As
States gather tomorrow in Geneva to discuss resettlement and other forms of
admission to ensure safe access for refugees fleeing the war in Syria, NGOs
across Europe call for increased commitments to admit more refugees and recalls
that NGOs stand ready to support the reception of refugees in Europe . At the High
- Level meeting on resettlement of Syrian refugees hosted by UNHCR, States will
have the opportunity to announce further resettlement and humanitarian
admission programmes for Syrian refugees. UNHCR has set the target of providing
resettlement and other forms of admission for 100,000 Syrian refugees in 2015 –
2016.
In addition to increasing humanitarian assistance to Syria’s neighbouring
countries , NGOs call on EU Member States to explore all ways to increase legal
and safe access for refugees to Europe, including resettlement, humanitarian admission
, programmes for children, and visa facilitation for extended family members,
students and other groups with links to Europe. “European States must seize
this opportunity to help some of the most vulnerable refugees from Syria and
respond to the call of people in Europe with Syrian family members, who are
desperately trying to get their loved ones to join them here, where they can
rebuild their lives in safety and stability . This would also be an important
gesture of solidarity towards the neighbouring countries bearing significant
strain in hosting the 97% of the refugees fleeing the war in Syria”, said
Michael Diedring, ECRE Secretary General.
