Where do we go from here? People with specific needs and the quest for durable solutions
Currently there are 3,955,724 Syrians who have fled Syria and registered with the UNHCR in the four neighbouring Syria countries: Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq (1). In addition, 7.6 million Syrians are reported as internally displaced within Syria (2). The war in Syria is well into its fifth year, yet the situation inside the country continues to deteriorate. Conse- quently, Syrians continue to try to flee their country to the relative safety of neighbouring countries. However, these countries of asylum have limited resources to adequately provide for the refugees. If resettled, individual refugees from Syria can have access to livelihood and educational opportunities as well as health and protection services that are increasingly out of reach in countries of asylum. However, as of August 2015, only 107,239 resettlement and private sponsorship places have been committed to by “third countries” (3).
Although not all Syrian refugees are interested in resettlement, the gap between the “supply” of resettlement spaces and “demand” or need for these resettlement opportunities remains stark. Moreover, so long as resettlement is not believed to be a viable option for those fleeing Syria, increasingly people are risking their lives to reach Europe by illegal land and sea routes.
Resettlement is particularly beneficial and neces- sary for people with disabilities, people with chronic or acute medical conditions (some caused by war injuries and others not) as well as older people and children. Syrian refugees that require durable solutions to their protracted displacement include the people with the specific needs that we, as Handicap International and HelpAge International, advocate for and work with. It is imperative that people with specific needs have full access to the scope of services provided by humanitarian agencies regardless of age, gender or impairment. These services include opportunities for durable solutions, notably resettlement.