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Resolution 1971 (2014) Final version
Syrian refugees: how to organise and support international assistance?
1. The Parliamentary Assembly dealt
with the situation of Syrian refugees in its Resolution 1902 (2012) on the European
response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, adopted in October
2012; in its current affairs debate, held in April 2013, on “Syrian
refugees in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq: how to organise and support
international assistance?”; in its Resolution 1940 (2013) on the situation
in the Middle East, adopted in June 2013; and in its Recommendation 2026 (2013) on
the situation in Syria, adopted in October 2013.
2. According to estimates provided by the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), some 2.2 million
Syrians have fled the country in order to request protection from
neighbouring countries, including 1.1 million children. In Syria
itself, according to the same sources, there are some 6.8 million
people in need of humanitarian aid (including 3.1 million children)
and 4.25 million internally displaced persons whose situation requires
attention.
3. The Assembly underlines that the problems posed by the dramatic
situation of refugees and displaced persons in Syria and in receiving
countries can only be solved if there are prospects for peace and
a political solution to the conflict, and reiterates its support
for the international peace conference on Syria (Geneva II). In
this dramatic context, it calls on all belligerents to stop fighting.
4. The international community has to put humanitarian aid in
place on the basis of international humanitarian law and in accordance
with the statement by the President of the United Nations Security
Council of 2 October 2013.
5. The Assembly welcomes the start of the international peace
conference on Syria in Montreux as well as the initiation of the
process of dialogue between Syrians on the basis of the Geneva Communiqué
of 30 June 2012, supported by United Nations Security Council Resolution
2118 of 27 September 2013. The Assembly hopes that the outcome of
the conference will be the transition from the logic of war to the
logic of peace, achievement of stability and reconciliation, and
the building of a new Syria in which all Syrians would feel comfortable.
6. The Assembly backs the appeal launched by Mr Chaloka Beyani,
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally
displaced persons, calling on the parties to the conflict to provide
international organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
with the necessary resources for helping the internally displaced
persons, particularly women and children, and all vulnerable groups.
7. The Assembly reiterates its gratitude to the Turkish, Jordanian,
Lebanese and Iraqi authorities for having taken in an enormous number
of refugees, despite all the logistical problems this entails, and
thanks the member and non-member States of the Council of Europe
which have agreed to accommodate Syrian refugees in order to relieve
some of the pressure on Syria’s neighbours. These countries include
Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden
and Switzerland.
8. The Assembly appreciates the initiatives taken by member States
to provide family reunion possibilities for Syrian refugees on their
territory, notes the steps taken by the Swedish and Swiss authorities
in this respect, and encourages other States to follow this example
as far as possible.
9. The Assembly regrets, however, that member States have, in
general, not adopted general policies on Syrian refugees and that
most of them are continuing to assess Syrian asylum applications
individually.
10. The Assembly notes that the situation in Iraq, Jordan and
Lebanon is becoming increasingly critical, as the responsibility
of taking in large numbers of refugees combined with the economic
downturn and unemployment are exacerbating existing tensions between
local populations and the refugees.
11. The Assembly is deeply shocked by the extremely insecure living
conditions for Syrian refugees, particularly in Lebanon. This country
lacks the necessary infrastructure for receiving large numbers of
refugees and as a result the refugees suffer from a lack of drinking
water, food, clothing and housing. The Assembly takes this opportunity
to pay tribute to the work of international organisations, particularly
the UNHCR, in their efforts to nonetheless provide humanitarian
assistance as best they can in difficult circumstances.
12. The Assembly would also like to thank the Turkish authorities
and the Turkish Red Crescent for their work in setting up reception
structures where the Syrian refugees can live in decent conditions
and where the children can continue their studies. It fully supports
the appeal for international aid launched by the Turkish Prime Minister,
Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, calling on the international community
to help his country cope with the increasing influx of refugees.
13. The situation of women and children, who account for the great
majority of Syrian refugees, is of increasing concern. Children
have been the first victims of the Syrian conflict, and they need
emergency assistance. Most of them have problems with access to
education and some are forced to work under conditions contrary
to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, while
many women suffer sexual and gender-based violence (rape, forced
marriage and prostitution).
