European and Turkish Humanitarian Response during the Syrian Crisis

Abstract

The ongoing conflict in Syria has created one of the most pressing humanitarian crises in the world. Humanitarian needs continue to rise, population displacements are increasing and an entire generation of children is being exposed to war and violence, increasingly deprived of basic services, education and protection. The European Union and its member states collectively are leading the international response. More than € billion have been mobilized for relief and recovery assistance to Syrians in their country and to refugees and their host communities in neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt. Turkey above all is currently hosting more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees, the largest number of Syrian refugees in one country in the world, even during last summer. The article aims to provide a general overview of the Syrian crisis after the so-called “Arab Spring” in 2011, particularly from a humanitarian point of view. After this step, the article will focus on the Turkish humanitarian response to the Syrian crisis itself, including the initiatives that the EU has created to deal with the problem.