Increasing aid for Syrian refugees is not the only option. Here are four more

The Support Syria conference in London has been presented as the only way – apart from an end to the war – of stemming the flow of Syrian refugees to Europe.

The British government is pushing for a huge increase in aid to transit countries, such as Jordan, as a quid pro quo for letting more Syrians enter those countries’ labour markets. The hope is that more work will persuade more Syrians to stay in the Middle East. This aid is much needed, but it is optimistic to expect it alone to curb the flow of refugees to Europe. The jobs the aid will encourage may be comparatively few in number and offer Syrians no more than they can already earn on the black market. They will not be created – if at all – for several months.

In the meantime, another 300,000 refugees could have arrived in Europe. In order to manage the migration crisis, the international community also needs to pursue several other approaches – namely: 

1. Increase mass resettlement

Fearing domestic uproar, European leaders have resisted resettling significant numbers of refugees from places like Jordan. But over a million have now arrived regardless – in part because they have lost faith in the formal processes of resettlement.

Given that it is physically and legally impossible to prevent their passage, it therefore makes sense to at least slow and manage their arrival by
offering them a realistic chance of resettlement.

This would encourage refugees tempted to smuggle themselves to Greece to bide their time on the other side of the Mediterranean, since they would now have the prospect of getting to Europe in a safer manner.

Andrew Harper, head of the UN refugee agency in Jordan, said his colleagues noticed more refugees promising to remain in Jordan once Canada pledged to resettle 25,000 Syrians – increasing the possibility that more people could start in new life in the west. “If there is a possibility of not putting their families’ lives at risk, they will choose that,” said Harper. “If it doesn’t work out, then they may make a move.”