Commissioner Várhelyi in Geneva discusses the efforts to end the Syrian refugee crisis

Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi was in Geneva yesterday to host the high-level discussion on the ‘The Syrian refugee crisis – delivering in partnership’ in the framework of the first edition of the Global Refugee Forum.

Discussions touched upon the joint response to address the needs of refugees and affected host communities, and what lessons learned can be drawn from it. Commissioner Várhelyi reaffirmed that the new, geopolitical European Commission will be addressing the conflict as a priority, stressing also the need to work together with international organisations, partner countries and civil society to put an end to the refugee crisis. The conflict needs to end through a political solution, where the EU supports the work of the UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen. The Commissioner’s introductory remarks are available online.

Participants to the panel included Ayman Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Afshan Khan, Regional Director of UNICEF, Rouba Mhaissen, Founder & Director of the NGO SAWA for Development & Aid and Ghadeer Khuffash, CEO of the NGO Education for Employment.

The EU with its Member States has mobilised more than €17 billion since 2011 to support forcibly displaced Syrians, as well as host communities in neighbouring countries, making it the largest donor.

On the margins of the Forum, Commissioner Várhelyi also hold bilateral meetings with Ayman Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, Alternate Minister of Citizen Protection, responsible for immigration of Greece, Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs Hamdi Loza of Egypt.

Photos and videos are available on EbS.

For more information

Factsheets - ‘Responding to the Syrian Crisis, EU support’: Inside Syria; in Jordan; Lebanon and Turkey

Factsheet - EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis

Website - EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey

Factsheet - EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa - North Africa window