Middle East

Scorched earth and charred lives

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Human health and environmental risks of civilian-operated makeshift oil refineries in Syria

05-09-2016Many Syrian civilians have begun refining oil due to the drastic decline in production by professional oil refineries in Syria. The conditions in these makeshift refineries are causing enormous health and environmental pollution problems in the region.

PAX 'After ISIS' ALERT

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Post-ISIS Peacebuilding Strategy for Syria and Iraq

05-07-2016

Sinjar after ISIS

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Returning to disputed territory - June 2016

15-06-2016This outline of an extensive study on Sinjar, Iraq, provides an important understanding of new dynamics in areas where ISIS has retreated. In post-ISIS Sinjar, new security and political stakeholders have taken root, and local communities, affected by rounds of violence and frustrated by a lack of state protection, increasingly mobilize by joining non-state armed groups.

Trapped in Lebanon

649 KB

Trapped in Lebanon: The alarming human rights and human security situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon – May 2016

15-06-2016The mass influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq resulted in additional strain on communities already suffering from under-development, and social, economic and political crises.

Siege Watch #2

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Second Quarterly Report on Besieged Areas in Syria - May 2016

10-06-2016In its second quarterly report, Siege Watch reveals that the number of Syrians living under siege has not declined in the past three months. If anything, the situation has become worse due to deteriorating conditions in the affected communities, as well as an increase in the number of areas under threat of being besieged.

Iraq Alert III

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Iraqi Stability at Risk: Preventing the pitfalls of the fight against ISIS

12-05-2016Recent political crises in Baghdad and Erbil, together with ongoing demonstrations, affirm that the necessity for a more assertive commitment of the international community to address current challenges in Iraq is greater than ever. A comprehensive and coordinated approach with a long-term vision that does not focus exclusively on ISIS-affected areas, but on all of Iraq, is needed.

Syria Alert XIX - Immediate lifting of sieges in Syria must be prioritized

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14-04-2016While the recent decrease in bombing and bombardments in Syria has provided a welcome relief for many Syrians, the deteriorating situation of besieged communities remains highly concerning. The use of starvation as a weapon is a war crime, and the practice must stop immediately. As parties to the Syria talks gather in Geneva this week, it is essential that lifting sieges is at the forefront of any discussions about political transition in Syria.

Siege Watch

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First Quarterly Report on Besieged Areas in Syria - February 2016

09-02-2016This report is the first in a series of quarterly reports by Siege Watch – a joint initiative of PAX and The Syria Institute. The Siege Watch project aims to provide the international community with timely and accurate information on conditions in Syria’s besieged communities. New data gathered by Siege Watch shows that there are well over 1,000,000 Syrians under siege in locations in Damascus, Rural Damascus, Homs, Deir Ezzor, and Idlib governorates. The scope and severity of sieges across Syria continues to grow despite United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2254 (2015), and 2258 (2015), all of which call for unobstructed humanitarian access. The deliberate starvation of civilians is also a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and therefore a war crime.

Syria Alert issue XVIII - Over a million Syrians under siege

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Lifting of all sieges an essential confidence-building measure for the Vienna process

13-01-2016

Syria Alert issue XVII - The Vienna Process

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Priorities for a process towards peace and transition in Syria

15-12-2015In this Syria Alert, PAX outlines urgent actions that must be taken in order for the Vienna process to have any chance of success. In Vienna a framework for a nationwide ceasefire and a parallel political process in Syria was agreed upon by the International Syria Support Group.