12/31/2023 0 Comments Refugees in middle eastern countries![]() For countries hosting large numbers of refugees, this is a difficult but not insurmountable task. ![]() Addressing the burdens placed on them while supporting the fundamental rights of vulnerable-often at risk-populations requires a transformative vision and willingness to undertake the necessary change. National governments also have a role to play in dealing with the fallout from this crisis. National Reallocation of Power and Resources ![]() A precedent for such a framework already exists in the 1965 Casablanca Protocol, which was meant to address Palestinian refugee rights. They would also include a clear regional framework of cooperation that allows refugees free movement and access to employment and services throughout the region. Such principles would include commitments from governments to support refugees in keeping with their capacities. This requires international systems of solidarity and clear principles for burden sharing, far beyond what has been the case thus far. A transformative vision is needed, backed by a sustained political and financial global commitment, to protect people from the vagaries of their own governments and to ensure dignified lives for those escaping the horrors of conflict. International instruments for managing the refugee crisis fall short of current challenges, including protecting vulnerable populations and managing the impact on frontline countries. International and Regional Frameworks for Burden and Responsibility Sharing While the analysis and these recommendations are focused on the Syrian context, which has generated the most refugees, the policy proposals have a broader applicability. To respond to this crisis, this chapter underlines three clusters of policy recommendations. However, these closures and restrictions have not prevented the informal flow of refugees but rather have fueled human smuggling networks across borders. The emergence of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria resulted in a collapse of border management between the two countries. Previously open borders have been placed under strict control or closed altogether, severely restricting the cross-border flow of people and goods. Meanwhile, because of security concerns, countries have sought to limit refugee flows. The paucity of clear guidelines defining the scope of municipal authorities resulted in varied local responses shaped by municipal councils’ political affiliations and the localities’ sociopolitical specificities. Despite being at the forefront of the crisis, municipalities in Lebanon and Jordan have also lacked the necessary support from central governments to meet the needs of Syrian refugees. This has meant policies that limit the access refugees have to services and undercut the rights accorded to them internationally. In the absence of regional frameworks to address this crisis, and amid fears of prolonged displacement, most countries in the region have responded with a nonintegration paradigm that seeks to return refugees to their countries of origin. In Lebanon and Jordan, governments in these two frontline countries have been left grappling with a mass influx of Syrian refugees at a time of diminished resources and depleted capacities. For the refugees, the crisis has resulted in a systematic decline in their rights, the quality of their lives, and in the educational standards and the future prospects of their children.īroadly speaking, the dramatic growth in refugee population in the Arab region has fanned preexisting existential fears in host countries. Regionally, it has placed frontline countries under considerable duress as they struggle to care for vulnerable and destitute populations. 1 Globally, the scale of the crisis has highlighted the deficiencies of international covenants for addressing the political and humanitarian ramifications of mass population movements. Of the 60 million displaced people worldwide, close to 40 percent originate from the Arab region, mainly Syria and Palestine. OverviewĬonflict has become a hallmark of the contemporary Middle East, forcing millions of individuals from their homes. Special thanks to contributing authors Jean Kassir and Khalil el-Hariri.
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