As Syria's
war reaches another grim milestone today, refugees fleeing the
five-year conflict face greater hurdles to finding safety while
international solidarity with its victims is failing to match and
reflect the scale and seriousness of the humanitarian tragedy.
"Syria
is the biggest humanitarian and refugee crisis of our time, a
continuing cause of suffering for millions which should be garnering
a groundswell of support around the world," said United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, adding that
only a political settlement would end the suffering but more
countries had to take a greater share of refugees in the meantime.
While there
are recent glimmers of hope with increased humanitarian access in
Syria, the cessation of hostilities, renewed peace talks and promises
of better funding, the fifth anniversary of Syria's war comes amid a
backdrop of increasingly managed borders by neighbouring countries,
creaking under the strain of hosting so many refugees. This is
leaving thousands of vulnerable people stranded inside Syria, unable
to leave the country.
Further
afield, European states which once welcomed Syrians are now bringing
down the shutters in the wake of increasing numbers of refugees
seeking safety there. Several countries have imposed entry and border
restrictions, leading to a build-up of tens of thousands of refugees
in Greece, while the European Union is in discussions with Turkey on
an agreement that could potentially see asylum-seekers sent back to
Turkey.
Meanwhile,
refugees in countries neighbouring Syria are more vulnerable than
ever and taking increased risks to survive – embarking on dangerous
journeys to Europe or resorting to dangerous survival strategies such
as child labour, early marriage or sexual exploitation.
Grandi said
that while higher donor pledges of $5.9 billion for the 2016 appeal
for humanitarian and development aid in London last month were
welcome, funds need to be urgently disbursed and matched by other
forms of international solidarity.
These
include better access to livelihoods and education for the majority
of refugees in neighbouring countries and a greater sharing of
responsibility by more countries around the world, through open
asylum systems and increased opportunities for Syrians to move to
third countries through organized channels.
"A
tragedy of this scale demands solidarity beyond funding. Put simply,
we need more countries to share the load by taking a greater share of
refugees from what has become the biggest displacement crisis of a
generation," Grandi said.
On March 30,
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, will be hosting a high-level
international conference in Geneva, calling on governments for a
major increase in places for Syrians. To date, some 170,000 such
places have been pledged by governments around the world. UNHCR hopes
to increase that to at least 10 per cent of the registered refugee
population, currently at 4.8 million people in the immediate
surrounding region alone, over the next few years.
Coming on
the heels of the fifth anniversary of Syria's war, the March 30
meeting will be opportunity for governments and communities globally
to concretely boost their support for Syrians.
"We
are at a crossroads now as we mark another sad milestone in Syria's
war: if the world fails to work together due to short-term interests,
lack of courage and knee jerk reactions to shift the burden
elsewhere, we will look back ruefully on this lost opportunity to act
with solidarity and shared humanity," Grandi said.
Five years
on, Syria's conflict has spawned 4.8 million refugees in neighbouring
countries, hundreds of thousands in Europe, and 6.6 million people
displaced inside Syria against a pre-war population of over 20
million.
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