Coordinator of the Syrian Opposition Coalition’s (SOC) Department of Refugee Affairs, Adnan al-Rahmoun, presented report on the work of the Department throughout the past year to the General Assembly at its 57th session.
The Department presented detailed figures of refugees and their distribution in Arab countries, Turkey, European countries, as well as some African countries according to the latest figures of the UNHCR.
The report highlighted the initiatives that were undertaken to resolve the global refugee crisis and the SOC’s position on the issue of refugee repatriation.
According to the report, the Department followed the Bsharri and Miniyeh incidents in Lebanon, reviewed the situation of Syrian refugees in those camps, and communicated with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon in order to help the affected refugees.
The Department also highlighted the most important decisions and reports issued by the European Union, the European Asylum Support Office, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
According to the report, the Department has prepared a comprehensive file related to the new migration policy, citing the different reactions at the Danish and international levels and the harsh criticism of this new law.
Moreover, the Department prepared a paper on the consequences of Greece’s recent decision to consider Turkey a “safe third country” for asylum seekers, and other related files through which it is trying to help refugees in all countries of the world.
The report stressed that the Department continues to document the IDPs camps by establishing a database of those camps in northwestern Syria with the aim of identifying their most urgent needs.
The report highlighted the most important meetings it held over the past year, including a field visit to the Association of Palestinian Displaced Persons, a visit to orphanages in Gaziantep, Kilis and Afrin, a meeting with the Directorate General of Migration Management in Istanbul, and other meetings inside and outside Syria.
The Department sent several memos and letters on the issue of Syrian refugees, including letters to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Danish Foreign Ministry, a legal note to the UN Secretary-General, among many others. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
