Mediaboss Marketing

In a world divided by nation-states, immigration remains one of the contentious and debated issues. Objections have been raised by governments of both developed and developing nations about the unchecked inflow of migrants due to employment, political instability, and religious persecution. While there is a growing consensus among nations to check illegal immigration, the case of refugees provides for a unique case.

According to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is defined as someone who left his home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. On June 20 each year, United Nations commemorates the day as World Refugee Day. For 2021, the world body has channelised its focus on the power of inclusion.

In its own words, UN remarked, The shared experience of COVID-19 has shown us that we only succeed if we stand together. We have all had to do our part to keep each other safe and despite the challenges, refugees and displaced people have stepped up. Given the chance, refugees will continue to contribute to a stronger, safer, and more vibrant world. A closer look at the refugee crisis in Europe, United States and even India portrays a contrary picture than what the United Nations wants us to believe.

The refugee crisis in Europe began in 2014, with forced migration reaching its peak in 2015. According to the UNHCR, the majority of those arriving on European shores from the Meditteranean Sea were Iraqi (9.4%), Afghan (20.9%), and Syrian (46.7%). By November 2015, Sweden had received over 146,000 asylum seekers. And the result was imminent. In 2018, Daily Caller reported that a majority of rape accused (58%) between 2012-2017 were foreign-born.

Out of the foreign-born rapists, a whopping 40% came from Africa or the Middle East while those hailing from Afghanistan accounted for 5% of rapes and attempted rapes. In about 80% of cases where the victim did not know the accused, the perpetrator was found to be of foreign-origin. However, over fears of being racist, Sweden had reportedly banned the practice of describing criminals in the year 2016. While the Swedish authorities had been wary of being dubbed as racist, they did not do much to deport rapists. Daily Caller reported that only 1 out of 5 foreign-origin rapists and attempted rapists were extradited to their home country.

Between 2014 and 2016, multiple sexual harassment incidents surfaced during the We Are Sthlm, an annual youth festival. The Swedish police had to launch an internal investigation to probe allegations of coverup of assaults perpetrated by migrant youths. The Spectator reported that violent crime had been soaring in Sweden. It stated, Its widely known that gang members are mainly first- and second-generation immigrants. Several neighbourhoods had become no-go zones for Swedish citizens without police protection.

In 2015, the Swedish Security Service was notified about 500 suspected migrants who were linked to terrorism charges and war crimes. Besides the menace of rising crime, refugees were also found to bring in MRSA infections in the Skane province in Sweden. At the same time, about 20-30% of refugees were found to have mental disorders. The country also reported an increase in tuberculosis cases after four health workers contracted it in an asylum centre. It was also found that 90% of those suffering from tuberculosis were born abroad.

Owing to an increase in the number of immigrants, a leaked internal memo showed that the Swedish government was mulling to cut down on all public services. Despite opening its arms to the refugees, the staff members at the Swedish Migration Agency complained about death threats and harassment by refugees applying for permanent residence in the country. The migrants would call the staff on their cell phones or stalk them on social media platforms.

At the height of the migrant crisis in Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the country had the economic strength to take in refugees. She also claimed that there was no upper limit to the number of refugees that the country could take in. Angela Merkel had come under fierce criticism for not consulting the federal States. Seehofer, the leader of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), had criticised the Chancellor and estimated that 30% of all refugees were from Syria. He had called upon the EU to cut funding to member States that reject mandatory refugee quotas.

A German study in 2018 found that the countrys fourth-most-populous state, Lower Saxony, witnessed an increase in violent crimes due to incoming migrants. Between 2007 and 2014, the region saw a 21.9% decline in such crimes. However, there was a 10.4% hike by 2016 end. It was found that Lower Saxony had about 7.5 lac residents without German citizenship. By 2016 end, only 1.5 lac migrants had applied for asylum. 92.1% of the total increase in crimes in Lower Saxony was attributed to the incoming migrants.

Bloomberg reported, Between 2014 and 2016, the share of solved violent crimes attributed to asylum seekers increased to 13.3 percent from 4.3 percent a disproportionately high share compared with the statesforeign population The breakdown of specific crimes committed by the asylum seekers is equally thought-provoking. In some 91 percent of murders and three-quarters of cases involving grave bodily damage, the victims are othermigrants.

