Protecting Syrian Refugees: Laws, Policies, and Global Responsibility Sharing
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Protecting Syrian Refugees: Laws, Policies, and Global Responsibility Sharing Researched and Written by: Boston University Law Students Sarah Bidinger Aaron Lang Danielle Hites Yoana Kuzmova Elena Noureddine and Clinical Professor Susan M. Akram Additional Contributors: Boston University Law Students Lys Runnerstrom Timothy Kistner Boston University School of Law International Human Rights Clinic 765 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02215 617-353-3131 http://www.bu.edu/law/central/jd/programs/clinics/international-human-rights/ i The authors are particularly grateful to the staff and officials of the following individuals, organizations and government ministries for their valuable contributions, without which this report would not have been possible. We also recognize the many additional individuals who gave us assistance and guidance on this project, whom we could not list, but who have our deep gratitude. Egypt *The American University in Cairo *UNHCR-Egypt *UNRWA representative officer-Egypt *US Embassy-Cairo *Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry for Palestinian Affairs-Cairo *Egyptian Foundation for Refugee Rights, Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, Freedom Center for Human Rights (Alexandria) *Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance *United States Embassy-Cairo Jordan *Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization *Institut Francais des Proche-Orient *International Organization for Migration-Amman *UNHCR-Jordan *UNRWA-Jordan *Palestine Liberation Organization—Jordan *Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development-Legal Aid *Jordanian Ministry of the Interior-Amman *World Food Programme-Amman *International Medical Corps *United Nations Population Fund *United Nations Children’s Fund *UN-Women *Save the Children Lebanon *Norwegian Peoples’ Aid *Norwegian Refugee Council *Frontiers-Ruwad *Caritas Lebanon Migrants Center ii *Amel Association *Amel House of Human Rights *Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs *UNHCR-Lebanon *UNRWA-Lebanon *American University of Beirut , the Issam Fares Institute * independent researcher Jaber Suleiman Turkey *Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly *Support to Life/ Hayata Destak *Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs *Turkish Ministry of Interior, Department of *Prime Minister’s Office of Turkish Disaster and Emergency *UNHCR-Turkey *Professor Itir Toksoz, Dogus University, Istanbul *Rachel Levitan, Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration *Sena Celik Burak iii INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT GOALS ............................................................................................. 1 A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS AND ITS COMPONENTS .......... 3 TO THE EU: ................................................................................................................................................................... 6 TO THE U.S. AND CANADA: ..................................................................................................................................... 11 TO LATIN AMERICA: ................................................................................................................................................. 19 TO THE ME REGION: ................................................................................................................................................ 22 RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL LAW ............................................................................................................. 26 LEBANON ................................................................................................................................................. 28 REFUGEES IN LEBANON: AN OVERVIEW ................................................................................................... 28 RELEVANT ACTORS .................................................................................................................................... 30 LEGAL INSTRUMENTS ................................................................................................................................ 33 POLICIES AND ASYLUM PROCEDURE ........................................................................................................ 35 PROTECTION GAPS .................................................................................................................................... 37 LIVELIHOOD: FOOD, SHELTER, HEALTH, WORK, AND EDUCATION ....................................................... 44 OTHER REFUGEE POPULATIONS OF CONCERN ........................................................................................ 50 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEBANON ......................................................................................................... 52 JORDAN..................................................................................................................................................... 55 REFUGEES IN JORDAN: AN OVERVIEW...................................................................................................... 55 RELEVANT ACTORS .................................................................................................................................... 56 UN AGENCIES ............................................................................................................................................. 57 LEGAL INSTRUMENTS ................................................................................................................................ 59 POLICIES AND ASYLUM PROCEDURE ........................................................................................................ 60 PROTECTION GAPS .................................................................................................................................... 62 LIVELIHOOD: FOOD, SHELTER, HEALTH, WORK, AND EDUCATION ....................................................... 69 OTHER REFUGEE POPULATIONS OF CONCERN ........................................................................................ 71 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR JORDAN ............................................................................................................ 73 EGYPT ....................................................................................................................................................... 76 REFUGEES IN EGYPT: AN OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................ 76 RELEVANT ACTORS .................................................................................................................................... 77 LEGAL INSTRUMENTS ................................................................................................................................ 80 POLICIES AND ASYLUM PROCEDURE ........................................................................................................ 82 PROTECTION GAPS .................................................................................................................................... 85 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EGYPT .............................................................................................................. 93 TURKEY .................................................................................................................................................... 96 REFUGEES IN TURKEY: AN OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................... 96 RELEVANT ACTORS .................................................................................................................................... 97 LEGAL INSTRUMENTS .............................................................................................................................. 100 POLICIES AND ASYLUM PROCEDURE ...................................................................................................... 103 POPULATIONS OF SPECIAL CONCERN ..................................................................................................... 111 PROTECTION GAPS .................................................................................................................................. 112 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TURKEY ......................................................................................................... 115 MOVING FORWARD .................................................................................................................................. 117 ANNEX I: MAJOR INGO’S/NGO’S IN LEBANON ........................................................................... 119 ANNEX II: MAJOR INGO’S/NGO’S IN JORDAN ............................................................................. 124 ANNEX III: MAJOR INGO’S/NGO’S IN EGYPT .............................................................................. 129 ANNEX IV: MAJOR INGO’S/NGO’S IN TURKEY ........................................................................... 131 i Introduction and Project Goals The Syrian Civil war has caused approximately 2.7 million Syrians to leave their country since 2011, and double that many are expected to have fled Syria by the end of 2014.1 The Syrian refugee crisis has brought tremendous challenges to the region, and this research attempts to map out one aspect of the crisis that has received very little attention: that is, the laws and policies at the international, regional and domestic level affecting the rights and status of the refugees flooding out of Syria. As described at length below, countries currently hosting the vast majority