Syrian refugee crisis

Hundreds of thousands of people, among those who lost their homes in the massive earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria ten days ago, are now crammed into temporary shelters with insufficient clean water or toilets. 

Ten years since the first tents were pitched in Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan’s, almost 82,000 Syrian refugees are still living there, facing increasing precarity as shrinking incomes, rising prices and spiralling debt drive them further into poverty.

Earning an income is a struggle for the residents of Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, and women’s economic participation is extremely low. Oxfam initiated the Lel-Haya (For Life) project in Za’atari to build the capacities of Syrian refugee women, both in vocational training and soft skills.

This paper highlights an innovative approach to solid waste management and income generation, and aims to promote further dialogue on the role that Syrians can play in the Jordanian economy.

Oxfam’s research shows that less than three percent of the Syrian refugee population have actually arrived in rich countries through resettlement programmes. By analysing resettlement policies and practices in eight key countries, this paper shows why resettling at least 10 percent of the refugee population from Syria is both necessary and possible.

The ‘Supporting Syria and the Region’ conference, held in London on 4 February 2016, has failed to deliver on the core issues of the protection of civilians inside Syria and of refugees in neighboring countries. This joint agency report sets out what needs to be done to make the commitments a reality.

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.

With no end to the conflict in Syria in sight, the four million people forced to flee the country have no foreseeable prospect of safe return. And as the impact of the crisis on neighboring countries grows and aid dries up, the situation for these refugees is becoming increasingly dire. This briefing calls for a new approach by the international community.