• Text size Normal size text | Increase text size by 10% | Increase text size by 20% | Increase text size by 30%
  • Also available in French

Syria: UNHCR advocating for increased bilateral aid and 'humanitarian visas' for Iraqi refugees

Briefing Notes, 5 October 2007

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 5 October 2007, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Our field staff in Damascus confirm that the new visa restrictions for Iraqis wishing to enter Syria are being strictly observed. Since the visa restrictions were imposed on Monday, the only Iraqis who have succeeded in crossing the border are those who have been issued visas for commercial, transport, scientific and education purposes.

In order to apply for a visa, Iraqis are obliged to visit the Syrian Embassy in the Al Mansour district of Baghdad. Refugees have highlighted their concern that Al Mansour district is the scene of frequent violence, and not an area that large groups of people should gather. UNHCR has received reports that the visas take two weeks to process. At present visas are only granted to people who are applying for commercial, scientific, educational and transport purposes. In many cases, a sponsoring organization in Syria (for example the Syrian Chamber of Commerce), is needed to issue an invitation to Syria. UNHCR is advocating for a 'humanitarian visa' for Iraqis fleeing persecution in Iraq.

Since Monday, UNHCR in Damascus has counselled hundreds of Iraqi refugees living in Syria who have either visited our office or phoned the UNHCR hotline with concerns about their residency status. The number of calls to the UNHCR hotline has doubled in one week.

From discussions with government officials, UNHCR understands that Iraqi refugees currently living in Syria will not be forcibly returned to Iraq. The most pressing concern for Iraqi refugees at present is what they should do when their visa expires. In the past, they would visit the Syrian border to renew their visa for three months. UNHCR hopes Syria could establish centres within the country where refugees could renew their visas.

The Syrian government has made it clear that the visa restrictions have been imposed due to the massive pressure it faces hosting more than 1.4 million Iraqi refugees. UNHCR continues to appeal for increased bilateral support to Syria so it can continue to support the Iraqi refugees living in the country – and hopefully offer refuge for those Iraqis that need to flee Iraq in the future.

In a separate development on Thursday, the second group of Palestinians from Ruwayshed camp in Jordan left to be resettled in their new homes in Brazil. Thirty-six Palestinian refugees left the desert camp in Jordan, leaving one last group of 37 refugees to follow later this month. The Palestinians, who have been stuck in extremely harsh conditions in the camp for four and a half years, were relieved as they said goodbye to the remaining Palestinians in the camp who had also fled spiralling violence in Iraq.

All 108 Palestinians being resettled from Ruwayshed will be living in São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul regions, where they will receive rented accommodation, furniture and material assistance. Employment profiles are being analyzed to ensure job opportunities for all, while Portuguese classes will be given. UNHCR is very appreciative of Brazil's offer of humanitarian resettlement.

More than 1,750 Palestinians remain stranded in Al Waleed and Al Tanf border camps and the situation remains dire for them. UNHCR continues to appeal for urgent humanitarian solutions for these refugees.

• DONATE NOW • • GET INVOLVED • • STAY INFORMED •

 

Related Stories

more documents

UNHCR country pages

UNHCR Iraq Fact Sheet

Camp New Iraq (formerly Camp Ashraf) residents and the determination of their refugee status claims

UNHCR Syria Fact Sheet

Published November 2011

The internally displaced of Iraq

Eight years after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, over 1.5 million people remain displaced throughout Iraq, including 500,000 who live in dire conditions in settlements or public buildings. For these very vulnerable people, daily life is a struggle with limited access to clean water, electricity, heath services or schools for their children. Many families who live illegally in informal settlements are at risk of eviction. Most of the internally displaced fled their homes because of sectarian violence which erupted in 2006 following the bombing of the Al-Askari shrine in Samarra. UNHCR works with the Government of Iraq on projects such as land allocation; shelter assistance and house reconstruction to try to find long term solutions for the displaced.

The internally displaced of Iraq

Al Tanf: Leaving No Man's Land

In February 2010, the last 60 Palestinian inhabitants of the squalid camp of Al Tanf on the Syria-Iraq border were ushered onto buses and taken to another camp in Syria.

Al Tanf camp was established in May 2006, when hundreds of Palestinians fleeing persecution in Iraq tried in vain to cross into Syria. With no country willing to accept them, they remained on a strip of desert sandwiched between a busy highway and a wall in the no-man's-land between Iraq and Syria.

Along with daily worries about their security, the residents of Al Tanf suffered from heat, dust, sandstorms, fire, flooding and even snow. The passing vehicles posed another danger. At its peak, Al Tanf hosted some 1,300 people.

UNHCR encouraged resettlement countries to open their doors to the Palestinians. Since 2008, more than 900 of them have been accepted by countries such as Belgium, Chile, Finland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The last group of Palestinians were transferred to Al Hol camp in Syria, where they face continuing restrictions and uncertainty.

Al Tanf: Leaving No Man's Land

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie meets Iraqi refugees in Syria

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie returned to the Syrian capital Damascus on 2 October, 2009 to meet Iraqi refugees two years after her last visit. The award-winning American actress, accompanied by her partner Brad Pitt, took the opportunity to urge the international community not to forget the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees who remain in exile despite a relative improvement in the security situation in their homeland. Jolie said most Iraqi refugees cannot return to Iraq in view of the severe trauma they experienced there, the uncertainty linked to the coming Iraqi elections, the security issues and the lack of basic services. They will need continued support from the international community, she said. The Goodwill Ambassador visited the homes of two vulnerable Iraqi families in the Jaramana district of southern Damascus. She was particularly moved during a meeting with a woman from a religious minority who told Jolie how she was physically abused and her son tortured after being abducted earlier this year in Iraq and held for days. They decided to flee to Syria, which has been a generous host to refugees.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie meets Iraqi refugees in Syria

Turkey: Angelina Jolie Meets Syrian RefugeesPlay video

Turkey: Angelina Jolie Meets Syrian Refugees

The UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador travelled to the Turkey-Syria border to hear the stories of Syrian civilians forced to flee their country.
Iraq: Harsh LivingPlay video

Iraq: Harsh Living

There are more than 350 settlements for internally displaced people in Iraq.The living conditions in most of them are dire.
Al Tanf Camp ClosesPlay video

Al Tanf Camp Closes

After years in a bleak no man's land, the remaining residents of the Al Tanf camp are transferred with UNHCR assistance to a more hospitable site inside Syria.