Jr. Model United Nations Preparatory Conference The Refugee Crisis in Syria
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Transcript of Jr. Model United Nations Preparatory Conference The Refugee Crisis in Syria
Jr. Model United Nations Preparatory Conference
The Refugee Crisis in Syria
Presented by: Mr. Samer Abboud, Arcadia UniversityWednesday, March 12 & Thursday, March 13,
2014Temple University, Fox School of Business · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Refugee Crisis in Syria
Samer AbboudAssistant Professor, International Studies
Arcadia University
Some key questions
• What has caused the Syrian refugee crisis?
• Who are the refugees and where are the refugees going?
• What is being done to help them?
The beginning of the crisis
• The Syrian uprising began in March 2011• The uprising was slowly militarized – more
violence led to more people leaving their homes
• Internally displaced people versus refugees– Why would someone stay within their country as
opposed to leaving it?
The severity of the crisis• Syria’s population is about 22.5 million– 1/3 of this population now live outside of their
homes
• The United States population is 314 million– If 1/3 of Americans were displaced, that would be
around 105 million people• What do you think would be some of the long-term
consequences if that happened here?
Refugee demographicsAge group Male Female
0-4 9.5 9.1
5-11 9.7 9.2
12-17 6.7 5.9
18-59 25.6 21.9
60+ 1.2 1.4
Meeting refugee needs
• Basic service provision is lacking• Donor commitments do not match actual
contributions• Refugees have very few protections, very few
rights• Reliance on international organizations for relief
and support
Life in the camps
• Very few are able to leave the camps• Impermanence and permanence at the same time• Reliance on aid• Attempts to establish social structures of support• Loss of assets, jobs, skills and economic opportunities• Informality and loss of education possibilities • Poor services
Future impacts• Social ruptures and cultural
destruction• Loss of economic capacity and
development • Resentment and retribution– How will Syrians live together after this
collective experience?
Global priorities
A global problem
Refugee options
• Integration• Repatriation• Resettlement
Looking forward• Refugee support services are slow to
materialize• Economic and political resentment is
growing against Syrians• The conflict is getting worse, not
better