Lest we forget the millions of Syrians who are today facing persecution, protracted dispossession, freezing temperatures and who risk deadly sea journeys just for a chance of survival. And lest we forget to recognise the remarkable generosity of Syrias neighbours in hosting millions of refugees, in spite of their own economic and political challenges. Syrias neighbours, including Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, have already taken in some 97% of more than 3.2 million registered Syrian refugees. All of these countries are reaching their own breaking point as their own systems struggle to cope. Most doors in Europe have barely opened in response to what the UN calls the biggest humanitarian test of our time. So far Britain has taken in fewer than 100 Syrian refugees. Germany has been the most generous, offering to accept 30,000, which is about half of what the rest of the world, outside the region, has been willing to take in. Amnesty International, in its recent report Left Out In The Cold, highlights that not a single place has been offered for a Syrian refugee in Gulf states, Russia or China. The first week of this year has also highlighted the other side of this story. In German cities, pro- and anti-immigration protests competed for space - both spatial and political - on the streets. Its a major issue in many European nations. I do not accept that the global economy is overwhelmed by Syrias humanitarian crisis, insists Jan Egeland in a telephone interview from Oslo. In Norway alone, he points out, the total amount of spending on Christmas equals the $7.2bn requested for Syria and its neighbours in the UNs latest humanitarian appeal.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 19:04:41 +0000
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