Germany stages Syrian refugee conference
The German government is staging a refugee conference in view of the millions of refugees from Syria and at the request of neighbouring states in the crisis-hit region.
The situation is dramatic. With three million people displaced within Syria and around 6.5 million refugees, most of whom have fled to the countries neighbouring Syria, the civil war constitutes one of the most severe humanitarian crises ever. The advance of the IS terrorist organization has served only to further exacerbate the situation. The conference, to be held in the German capital, will concentrate above all on those countries in the Middle East region that are hosting Syrian refugees. Many municipalities in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and the Kurdish region of northern Iraq are providing valuable assistance yet are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of refugees swelling their populations. A strong signal of solidarity is to be sent out from Berlin, says Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, the conference being keen to play its part in stabilizing the situation.
Long-term help needed
Above and beyond short-term emergency help, a concept for the provision of medium- and long-term support to the refugees and the host countries is to be drawn up in Berlin. After three years of civil war in Syria, people and communities in the region need to be given prospects for the future as well as help to build infrastructure, such as schools and healthcare facilities.
Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has invited more than 40 of his counterparts in other countries as well as international organizations to the “Berlin Conference on the Syrian Refugee Situation – Supporting Stability in the Region”. The conference will be co-chaired by Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller and António Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
A civil society forum will be held one day before the conference. The opinions of refugee representatives in particular are to be incorporated into the political consultation process.
Berlin Conference on the Syrian Refugee Situation on 28 October 2014