The neglected refugee crisis

As attention remains focused on the growing numbers of refugees from Syria seeking asylum in the European Union, it is important to acknowledge that the challenges facing the frontline states of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey dwarf those facing Europe.

In these states, underfunded humanitarian agencies are under enormous pressure, and the situation for most refugees is bleak. Turkey has received over 2.1 million refugees from Syria, more than any other country.1 Lebanon hosts about 1.1 million registered Syrian refugees, a quarter of the country’s previous population, and Jordan almost 650 000, about 10% of its population. These are in addition to large refugee populations from previous conflicts: Lebanon remains home to an estimated 450 000 Palestinian refugees, about half of whom are in camps. The rest of the world has offered resettlement to only 2.6% of the total number of Syrian refugees that are currently living in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and …