Syria

Russia’s Role in Syria Raises Questions About Bid for Human Rights Council

The undersigned organizations urge all member states, when deciding which Eastern European candidate to support, to question seriously whether Russia’s role in Syria – which includes supporting and undertaking military actions which have routinely targeted civilians and civilian objects – renders it fit to serve on the UN’s premier inter-governmental human rights institution.

The Aleppo Tragedy: A Moral Imperative to Act

Despite the joy felt when a young Syrian girl was pulled from Aleppo’s rubble on Friday, the images from the besieged city have been shocking this week – even by the standards of Syria’s horrific war.

“Humanitarian Corridor” Proposal Deeply Flawed

A statement from over 35 Syrian, regional and international humanitarian, human rights and development organisations on the Russia-Syrian proposal to establish “humanitarian corridors” out of Aleppo. 

Refugees International response to the EU Turkey deal

Today’s deal between the European Union and Turkey marks a troubling precedent in the search for a principled and effective response to the refugee crisis confronting Europe. While Refugees International is relieved to see that the agreement appears to consider elements of respect for the right to seek asylum in Greece, we are concerned with the provision that states that the EU will return all new irregular migrants, an apparent contradiction that must be clarified.

How to Support Local Actors on the World Stage

There are many challenges confronting the international aid architecture, but one issue currently in the spotlight is the localization of aid. In short, the localization of aid is the trend of giving money directly to local NGOs or to a developing country’s government, rather than giving indirectly through international organizations. The goal is to support local structures, so that there may be real ownership at the local level – beyond national governments and international organizations.

Refugees become trading chips in EU-Turkey negotiations

On March 7th, European and Turkish leaders announced a breakthrough in agreeing to a framework for a possible deal on managing the flow of refugees and migrants arriving from Turkey onto Greece’s shores. If the framework is implemented as it has been presented, it appears that the deal would strike a major blow to refugee rights.