The liberal, open-border policies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel had turned the country into the most sought after destination for refugees. Between January and December 2015, a whopping 1.091 million asylum-seekers registered with the German government for their distribution among federal States. However, in February 2016, the government conceded that it lost track of 13% of the asylum seekers. Reportedly, the migrants did not move to their accommodation and instead migrated to other European countries or kept living in the country illegally.

The result of left-liberal indoctrination was such that a German politician by the name of Selin Gren lied about the racial identity of the 3 perpetrators who raped her in 2016. The woman was caught off guard by the men at night in a playground and forced to perform sexual acts. She had concealed the fact that the accused spoke in Arabic /Farsi. She claimed that she did not want to stoke hatred against migrants in Germany. The policies of the German government to wholeheartedly welcome the refugees proved costly.

The Rohingya refugee crisis is the largest refugee crisis in the world today, after the exodus of over a million Syrians into Europe in 2016.India has seen massive infiltration by Rohingya Muslims mostly from Rakhine in Myanmar. The government of India has maintained a tough stand against the infiltration. After the Citizenship Amendment Act was enacted by the Modi government, Home Minister Amit Shah had vociferously responded to Muslim leaders and said that Rohingya Muslims pose a security threat and would not be allowed to settle in India.

In July 2018, Economic Timesreportedlittle-known Rohingya terror group Aqa Mul Mujahideen or HaY (Harakah al-Yaqin is called Aqa Mul Mujahideen by the Myanmar government) blamed for the recent attacks on Myanmar border outposts by the countrys president not only maintains links with Hafiz Saeeds Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) but is learnt to have developed ties with the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) cell in Jammu and Kashmir.

Rohingyas had also massacred Hindus in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. In 2017, Myanmar Army issued a statement that a mass grave of 28 Hindus was discovered in the conflict-torn Rakhine state. The Myanmar Army had confirmed that they had found 20 dead women and eight men in the graves, including six boys under the age of ten. Not too long ago, it wasreportedthat 1300 Rohingyas had fled to Bangladesh from India fearing deportation to Myanmar.

Rohingyas have also beenregularly apprehendedby local law enforcement. Union Ministers have also said that they pose a security threat to the country. In October 2019, Seven Rohingya Muslims who were lodged in jail since 2012 for illegally entering India weresent to Myanmarborder fordeportation. The governmenthas also decidedto deport 23 more Rohingyas, who have been staying at various detention camps in Assam after they were caught staying illegally in the state.

It is important to remember here that India is not a party to the 1951 Convention on Refugees and neither the 1967 Protocol. Therefore, no international convention is binding on India. Even if we take into account the international conventions, the Rohingyas are clearly bypassing a safe haven in the form of Bangladesh to reach India for the purpose of gaining material benefits. Thus it makes them economic migrants when they enter India and not persecuted minorities.

While the United Nations has been advocating the inclusion of refugees, the question remains whether the incoming migrants are willing to assimilate with the culture of the host nation. As the refugee crisis in Germany, Sweden and India shows, the surge in the number of refugees can lead to increase crime, demographic change and inconvenience for the natives.

See the original post here:
On World Refugee Day, read how Germany, Sweden, and India bore the brunt of incoming refugees - OpIndia

As the refugee crisis grew across the world, a new trend in childrens literature has also kicked in, sharing stories of refugees in childrens books.

In recent decades, conflicts from Afghanistan to Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Myanmar have led to a growing refugee crisis, which has inspired so many people to tell the stories of trauma, displacement, long arduous journeys and asylum.

The growing volume of refugee childrens literature can be instrumental in developing empathy in host communities, according to authors and refugee advocates.

This literature could also potentially help shape global opinion in favour of refugees.

Here are some of influential books children can read to understand what it means to be a refugee.

The Journey

This book explains a fatherless familys incredible journey from a war-torn country to a safe country through the voice of a little girl. Francesca Sanna, the books writer, has interviewed with many refugee and migrant families across the world. But among all, the two girls she met in a refugee center in Italy inspired her to tell a story about many journeys. Bonus: it is beautifully illustrated.

Lubna and Pebble

Lubna, a little refugee girl, has a best friend, a stone, whom she tells all her tales about everything from home to war. Pebble never interrupts her and always loyally listens to Lubnas stories with a smiling face. Lubna lives in a tent and despite the difficulties, she feels lucky to have Pebble. But when a little boy comes to their refugee camp alone and heartbroken, Lubnas world fundamentally changes, recognising that this boy needs Pebbles friendship more than Lubna does.

