31 March 2016
This week, countries around the world have been attending a two-day UNHCR conference in Geneva to discuss support for the resettlement of Syrian refugees. There have been many statements on the general need for increased efforts from states to support refugees in the Middle East region, as well as recognition that for some people resettlement for protection, health or other reasons is the only option.
The UK Minister responsible for Syrian Refugees, Richard Harrington MP, spoke at the conference on Wednesday highlighting that the UK recognises: “that there are particularly vulnerable refugees whose needs can best be met through resettlement. Targeted resettlement is therefore a modest, but important, part of our response to the Syria crisis. It is one of the ways in which we aim to reduce the need for refugees to make dangerous journeys, often in the hands of ruthless criminals.”
The conference in Geneva comes two weeks after the 5th anniversary of the Syrian uprising. Five years of brutal conflict have left hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, countless human rights abuses and created an unprecedented refugee crisis.
While it is imperative that diplomatic efforts receive the full support of all states it is also important to recognise the flaws in these initiatives. Who is left out and how can we ensure that these protection gaps are closed?
This was the topic of a discussion in the British Parliament last week hosted by the SNP Friends of Palestine and the Palestinian Return Centre. In addition to sharing MAP’s new factsheet and petition on this issue, former MAP employee and current London School of Economics (LSE) PHD candidate, Anne Irfan, presented her research on UNRWA and protection gaps for Palestinians along with panellists from Amnesty International, the Palestinian Return Centre and a humanitarian worker speaking remotely from the Balkans, where many refugees are arriving into Europe.
The event touched on many of the obstacles facing Palestinian refugees from Syria in the camps in the region, but also those who have made the perilous journey to Europe and, in some cases have arrived in the UK. We heard from Ahmad Younes, a Palestinian from Yarmouk camp who arrived in the UK in October 2015 after travelling through Turkey, the Balkans and spending months in the Calais camp. Ahmad’s experience highlighted the irrefutable importance of addressing these protection gaps and how even those who have made it to the UK continue to face discrimination through the asylum system on the basis of their Palestinian identity.
The event ended with a call for MPs present to raise this issue at every opportunity and for audience members to contact their MPs and sign our petition on this issue.
You can read our factsheet on this issue here and please do sign our petition calling on the UK Government to ensure humanitarian assistance and protection options for refugees fleeing war in Syria are also made available to Palestinians.
Featured image: LSE phd candidate and former MAP employee, Anne Irfan, addresses MPs, Lords and members of the public