Published on Friday, March 13, 2015
Abstract
Since March 2011, Syria has undergone a deep crisis. The Syrian government has remained in place but fighting are still raging between the Syrian army and the rebels and also between the various rebel groups, who are controlling a part of the territory. The death toll has risen over 200 000, with more than 4 million refugees and 7.5 million IDPs, that is to say half of Syria’s population. Half the country is exposed to deep insecurity and deprivation and only a few manage to go home. Millions of refugees are blocked in the neighbouring countries and dependent on international aid that is decreasing despite the growing needs and the absence of any diplomatic or military solution in sight.
Announcement
Organisers
Seminar organised by the GREMMO (Groupe de Recherches et d’Etudes sur la Méditerranée et le Moyen-Orient), CNRS laboratory – University Lyon 2
Argument
The seminar « four years of conflict in Syria : a humanitarian disaster » is part of a round of scientific conferences held on the subject : « The Middle East and the Syrian crisis ». For four years, we have been analyzing the causes and the process of the Syrian crisis. The Syrian regime has remained in place but a part of the territory is still under rebel control.
Since the events of Deraa, in march 2011, Syria has undergone a deep crisis. The death toll has risen over 200 000, with more than 4 million refugees and 7,5 million IDPs, that is to say half of Syria’s population. Fighting rages between the Syrian army and the rebels but also between the various rebel groups, since Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State aim to prevail within the opposition. Half the country is exposed to deep insecurity and deprivation.
In December 2014, the World Food Program announced it had been forced to suspend food assistance for 1.7 million Syrian refugees resettled in neighbouring countries and that the aid to the displaced population would end on 1st February 2015 because of a funding crisis. However, many private donations as well as an EU contribution enabled at the last minute to restore food distribution, without which there would have been a serious risk of social explosion in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
The Syrian crisis has been going on for a long time and the stream of refugees keeps growing. Only a few manage to go home, either because the homes are destroyed, or because security is not restored. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of refugees are blocked in the neighbouring countries. They are dependent on international aid for their survival since the chances to integrate a saturated or protected the labor market are extremely low. Despite the growing needs, an increase in humanitarian crises around the world and a kind of weariness hitting the Syrian crisis are reducing the financial aid.
Without any diplomatic or military solution in sight, the Syrian crisis will continue. Refugees related issues will thus also increase, Lebanon being a prime destination for refugees because of the privileged access ensured for Syrian nationals. The security situation in Lebanon is likely to keep deteriorating, due to refugees flows and the lebanese parties involvement in the conflict.
The purpose of the seminar will be to assess the humanitarian situation after four years of crisis and to establish some scenarios for the future.
Draft program
9 a.m. : Welcoming of participants
9:30 – 10 a.m. : Opening of the seminar
- Béatrice Claval, VP Lyon 2
- Hilda Tchoboyan, Rhône Alpes Regional Council
- Fabrice Balanche, GREMMO - Lyon 2 University
10 – 11 a.m. : Review of the conflict (the number of refugees, destruction, consequences on the neighbouring countries, etc.)
- Carole Laleve Vallat, UNHCR
- Roula Maya, Consultant for ESCWA
- Rémi Baudouï, UNIGE, Consultant for ESCWA
11 – 11:30 a.m. : Break
11:30 – 1 p.m. : The humanitarian response (Situation in the camps, networks of solidarity, refugee assistance, food assistance)
Preliminary distribution :
- Véronique Moreira, Rhône Alpes Regional Council
- Jean-François Ploquin, Refugees Forum Rhône-Alpes/OFPRA
- Lise Salavert, Solidarité
- Stéphane Cobjois, Islamic Relief
1 – 2 p.m. : Lunch Break
2 – 3:30 p.m. : The dynamics of the conflict
- The internal dynamics, Fabrice Balanche, Lyon 2 University
- Territorial conquest and state building : How far will the Islamic State go ? Philippe Bannier, IEP Lyon
- Sunnis, Shias, Wahhabis, Salafists, Jihadists : What is the confessionalisation of the conflicts ? Jean-Paul Burdy, IEP Grenoble
- Turkey and its new neighbours Jean Marcou
- Kurds from Syria and the Rojava project : fleeting dream or lasting hope ? Cyril Roussel
- Jean-Pierre Vial, France-Syria friendship group in the French Parliament
3:30 – 4 p.m. : Break
4 – 6 p.m. : Humanitarian intervention issues (Budget, official authorisations, the war, ethicals, etc.)
- The partnerships between international NGOs and civil society, Serge Gruel, Triangle
- Laurent Davy, Handicap International
- Nicolas Edmet, Sawa Consulting
- Bruno Jochu, MSF Suisse
- Alexandre Giraud et Roger Persichino, Première Urgence
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. : Synthesis
- Marc Lavergne, GREMMO
- Joseph Dato, HUMACOOP
Subjects
- Geography (Main category)
- Zones and regions > Asia > Middle East
- Zones and regions > Asia > Near East
- Society > Political studies > Wars, conflicts, violence
Places
- Grand Amphi de l’Université Lyon 2 - 18 quai Claude Bernard
Lyon, France (69007)
Date(s)
- Monday, March 16, 2015
Keywords
- Syrie, conflit, réfugié, humanitaire, Liban, Jordanie, Irak, Turquie
Contact(s)
- Fabrice Balanche
courriel : fabrice [dot] balanche [at] mom [dot] fr - Lucile Housseau
courriel : lucile [dot] housseau [at] gmail [dot] com
Reference Urls
Information source
- Fabrice Balanche
courriel : fabrice [dot] balanche [at] mom [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Quatre années de conflit en Syrie : un désastre humanitaire », Conference, symposium, Calenda, Published on Friday, March 13, 2015, https://doi.org/10.58079/s7y