The storys author is Wendy Meddour, who is also a well-known illustrator, credited with helping to improve understanding between different races and cultures. She has previously been honoured with the John C Laurence Award for writing.

The Kite Runner: Children's Edition

The book is a children's adaptation of the best-seller novel written by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan writer and a member of a refugee family, who moved to Iran in 1973 after a military coup in Afghanistan. The book tells a refugee familys struggles through the lens of an Afghan boy, focusing on a father-son relationship. It also sends the message that loyalty to a friendship can rescue relationships and also lives.

Where Will I Live?

This book is a collection of photos, portraying refugee children around the world. When people hear the word of photos of refugee children, they expect to see kids in hopeless and miserable conditions.

But Rosemary McCarney, a photographer and the author of the book, aims to show the images of hope and power in refugee childrens eyes. If you want to see how kids could develop an incredible sense of optimism under miserable conditions, check this book out.

Refugee

This book will make you travel not only in time but also to different continents across the world with stories of refugee children from Nazi Germany prior to World War II to Cuba in Central America in 1990s. The books most recent hero, Mahmoud, is a Muslim Syrian boy from Aleppo.

Like other refugee children from Germany and Cuba, Mahmoud was also forced to leave his hometown Aleppo in the midst of a brutal civil war in 2015. The books author, Alan Gratz, has written many novels for young adults. (The book is appropriate for 11+).

A Stepping Stones: A Refugees Familys Journey

Unlike adult literature, children's books not only contain simple, poetic prose but also carry illustrations to help kids understand some complicated circumstances. This book is one of the most beautifully illustrated books with stone artwork by Nizar Ali Badr, thanks to Canadian childrens author Margriet Ruurs fateful discovery of Badrs artwork.

Ruurs recounted a Syrian refugee familys difficult journey, using Badrs poignant stone images, which was already produced by the Syrian artist.

Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina

In a memoir written by Sierra Leone-origin orphan Michaela DePrince, who grew up in an orphanage as an abandoned child, the author narrates how she suffered from a skin condition, which left spots on her body and led some people around her to call her a devil child. The orphanage had a picture of a beautiful ballerina hanging on the wall, which inspired DePrince to dance like her.

The 4-year-old de DePrince was adopted by an American family, who helped her realise her dream of being a ballerina. She eventually succeeded to become one, even appearing in Beyonce's Lemonade most recently.

Source: TRT World

Originally posted here:
7 books on the refugee experience every child should read - TRT World

Kaylee Greenlee

Texas will build its own border wall as migrants continue illegally entering the state,Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Abbott hosted a border security meeting with Texas law enforcement officials to discuss how they can combat illegal entry at the border,accordingto Abbott.

Abbott criticized the Biden administrations policies for causing an increase in illegal migration to the southern border.

I will announce next week the plan for the state of Texas to begin building the border wall in the state of Texas, Abbott said, the American-Statesman reported.

The Biden admin promised to end border wall construction, but continued seizing Texans land through April for new sections of the wall to be installed, the Daily Caller News Foundationreported.

President Bidens open-border policies have led to a humanitarian crisis at our southern border as record levels of illegal immigrants, drugs, and contraband pour into Texas, Abbott said in a statement.

The Biden administration threatened Tuesday to sue Abbott if the state follows through with plans to close federal facilities holding migrant minors operating in the state, the DCNFreported. The Biden administration argued Abbotts disaster declaration discriminates against the federal government by targeting facilities it contracts with.

While securing the border is the federal governments responsibility, Texas will not sit idly by as this crisis grows, Abbott added. The state is working collaboratively with communities impacted by the crisis to arrest and detain individuals coming into Texas illegally.

Customs and Border Protection officialsapprehendedover 180,000 migrants at the southern border in May,accordingto the agency. Nearly 51,000 of migrants apprehended in May were encountered along Texas Rio Grande Valley sector and another 40,000 were apprehended in the Laredo and Del Rio sectors.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contactlicensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Read the rest here:
Texas Will Build Its Own Border Wall In Response To Migrant Crisis, Governor Announces - News Talk Florida

Since the start of the Syrian civil war 10 years ago, Europe has taken in more than one million refugees. So what has been the impact on the continent?

