Syrian Displacement: Views from the Region

There are now more than three million Syrian refugees seeking protection and survival in the region. The initial generosity of host governments is increasingly challenged as the presence of the refugees puts strains on public services, infrastructure, housing stocks and political cohesion. Solutions to the bloody conflict appear more distant than ever and it is likely that the refugees will not be able to return to their homes in the near future. In Syria itself, over six million people have been displaced within their country’s borders and the United Nations estimates that over nine million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

On September 16, the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) presented a first-hand view of Syria’s displacement crisis. Speakers included Carol Batchelor of UNHCR Turkey, Brian Hansford of UNHCR and Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Elizabeth Ferris, senior fellow and co-director of the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement moderated the event and offered opening remarks.