MERGE Brief, January 2020
In an attempt to prevent refugee inflows from Turkey to its islands, Greece plans to build a floating barrier in the Aegean Sea, Middle East Monitor reports. Advocates of humanitarian rights condemn the conservative government for the plan, says the New York Times.
Financial Times mentions Turkey’s expectations for more EU aid as Ankara says it needs more funds to address the refugee situation in the country. Meanwhile, Kemal Kirisci at Brookings Institute recommends Brussels and Ankara to mutually promote self-reliance for Syrian refugees through agricultural trade.
Al Jazeera reports the desperate situation of refugees in Lebanon and Jordan who struggle to stay warm in winter. The Middle East Eye shares the story of African asylums in Lebanon as they expect an urgent action from the UNHCR to address their difficult situation.
Omer Karasapan from the World Bank delves into how countries share the burden of the global refugee crisis, claiming developed countries recently hosted only 16 percent of refugees while developing countries received the remaining 84 percent.