An Argument for Using Frozen Assets for Humanitarian Assistance in Refugee Situations

As demonstrated by the recent crisis in Syria, the international community is failing to respond effectively to refugee crises around the world. With the civil war in Syria and the massive influx of Syrian refugees into neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey, as well as many countries in Europe, the efficacy of the international human rights regime in responding to complex humanitarian emergencies has once again come under question. In January 2015, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) declared that Syrians overtook Afghans as the largest refugee population aside from Palestinians. UNHCR estimates that more than 12 million Syrians have been internally displaced and close to 4 million Syrians were forced to leave their country since the outbreak of the civil war, fleeing mostly to Syria's immediate neighbors.