PACE calls for further action to address the Syrian refugee crisis
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) has published Resolution 1902 (2012) on the European Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in Syria. The resolution affirms that the situation is becoming more and more critical every day, with 294,005 people already having sought refuge outside of the country and around 1.2 million internally displaced, and calls for further steps to be taken urgently to tackle the refugee situation.
The Assembly stresses that the situation in the refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq is becoming drastic and is likely to be aggravated by the winter approaching. This will require additional efforts for assistance, as already being prepared by UNHCR.
PACE acknowledged the readiness of the Turkish, Jordanian, Lebanese and Iraqi authorities to receive the refugees, although their limited reception capacities have made them quickly overwhelmed by the situation. The Assembly thus appeals to the international community to take swift action to ensure that the refugees are provided with suitable reception facilities.
The Assembly urges the Council of Europe Member States and the countries bordering Syria to keep their borders open, refrain from sending asylum seekers back to Syria and provide proper reception facilities and all necessary assistance to the refugees. The resolution also emphasizes the need to ensure that appropriate assistance is provided to refugees previously living in Syria seeking protection a second time, or third country nationals having fled Syria looking to return to their home countries.
The Assembly reasserts that it condemns all acts of violence committed in Syria and in particular the systematic and gross human rights violations, such as summary executions, torture and sexual violence, which amount to crimes against humanity according to the resolution. It calls for investigations on all violations and crimes and for perpetrators to be brought to justice.
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