The fate of people fleeing the conflict in Syria is the subject in this edition of Utalk. <br /><br />The question comes from John in Dublin: “Over 3 million Syrians have already fled to neighbouring countries because of the civil war and ISIL violence. What happens to them once they’ve crossed Syria’s border?”<br /><br />The response is from Ariane Rummery, spokesperson for the UNCHR, the UN refugee agency:<br /><br />“People who are fleeing Syria essentially have been or are being registered in the neighbouring countries as people in need of international protection. In most cases they get a card or some kind of certificate and this gives them access to humanitarian assistance.<br /><br />“In terms of what formal status they have, this can vary from country to country. In Turkey for example, the refugees have temporary protection from the Turkish government.<br /><br />“In Iraq, UNHCR is registering the Syrians and we give them an asylum-seeker certificate and this gives them freedom of movement, it gives them access to assistance – access to legal assistance, and material assistance – as well as the right to stay and to work.<br /><br />“And in the Kurdistan region of Irak, the authorities there also give people residence permit. In Jordan and Egypt, the Syrians who approach UNHCR offers are essentially registered as asylum-seekers and they get access to a full protection assistance services.<br /><br />“In Lebanon, UNHCR is registering the Syrians according to a criteria that we have agreed with the government, which, in a nutshell, is that they are in need of international protection. Once they’re registered, they get a registration certificate and it gives them access to aid but it does not confer upon them any other legal status and they must renew their registration coupon every year.<br /><br />“Within Europe, at the beginning of the crisis, there was a tendency to grant just subsidiary protection* to Syrians but UNHCR is very pleased to see a new trend over the past year or so, whereby – at least in some states – Syrians are more likely to be accorded for refugee status.”<br /><br />(protection given to a third-country national or a stateless person who does not qualify as a refugee but would face a real risk of suffering serious harm if he or she was to return to his or her country of origin)<br /><br />If you would also like to ask a question on Utalk, click on the button below.
