Today international humanitarian assistance to Ukraine’s most needy of the 2. 6 million war-affected and internally displaced people is almost at a standstill. International donors have failed to respond to the United Nation’s appeal for $214 million in aid assistance. With the world facing four famines and the Syrian refugee and displacement crisis, donors for Europe’s major displacement crisis are in short supply…
Dispatches from the Mediterranean
Standing on a soccer field on an island in the Mediterranean, it’s hard to understand how it came to this: how did this Italian island just north of Africa somehow become the frontline of the Mediterranean migration crisis?
The EU at 60: Will the EU Regain Its Lost Humanity Regarding Refugees?
As the EU marks its 60th anniversary, EU member states now face the largest displacement crisis since World War II. Instead of responding with humanity and effectiveness, they have turned their backs on and closed their borders to people urgently seeking protection. Well over a million people have crossed the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2015, fleeing wars, violence, persecution, and human rights abuses in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, and Eritrea.
A Harsh Fall for Yazidi Refugees in Greece
We were in the Petra camp, where 1,200 Yazidi asylum-seekers are living in truly shocking conditions. It was set up by the Greek government in April on the site of an old psychiatric hospital.
Next Steps for Syrian Refugees in Turkey
Turkey now hosts the largest population of Syrian refugees with 2.5 million registered. After two years of debate about whether Syrian refugees in Turkey should be eligible for work permits, the Turkish government has stated that some Syrians will be offered permission to work. The details are significant: Syrian refugees must be registered, must have been in the country for at least six months, and must apply for the permit in the province where they first registered, among other conditions.
Making Ends Meet in Dadaab
Ja’far Abdikadir* is a shoe shiner in Dagahaley. He has been working for a couple of years as the breadwinner for a desperate family comprising of a mother and siblings. Ja’far at the age of 13 years simultaneously manages to go to school and work as a shoe shiner. The latter is the only source…
A Long Way to Go for Somali Refugee Returns
Kenya hosts nearly half a million registered Somali refugees, the vast majority of whom live in the Dadaab camps in the country’s North Eastern province. For over two decades, armed conflict and food shortages have caused major waves of Somalis to flee south, across the Kenyan border for refuge – most recently during the 2011-2012…
Displaced in Iraq: Little Aid and Few Options
Iraq has been the site of significant internal displacement for well over a decade. However, this displacement has increased dramatically over the last two years as the security situation in central and south Iraq has deteriorated. Today, there are 3.2 million internally displaced people in Iraq.
How to Protect People Fleeing Climate Change? Governments Agree on a Way Forward
As record numbers of people around the globe continue to flee war and persecution, there has been growing public concern about whether the world is ready to protect millions more who, in the decades to come, may be uprooted by floods, storms, sea level rise, and other climate change effects. While the issue of what…
The Pope’s Environmental Encyclical: Making it About Poverty, Not Politics
All eyes are on Washington this week as Pope Francis makes his historic first trip to the U.S. This morning, he’ll address lawmakers on Capitol Hill, marking the first time a Pope has addressed a joint meeting of Congress. Climate change is undoubtedly one if the issues on his agenda. Earlier this year the pope released his Laudito Si encyclical in which he laid out the moral case for greater protection of the environment, natural resources, and the Earth’s climate.