14. The Assembly also draws attention to the situation in the
countries of North Africa which have taken in almost 15 000 Syrians
and which are increasingly affected by the mass influx of refugees.
The situation is also worrying in Egypt, which has taken in over
126 000 refugees, including Syrian refugees, some of whom are reportedly
being expelled to third countries. There are also concerns in Egypt
about refugee children being placed in administrative detention.
15. The Assembly asks the parties to the conflict to respect humanitarian
law and to give humanitarian workers the authority to gain access
to displaced persons in Syria, especially women, children and vulnerable groups,
in order to provide them with the requisite assistance.
16. Consequently, the Assembly invites the member States of the
Council of Europe, the observer States to the Council of Europe
and the Parliamentary Assembly, and other States concerned by the
situation of Syrian refugees to:
16.1. consider
the possibility of providing temporary or international protection
to Syrian refugees in accordance with the United Nations Convention
on the Status of Refugees (1951 Geneva Convention) and allowing
them to work during this period, following Turkey’s example;
16.2. implement the fundamental principle of non-refoulement and suspend the
forcible return of Syrians to Syria and its neighbouring countries,
in view of the difficulties which these countries are experiencing
in managing the influx of these refugees;
16.3. ensure maximum access to their territory and to asylum
procedures, provide appropriate reception and ensure that Syrian
asylum seekers have access to efficient, swift and fair asylum procedures,
avoiding so-called “transit visas”;
16.4. avoid administrative detention for Syrians entering the
territory irregularly or without identity papers, and only implement
such detention in exceptional circumstances as a last resort, after
having considered all alternatives to detention;
16.5. facilitate issuing visas and residence permits for Syrians,
including for education, work, humanitarian or family purposes;
16.6. simplify and expedite procedures for family reunion;
16.7. provide humanitarian organisations and NGOs with administrative
and financial resources for assisting Syrian refugees, particularly
in Lebanon;
16.8. show generosity and solidarity in admitting Syrian refugees
to their territory, ensuring a balanced distribution amongst countries
and providing the necessary infrastructure to guarantee decent accommodation,
sanitary facilities, water, education, health care, food, etc.;
16.9. draw up a contingency plan in case of a further mass influx
of Syrian refugees and provide additional development aid for Syria’s
neighbours to enable them to host refugees with dignity and respect
for their human rights;
16.10. take steps to provide all vital resources, including food,
clothing, medical aid and temporary shelter, for displaced persons
in Syria and refugees in the neighbouring countries;
16.11. support a specific education programme for Syrian children
in each host country and back the efforts to promote education for
internally displaced Syrian children;
16.12. ensure proper protection for women and girls by actively
involving Syrian female refugees in management and decision making
inside the camps, preventing child and forced marriages, and providing
safe and accessible sanitary facilities and psychological support
for traumatised women and children;
16.13. provide specific support for internally displaced persons
living in deplorable hygiene conditions;
16.14. establish a resettlement programme from the countries
hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees, possibly with the help
of the Council of Europe Development Bank;
16.15. ask the Governor of the Council of Europe Development
Bank to consider a donation from the selective trust account in
order to step up the action of the UNHCR in favour of Syrian refugees;
16.16. ensure that the humanitarian consequences of the Syrian
conflict, both in Syria and in the neighbouring countries, including
the need for urgent international assistance, are put as a priority
on the agenda of the international peace conference on Syria (Geneva
II).
17. The Assembly invites the member States of the European Union
to:
17.1. bring into effect, as necessary,
Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 on minimum standards
for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of
displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance of efforts
between member States in receiving such persons and bearing the
consequences thereof;
17.2. support, as a form of solidarity and responsibility sharing,
the European Union countries receiving the largest numbers of Syrian
refugees, and reinforce their reception capacities.
18. The Assembly appeals to all the neighbouring countries of
Syria to open, or keep open, their borders for refugees fleeing
from Syria.