A flotilla of miniature, makeshift boats greets visitors as they return after many months of corona-mandated closures to Amsterdams colonial era Tropenmuseum. The thousands of vessels, making their way, wave after wave, towards the entrance, are the work of Cambridge-based Syrian artist Issam Kourbaj, his way of reminding the world of the ongoing displacement of millions of his fellow countrymen.

Its a timely reminder. Some ten years after the start of the civil war, Syrias dictator, Bashar al-Assad, is back in control of roughly 70% of the country. At the end of May, he had himself re-elected, signalling that hes not going anywhere. This will not help solve the ongoing refugee crisis in the region, where millions are still displaced. It may even presage a new humanitarian catastrophe, if he goes on the attack again.

Meanwhile, the EU is working hard to discourage more refugees from coming. Its seeking to strengthen its deal with Turkey for that purpose while also building new obstacles along its external border. Some countries are taking a harder line towards refugees,notably, Denmark. As of May, the Danes arethreatening to repatriate some Syrian asylum seekers, arguing that the area around Damascus is now safe, which at the very least is a gross oversimplification.

Yet, despite this and occasional eruptions, the Syrian refugee crisis has mostly sunk beneath the surface of the European consciousness and in some ways thats a good thing. Its much less an issue now than it was at its peak when Nigel Farage and UKIP, five years ago this month, pictured lines of refugees in his now infamous 'Breaking Point' poster during the Brexit referendumcampaign. It suggested the EU, and by extension the UK, was facing an unmanageable tide of refugees and thus weaponised the Syrian crisis for British domestic political purposes.

In the UK, this supposed influx was never plausible. The country last year hosted a mere 11,500 UNHCR-recognised Syrian refugees, despite pledging to accept more. Compare that to Germanys more than 562,000, Swedens 114,000 and even the less welcoming Netherlands almost 35,600. All those countries have coped without major disruption to their way of life or their economies, on the contrary, some might argue.

This September, Germany faces its first post-Angela Merkel elections. She kept the borders open in 2015, famously saying, Wir schaffen das, 'we can do this'. Only the extreme-right Alternative Fr Deutschland, AfD, is trying to use anti-immigrant sentiment to curry favour with the voters. The other parties appear to have silently agreed to keep it out of the campaign. Merkels CDU/CSU and the pro-immigrant Green party are vying for the lead, indicating that the anti-refugee issue is not a big winner.

Bente Scheller of the Heinrich Bll Foundation, which is aligned with the Greens, says: When the refugees arrived in large numbers, typical right-wing slogans were, they will be stealing our work etc. But the German economy is doing quite well, despite the pandemic, and it has not affected the jobs market.

Many of the Syrians have indeed found work and built new lives for themselves. Theres a parallel with the arrival of some 325,000 people from the former Yugoslavia during its civil war in the 1990s. There were the same prejudices, people were asking will they fit in? But now nobody talks about them anymore, says Scheller.

Even so, polls show that Germans have toughened their stance on migration since 2015 and might not be as welcoming if theres a next time. When Tareq Alaows, a Syrian refugee, stood as a candidate for the Greens in the upcoming Bundestag elections, he faced a barrage of threats and insults and decided to withdraw.

Elsewhere, resistance to newcomers has not disappeared either. In the Netherlands, for one, the right-wing PVV party is still stoking the fire, recently charging the government with mollycoddling refugees with regard to housing.

Scandinavia offers a different perspective, with Denmark and Sweden on divergent courses. Denmark has a longstanding and powerful political anti-immigrant movement, which has propped up coalitions. The countrys social democrats in response have become tougher on migration and are carrying out part of the right wing agenda. In Sweden, like elsewhere in Europe, theres also a strong right-wing presence but the countrys social democrats have stuck to their traditional welcoming stance towards asylum seekers, even when it seemed electorally unwise.

Apart from the countries with the largest number of refugees, its those in southern Europe that are most directly confronted with the Syrian crisis. In Italy, Matteo Salvini and his Lega keep up an incessant anti-immigrant drumbeat, with Salvini even on trial for having tried to block refugees aboard a ship in the Mediterranean from disembarking in 2019 when he was interior minister.

