event
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Pathways to Safe Return: Addressing Challenges for Syrian Refugees in the Wake of Regime Normalization

Thu. July 6th, 2023
Virtual

After twelve years of civil war and humanitarian suffering in Syria, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad remains entrenched. With no political solution to the conflict in sight, there is regional momentum toward normalization with the regime. In May, Syria was welcomed back into the Arab League. Several Arab nations have concluded that Assad is here to stay and that they require his cooperation to address challenges such as refugees and the illicit drug trade. While there appears to be less of a willingness to normalize relations with Syria in the United States and Europe, Western governments have increasingly directed their attention elsewhere, namely the Russia-Ukraine war. 

In light of these developments, the question of what issues need to be addressed for the millions of Syrian refugees living in neighboring countries—mainly Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan—to safely return home is more pertinent than ever. Refugees face pressure to return voluntarily (from hostile governments and legal restrictions in host states) as well as obstacles within Syria (including discriminatory laws and mandatory conscription in Syria). As death certificates now demonstrate, the Syrian regime has killed hundreds of civilians in its prisons, including activists from the uprising against its rule. What can Arab League countries and the international community do to enable or facilitate a safe return for Syrian refugees?

To explore these questions, the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center is organizing a panel discussion on July 6, at 6:00 p.m EEST, which is co-hosted by the Immigration Policy Lab at Stanford University and ETH Zurich, European Institute of Peace, and Syrian Network for Human Rights. The speakers will be Marie Forestier, Ala’ Alrababa’h, and Fadel Abdul Ghany.

The discussion will be in English and moderated by the director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Maha Yahya. It will be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.

For more information, please contact Najwa Yassine at najwa.yassine@carnegie-mec.org.

Political ReformMiddle EastSyriaLevant
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Fadel Abdul Ghany

He is a Syrian Human Rights Advocate and the founder and chairman of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). He has worked for nine years in the field of defending human rights in Syria, ever since the start of the popular uprising for democracy in March 2011. He is an author and co-author of and contributor to numerous reports and investigations, as well as written and oral presentations, concerning the human rights situation in Syria.

Ala’ Alrababa’h

Junior Fellow, Middle East Program

Marie Forestier

Marie Forestier joined the European Institute of Peace (EIP) as Senior Advisor in January 2023. She is a policy analyst and a researcher with over a decade experience in conflict-affected countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.

Maha Yahya

Director, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Yahya is director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, where her research focuses on citizenship, pluralism, and social justice in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings.