An afternoon on Syrian displacement, and protection in Europe [Launch event]

Podcasts of this event are now available: 

Part 1

Part 2

There are currently more than 2.8 million registered refugees from Syria. Ninety-six percent of these refugees are hosted by neighbouring countries – Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. With the exception of Germany and a few other limited initiatives, the primary aim of the European response has been to contain the crisis in the Syrian region and to reinforce Europe’s borders.

This event marks the launch of a new RSC Policy Briefing, ‘Protection in Europe for refugees from Syria’. Report authors, Cynthia Orchard and Andrew Miller, will provide an overview of the European reaction generally, as well as brief summaries of selected countries’ responses. They argue that containment of the refugee crisis to the Syrian region is unsustainable and advocate for European countries to open their doors to refugees from the region and to expand safe and legal routes of entry.

Also being launched at this event is issue 47 of Forced Migration Review on ‘The Syria crisis, displacement and protection’. Professor Roger Zetter, co-author (with Héloïse Ruaudel) of a major article in the issue entitled ‘Development and protection challenges of the Syrian refugee crisis’, will look at early recovery and social cohesion interventions and the transition from assistance to development-led interventions in Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. FMR47 is funded by the Regional Development and Protection Programme, a Denmark-led initiative with contributions from the EU, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, UK and Czech Republic, for whose inception report Professor Zetter was the lead author.

The launch event will be followed by a reception at 4pm.

Publications

Protection in Europe for Refugees from Syria, RSC Policy Note

Protection in Europe for Refugees from Syria, RSC Policy Briefing

The Syria crisis, displacement and protection, Forced Migration Review, issue 47

About the speakers

Cynthia Orchard

Cynthia Orchard is currently completing a master’s degree in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford, is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, and has experience in refugee law in the US and UK.

Andy Miller

Andy Miller is a graduate of Universiteit van Amsterdam (Public International Law) and Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University, and is currently completing the Bar Professional Training Course at BPP University, Leeds/London.

Roger Zetter

Roger Zetter is Emeritus Professor of Refugee Studies, retiring as the fourth Director of the Refugee Studies Centre in September 2011. His long association with the RSC commenced in 1988 as Founding Editor of the Journal of Refugee Studies, published by Oxford University Press, a position held until 2001.