In Greece the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party has disappeared from parliament, after gaining strength during the height of the refugee crisis. But its allies in Cyprus last month almost doubled their representation, partly on the back of a new influx of refugees from Syria.

It shows that Europeans ignore the ongoing Syrian crisis at their peril. More than five million Syrians are living in often dire circumstances in Turkey and Lebanon alone. Inside Syria millions more are displaced, many in Idlib, one of the last rebel-held areas. A push, or even a squeeze on Idlib by the Assad regime, authorized by his Russian and Iranian sponsors, could once again cause more to flee. A scenario that Turkey will try to counter, militarily if necessary.

What has allowed Syria and its displaced multitudes to slip from the European mind to a degree, is the deal that the EU made with Turkey in 2016.

Ankara keeps the refugees from moving on to Europe in exchange for a lot of money. This mechanism also means that when Turkey wants to up the pressure on the EU, it can threaten to unleash its refugee reserves, or bus them to the EU border as it did early last year. This is not a stable situation for the EU, certainly not while its involved in disputes with Turkey, not least over a Turkish push into Greek territory for oil and gas exploration.

The EU response has been to build walls on the Greek-Turkish border, develop high-tech counter-measures to stop refugees entering, and bolster its burgeoning border force,Frontex, which has been accused of participating in, or turning a blind eye to, southern countries increasingly aggressive pushbacks of not only Syrians but also Iraqis, Afghans, Congolese and others who keep seeking shelter and a better life.

Its a devilish dilemma for the EU and also the UK, which post-Brexit is facing an increasing number of migrant-filled boats of its own. Keeping more refugees from coming might be a way to counter popular unease over their presence but it exposes the bloc to international blackmail and demands measures that often run counter to professed humanitarian principles.

Displacement has become a defining feature of our time. It is no coincidence that Kourbajs flotilla, Dark Water, Burning World, was recently added as the 101st item in the BBCs series The history of the world in 100 objects,representing the past decade. Each small boat carries a trauma, says Kourbaj, a trauma that can only be addressed if the refugeesare welcomed and enabled to put down new roots.

What do you think? Have your say on this and more by emailing letters@theneweuropean.co.uk

Visit link:
Europe and the decade-long Syrian refugee crisis - The New European

Authors: Naila Ahmed, Nour Aoun, Noushig Kaloustian, Farah Asfahani, Ronald Eduardo Gomez Suarez, Sherin Varkey

Countries hosting refugees in the Mashreq region face a daunting challenge. The Mashreq region continues to experience a cascade of forced displacement crises spurred by conflict, violence and political turmoil in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, compounded now by COVID-19 and economic shocks. In the last ten years, approximately 12 million Syrians have been displaced, more than half of them to neighboring countries, and in late 2019 there were new waves of Syrian Kurds leaving North East Syria for Iraq. In addition, an estimated six million Iraqis were internally displaced, with an estimated 4.8 million having recently returned to their place of origin while 1.2 million remain as Internally Displaced People (IDPs). While the long-standing Palestinian displacement continues and Syria and Iraq remain volatile, there is little reason to expect that the scope or impact of forced displacement in the Mashreq will be reduced in the near term.

While COVID-19 has led to multifaceted challenges for all in the region, vulnerable populations in Lebanon (both Lebanese and non-Lebanese) are at a particular disadvantage as the country has been assailed by compounded crises specifically, an economic and financial crisis, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and, lastly, the explosion at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020 which have significantly exacerbated vulnerabilities among specific groups.

Home to the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, Lebanon hosts 855,172 registered Syrian refugees in addition to 600,000 Syrian refugees informally residing in the country, bringing the estimated total to about 1.5 million, equivalent to over 20% of the overall population. There are also approximately 225,000 Palestinian refugee and 30,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon, 15,800 refugees of Ethiopian, Iraqi, Sudanese, and other origins, in addition to 400,000 migrant workers.

Refugees face difficulties in access and are hesitant to receive vaccination. Following the launch of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Lebanon in February 2021, Lebanon adopted an inclusive approach and officially confirmed that its national plan covers all those residing in the country based on priority categories (such as morbidity, age, essential worker status, etc.), regardless of their nationality or residency status. However, despite an inclusive approach and vaccines being made available through public and private sources, several obstacles have emerged, which are particular to refugees and migrant workers living in Lebanon.

