Ten years from now, will we see peace being restored; people rebuilding their lives, their futures and developing prosperity at home? Will people who fled their homelands be able to return? Will Europe turn the migration crisis into an opportunity to build peace? If the answer is yes, then we can talk about success.
In the present, we are witnessing a tragedy unfold. People moving far away from their homes, their cultures and their ancestors’ soil — escaping insecurity that threatens the lives of their loved ones and their own. Many say they want to return home when peace resumes, but the reality of instability and conflict — such as the war raging in Syria, with no end in sight — means most have left their homelands permanently.
This does not just affect the families that have been displaced, but the cycle of development in communities and entire countries. When a nation’s citizens — skilled laborers, doctors, children who will become future leaders — exodus from their homelands, who will be left to rebuild communities when and if peace resumes?
About the author
Simon Missiri
Dr. Simon Missiri is the regional director for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Europe. He sets the strategic direction of the IFRC regional office for Europe in Budapest and several sub-regional and country offices (including Brussels, Athens, Moscow and Kiev), in providing IFRC support and policy work with National Red Cross Red Crescent Societies in 54 countries.
