Syria

A new report published by Oxfam shows that a lack of political will and a rise in xenophobia have driven a backlash against refugees in many countries, while the arrival of Syrian refugees has been delayed in some countries because of lengthy processes, security screenings, and an increasingly hostile political climate.

More than 1.5 million people in Aleppo have been without running water for five days, as battles rage around key water infrastructure and power to pumping stations is cut, leaving civilians at risk of water-borne diseases, Oxfam warned today. The international agency called for action to halt attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure as the Syrian-Russian offensive enters its third week.

Condemning the attack on an aid convoy in Aleppo, Oxfam said there is the real risk Syria will fall even further into the abyss. 

In response to the nationwide ceasefire in Syria, Oxfam hopes it will provide a welcome respite for Syrian civilians who have faced unremitting violence and deliberate deprivation of aid. Russia and the USA must make sure their agreement translates to a real and lasting halt to violence in Syria, said the agency. 

This research project aimed to improve Oxfam’s understanding of the protection and livelihood challenges faced by refugees from Syria as well as the protection concerns arising from the coping strategies used to try to meet those challenges.

Oxfam and ActionAid have listened to hundreds of refugee and migrant women and men in Greece to understand why they fled their countries, what their immediate needs are, and what they plan to do next. Their situation is desperate, but also avoidable.

Oxfam, Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council criticized the deeply disappointing outcome of today’s international pledging conference for resettlement of refugees fleeing the ongoing crisis in Syria. The meeting in Geneva offered to resettle only a tiny fraction of the most vulnerable people with a less ambitious timeline. Governments have shown a shocking lack of political and moral leadership, said the agencies.

Rich countries have resettled only 1.39 percent of the nearly five million Syrian refugees, a fraction of the 10 percent of people who need to be urgently offered a safe haven. As wealthy states meet in Geneva on 30 March to discuss the Syria refugee crisis, Oxfam urges them to redouble their efforts and offer their ‘fair share’ of support to hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Oxfam has today suspended all of its operations in the Moria camp, on the Greek island of Lesvos, in response to the deteriorating treatment of migrants due to the recent deal struck between the EU and Turkey. The Greek authorities are transforming reception facilities into detention centers, where people will be held pending their mass return to Turkey.

European border closures and restrictions are dramatically worsening the humanitarian crisis for refugees and migrants and a decision to shift the EU’s responsibility for refugees to Turkey would see the bloc bargaining its core values and abandoning fundamental legal obligations.