Jr. Model United Nations Preparatory Conference The Refugee Crisis in Syria Presented by: Mr. Samer Abboud, Arcadia University Wednesday, March 12 & Thursday, March 13, 2014 Temple University, Fox School of Business · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Refugee Crisis in Syria Samer Abboud Assistant Professor, International Studies Arcadia University

Some key questions What has caused the Syrian refugee crisis? Who are the refugees and where are the refugees going? What is being done to help them?

The beginning of the crisis The Syrian uprising began in March 2011 The uprising was slowly militarized – more violence led to more people leaving their homes Internally displaced people versus refugees – Why would someone stay within their country as opposed to leaving it?

The severity of the crisis Syria’s population is about 22.5 million – 1/3 of this population now live outside of their homes The United States population is 314 million – If 1/3 of Americans were displaced, that would be around 105 million people What do you think would be some of the long-term consequences if that happened here?

Refugee demographics Age groupMaleFemale

Meeting refugee needs Basic service provision is lacking Donor commitments do not match actual contributions Refugees have very few protections, very few rights Reliance on international organizations for relief and support

Life in the camps Very few are able to leave the camps Impermanence and permanence at the same time Reliance on aid Attempts to establish social structures of support Loss of assets, jobs, skills and economic opportunities Informality and loss of education possibilities Poor services

Future impacts Social ruptures and cultural destruction Loss of economic capacity and development Resentment and retribution – How will Syrians live together after this collective experience?

Global priorities

A global problem

Refugee options Integration Repatriation Resettlement

Looking forward Refugee support services are slow to materialize Economic and political resentment is growing against Syrians The conflict is getting worse, not better