Displaced people from Syria in need of international protection (cover note transmitting a letter from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees)

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COUNCIL OF Brussels, 4 December 2012

THE EUROPEAN UNION

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COVER NOTE

from: Mr. Antonio Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR

date of receipt: 3 December 2012

to: delegations

Subject: Displaced people from Syria in need of international protection

Delegations will find attached a letter of the High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR on the

above mentioned subject.

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ANNEX

NATIONS UNIES

LE HAUT COMMISSAIRE

POUR LES REFUGIES

UNITED NATIONS

THE HIGH COMMISSIONER

FOR REFUGEES

Case postale 2500

1211 Geneve 2

Suisse

3 December 2012

Madam,

I write to you as President of the European Union Justice and Home Affairs Council, to seek your

support in encouraging the European Union and its Member States to consider further responses, in the

spirit of solidarity, to the protection needs of those displaced from Syria and in need of international

protection.

With nearly 500,000 Syrian refugees registered or waiting to be registered in the neighbouring

countries of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and North Africa, and thousands of other displaced who

have not sought international assistance, the crisis is placing severe strain on the asylum space in the

region, An estimated 1.2 million people are also displaced within Syria, and as many as three million

Syrians affected by the conflict.

Thus far, the numbers arriving in EU Member States have been moderate. According to Eurostat

figures, some 22,000 asylum applications by Syrians have been registered since April 2011, including

new arrivals, repeat applications and some from Syrians sur place. UNHCR has been heartened to sve

that many countries have adopted a generous approach. The two Member States receiving more than

60 per cent of the claims in the EU, Germany and Sweden, are granting protection to the vast majority

of those who seek it, in line with UNHCR’s guidance.

This being said, UNHCR remains concerned that access for Syrians at external borders may be limited

| in some cases, and that certain Member States do not appear sufficiently equipped to receive ard

| protect Syrian refugees, in particular if arrival numbers were to continue to increase. I am aware of

| cases in which asylum-seekers have arrived at border points with valid entry documents and have been

returned to countries neighbouring Syria. Syrian asylum-seekers are detained in some Member States,

a practice which should be used only in very exceptional circumstances and as a last resort. Some

countries may not be able to efficiently process new applications. In some Member States, recognition

rates for asylum-seekers are extremely low, an inexplicable divergence from the practice of other

States. UNHCR takes the view that many Syrians seeking international protection are likely to fulfill

the requirements of the refugee definition in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as

| reflected in the Qualification Directive.

| The European Union has tools and fora which can be used to enhance cooperation on such matters.

UNHCR would welcome further analysis of the current trends in international protection rates and

backlogs of Syrian asylum claims, taking further the work which the European Asylum Support Office

has commenced in this area, as well as additional discussion of appropriate further responses. My

Office is ready to contribute to such an analysis.

Ms. Eleni Mavrou

Minister of the Interior

of the Republic of Cyprus

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Should arrival numbers continue to increase, a concerted discussion on the EU’s collective response,

and, specifically, on support for Member States which are particularly affected, will be necessary, The

crisis in Syria provides an opportunity for the European Union to demonstrate in practice its

commitment to internal EU solidarity and to harmonizing approaches to protection. Contingency

planning — already underway in some Member States — will be essential in these circumstances.

As we have advocated with countries neighbouring Syria to keep their borders open and provide

international protection to those fleeing Syria, it will also be important in the EU context to pay

particular attention to border and entry management. Functioning systems must be in place to ensure

that all those who may wish to seek protection are identified and referred to the competent asylum

authority.

UNHCR also urges EU countries to explore other ways to demonstrate their commitment to solidarity

with countries neighbouring Syria. Member States are encouraged to find ways to ensure that Syrians

already present in Member States can be joined by family members who have been displaced by the

conflict. Based on our experience, this could reduce the risk of people embarking on dangerous

journeys facilitated by smugglers in order to reunite with family members in the EU. I would be

grateful if States would consider favourably the issuance of visas for Syrians who may need

international protection. Targeted resettlement will also be needed in emergency cases for vulnerable

Syrian refugees.

UNHCR has also issued a flash appeal for resettlement places for 500 refugees from other countries

currently in Syria.

1 would appreciate it if you would share this letter with all Member States ahead of the next Justice

and Home Affairs Council meeting. My Office looks forward to continued collaboration with the

Council on the enormous challenge posed by the Syria displacement crisis, in the spirit of our shared

commitment to refugee protection.

Please accept, Madam, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Antonio Guterres

we

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مذكرة من مجلس الاتحاد الأوروبي تحيل رسالة المفوض السامي لشؤون اللاجئين أنطونيو غوتيريش يطالب فيها دول الاتحاد بتوفير الحماية الدولية للنازحين من سورية.