One of the platforms established by the World Bank to explore and address such issues is the Joint Monitoring Committee, constituted by the World Bank and UN agencies (WHO, UNICEF, UNRWA, UNHCR and IOM). The objective of this committee is to join efforts to advocate for a fair, transparent, and inclusive vaccination campaign. The World Bank financed Third-Party Monitoring mechanism of the vaccination rollout implemented by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC), has been successful in detecting and reporting violations of the National Deployment and Vaccination Plan.

The World Bank has also established robust communication channels to share the monitoring findings with the Lebanese authorities (the Ministry of Public Health, the National Vaccination Committee, the Vaccine Executive Committee) for prompt action. As the Government of Lebanon (GoL), the private sector, World Bank, UN agencies and NGOs come together to support an inclusive vaccine roll out for all residents of Lebanon, what is interesting to note is that legacy issues which range from mis-trust in the Government, high levels of poverty, to lack of documentation are emerging as impediments. There are concerns that requirement for formal documentation for online registration may lead refugees to refrain from registering out of fear of harassment, arrest or detention.

Furthermore, given the fact that mobility is often a barrier for refugees, vaccination centers need to be opened in areas with a high concentration of refugee populations. For example, the largest concentration of refugees is in Bekaa and Baalbeck-El Hermel region (39%) followed by Akkar (27%). While the establishment of a national online platform for pre-registration has been crucial in ensuring a fair and transparent rollout of the vaccination campaign, low levels of literacy and digital literacy might limit the ability of refugees to register online.

Alternative methods of registration exist (through municipalities or national call center), however they require additional support to boost their capacity. The high levels of vaccine hesitancy across refugee groups is well documented, mainly related to concerns on vaccine safety and potential side effects, similar to Lebanese communities residing in the same regions.

According to a recent survey from IMC at MoPH, almost 37% non-Lebanese respondents stated that they do not think the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, while almost 31% non-Lebanese expressed that they do not have enough information about the COVID-19 vaccine and how it works. Only 23% of non-Lebanese respondents stated that they are willing to take the vaccine when available. As of June 17, 2021, only 38,957 Palestinians and 45,195 Syrians had pre-registered on the national platform. The low levels of confidence in COVID-19 vaccination amongst refugees is evident as only 3.0% of the total estimated Syrian refugee population have pre-registered for vaccination.

UN agencies such as UNHCR and UNICEF who support Syrians and other refugees, UNRWA whose mandate is to support the Palestinian refugees, International Organization for Migration (IOM) who supports the migrant works as well as relevant NGOs with strong field presence have launched several initiatives to increase awareness, address vaccine hesitancy and support registration. Despite such efforts, the unmet needs are significant. Faced with the magnitude of the multiple crises in the country including the Syrian refugee crisis, new ways and means to mobilize financing to support activities targeting all vulnerable groups and adopting the One Refugee Approach are urgently required.

The World Bank has approved the re-allocation of US$34 million from the existing Lebanon Health Resilience project, which received funding from the Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF), to support vaccines for all residents of Lebanon. Launched in 2016, the GCFF provides concessional financing to middle income countries hosting large numbers of refugees at rates usually reserved for the poorest countries. It is the World Banks primary instrument to engage on the displacement response in countries such as Lebanon. In addition, the World Bank is currently mobilizing resources from the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Multi-Donor Trust Fund for refugee vaccination deployment. This initiative aims to deliver a series of interventions intended at understanding and addressing gaps in COVID-19 vaccine preparedness and implementation and COVID-19 response in Lebanon for vulnerable populations, particularly refugees and host communities.

In addition to procuring and financing the costs for vaccines and their deployment for refugees, the Lebanon experience shows that the following approaches are critical for country plans to support vaccination of refugees in any country.

In addition to the above, initiatives to support vaccination of refugees must recognize the complex dynamics of the local context. Lebanon, for example, is currently seeing over 55% of its own population fall below the poverty line due to the economic crisis. It is critical to remain sensitive to the sentiments of the host communities and ensure that there is no privileged access or improper targeting or prioritization of one population over another. The ultimate goal for countries is to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all with the understanding that no one is safe until everyone is safe.

Excerpt from:
Vaccinating refugees: Lessons from the inclusive Lebanon vaccine roll-out experience - World Bank Group