Despite ongoing concerns, Lebanese Min of Social Affairs stated that Lebanon’s “plan” to return Syrians was approved at Damascus Conference on displaced in November'
Irish Syria Solidarity Movement is among 30 organisations
calling on UN Secretary General, UNHCR & international community to prevent forced return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon to Syria
Syria is not safe, returnees are at risk of detention, torture & even death
#SyriaNotSafe
30 local and international organizations call on the #UNHCR and the international community to exercise its power to prevent the forced return of Syrian refugees under duress or pressure from #lebanon to #Syria.
— Access Center for Human Rights - ACHR (@ACHRights) January 8, 2021
View the full paper through the link below:https://t.co/3yNawQtXTv
Despite ongoing concerns, Lebanese Min of Social Affairs stated that Lebanon’s “plan” to return Syrians was approved at Damascus Conference on displaced in November'
#SyriaNotSafe #NoRefoulement2Syria
1. In accordance with international humanitarian law & UNHCR’s policies regarding repatriation, UNHCR must issue a public statement clarifying its position on the Lebanese government’s plan to deport Syrian refugees back to Syria.
2.Intensify efforts to monitor & document violations against Syrian refugees by any party in Lebanon, including the Lebanese Government.
3. Increase public reporting of violations against Syrian refugees & lobby against policies designed to force them to return
4. Provide public information about the situation in Syria, including the UNHCR’s limitations on collecting information in Syria, to Syrian refugees prior to any voluntary repatriation.
#SyriaNotSafe
#NoRefoulementToSyria
1. EU US Germany France & UK must condition assistance to Lebanon on ensuring refugees are not forced or pressured to return to Syria. To include financial resources, development assistance, financial support to security sector
4. Support integration assistance to refugees & campaigns to combat xenophobia & encourage cross-cultural collaboration
@Refugees UNHCR MUST PROTECT SYRIAN REFUGEES
IN LEBANON FROM REFOULEMENT
#SyriaNotSafe
More from Government
The Government is making the same mistakes as it did in the first wave. Except with knowledge.
A thread.
The Government's strategy at the beginning of the pandemic was to 'cocoon' the vulnerable (e.g. those in care homes). This was a 'herd immunity' strategy. This interview is from
This strategy failed. It is impossible to 'cocoon' the vulnerable, as Covid is passed from younger people to older, more vulnerable people.
We can see this playing out through heatmaps. e.g. these heatmaps from the second
The Government then decided to change its strategy to 'preventing a second wave that overwhelms the NHS'. This was announced on 8 June in Parliament.
This is not the same as 'preventing a second wave'.
https://t.co/DPWiJbCKRm
The Academy of Medical Scientists published a report on 14 July 'Preparing for a Challenging Winter' commissioned by the Chief Scientific Adviser that set out what needed to be done in order to prevent a catastrophe over the winter
A thread.
The Government's strategy at the beginning of the pandemic was to 'cocoon' the vulnerable (e.g. those in care homes). This was a 'herd immunity' strategy. This interview is from
Government #coronavirus science advisor Dr David Halpern tells me of plans to \u2018cocoon\u2019 vulnerable groups. pic.twitter.com/dhECJNbmnI
— Mark Easton (@BBCMarkEaston) March 11, 2020
This strategy failed. It is impossible to 'cocoon' the vulnerable, as Covid is passed from younger people to older, more vulnerable people.
We can see this playing out through heatmaps. e.g. these heatmaps from the second
Here are the heatmaps for Covid detected cases, positivity, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions. This is for the week to 3 January 2021.
— Dr Duncan Robertson (@Dr_D_Robertson) January 7, 2021
I have marked a line on 21 September, when SAGE recommended a circuit breaker, so you can see how the situation has deteriorated since then. pic.twitter.com/SEEVgUVK4j
The Government then decided to change its strategy to 'preventing a second wave that overwhelms the NHS'. This was announced on 8 June in Parliament.
This is not the same as 'preventing a second wave'.
https://t.co/DPWiJbCKRm
The Academy of Medical Scientists published a report on 14 July 'Preparing for a Challenging Winter' commissioned by the Chief Scientific Adviser that set out what needed to be done in order to prevent a catastrophe over the winter
One thing civil servants learn is to write things down. Here is @acadmedsci's 14 July report commissioned by @uksciencechief. For the record.
— Dr Duncan Robertson (@Dr_D_Robertson) September 17, 2020
This article by Jim Spellar for @LabourList misses the point about why Labour needs to think seriously about constitutional reform - and have a programme for it ready for government.
The state of our constitution is a bit like the state of the neglected electric wiring in an old house. If you are moving into the house, sorting it out is a bit tedious. Couldn’t you spend the time and money on a new sound system?
But if you ignore the wiring, you’ll find that you can’t safely install the new sound system. And your house may well catch fire.
Any programme for social democratic government requires a state with capacity, and a state that has clear mechanisms of accountability, for all the big and all the small decisions that in takes, in which people have confidence.
That is not a description of the modern UK state.
"Voters don\u2019t care about how the D\u2019Hondt system works or about how you\u2019d geographically carve up a regional assembly... They want results.\u2070"@spellar on why Labour should stop obsessing over constitutional issues: https://t.co/W0zsire5xI
— LabourList (@LabourList) February 11, 2021
The state of our constitution is a bit like the state of the neglected electric wiring in an old house. If you are moving into the house, sorting it out is a bit tedious. Couldn’t you spend the time and money on a new sound system?
But if you ignore the wiring, you’ll find that you can’t safely install the new sound system. And your house may well catch fire.
Any programme for social democratic government requires a state with capacity, and a state that has clear mechanisms of accountability, for all the big and all the small decisions that in takes, in which people have confidence.
That is not a description of the modern UK state.
