to build partnerships or design interventions that link refugee livelihoods to sustainable market systems.

The product aims to inform advocacy that advances inclusive, market-driven approaches to refugee and host_x0002_community self-reliance. By identifying strategic sectors, policy enablers, and partnership models, it will support RDPP stakeholders in promoting private-sector engagement that balances commercial interests with social outcomes. Its secondary value lies in guiding programme design and investment planning, ensuring that interventions are grounded in realistic economic conditions and aligned with broader efforts to foster inclusion and resilience

Funded by RDPP, the Strengthening Regional Policy Dialogue and Partnerships on Solutions project seeks to promote adaptive solutions for Syrian refugees through evidence-based policy dialogue, advocacy, and strategic alliance-building. Implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mercy Corps, the project leverages Mercy Corps Crisis Analysis to support ongoing and emerging policy and advocacy efforts underpinned by a bespoke body of evidence and grounded in contextual realities. As a multi-donor platform managed by the Kingdom of Denmark, RDPP was first initiated in 2014 as a multi-donor response to address the humanitarian and development needs of refugees and displacement-affected communities in the countries neighbouring Syria. The study on Exploring Market Opportunities: Cross-border Cooperation and MSME Potential in Lebanon will map strategic economic sectors and trade opportunities between Lebanon and Syria, that support both refugees and host communities on either side of the border, examining how targeted private-sector engagement can strengthen inclusion and self-reliance. It will identify where what currently drives cross-border market systems, which constraints and opportunities exist for its further growth, which employment and micro/small business opportunities such growth would create, which market incentives align with these social objectives, assess what policy and structural barriers constrain the required investments, including the exploration of how emerging cross_x0002_border economic cooperation with Syria could complement these efforts. The analysis will be descriptive, explanatory, qualitative and interpretive, with a descriptive focus on mapping key sectors and actors, an explanatory approach to unpack the mechanisms and incentives that enable or constrain private-sector participation, and an interpretive dimension to assess how these dynamics shape prospects for refugee and host community self-reliance in Lebanon s evolving economic context.