UNHCR's Efforts to Integrate Syrian Refugees into Host Communities: Legal Standards and Practical Restrictions

Abstract

 The UN High Commissioner for Refugees seeks to reduce the aggravation of the asylum crisis internationally. Among its strategies, it proposes to integrate refugees into host States in accordance with the integration requirements that will provide them with opportunities for a decent life. This article aims at defining legal standards in the local integration of Syrian refugees in host countries and specifically discusses the problem of practical restrictions that prevent their successful integration into those countries. For this reason, the study uses a descriptive methodology in determining the legal criteria for integration and an analytical methodology in determining the practical restrictions. As a result, the article confirms that UNHCR's performance is subject to the inevitable conflict between the legally recognized humanitarian needs of refugees and the national security requirements of host countries; it is a conflict that UNHCR is unable to overcome because of the difficulty in prioritizing humanitarian considerations over national interests