Programme Coordinator, Middle East and North Africa programme
Kelly Petillo is the programme coordinator for Middle East and North Africa at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Her experience stems from roles at various human rights and humanitarian INGOs and UN agencies in Europe and the Middle East, including Crisis Action, the International Crisis Group and the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA). In the past, Kelly carried out research on the impact of the war in Syria on Palestinian refugees since its outbreak in 2011. She also spent time in Lebanon, where she helped convening youth-led events to promote the rights of refugees and migrant workers in the country.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, minimal aid is reaching north-west Syria, the most affected region in the country. European governments need to put humanitarian imperatives first, even if this means temporarily abandoning longstanding political positions
Europeans should adopt a new approach to supporting Syrian refugees – one that would also benefit host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan
If Turkey and other countries begin deporting more Syrians back to Syria, Europe could experience a new wave of arrivals. European policymakers need to devise a more sustainable, longer-term approach to the issue.
Heightened conflict in Ukraine could have serious consequences for European interests in the Middle East and North Africa. It could further disrupt energy supplies, exacerbate food insecurity, and help states in the region gain leverage over the US and Europe.
Europeans who have at heart the sustainable return of refugees, in line with Europe’s core interests and with the will of the Syrian people, should focus on ensuring that conditions on the ground in Syria allow for safe, voluntary, and dignified returns
The White House’s intent to restore the global human rights agenda should prompt the EU and its member states to rethink their refugee policies, at a time when refugees and other displaced people face immense challenges
The European Union can provide greater grassroots support to the Tunisian and Lebanese economies – and help avert an economic crisis abroad and political crisis at home
European countries should work to renew the UN Security Council resolution on cross-border humanitarian access to northern Syria, lest the area slides into a deeper humanitarian crisis
Italy and the EU should not assume that a concerted campaign to release George Zaki is doomed to failure
Europeans should adopt a new approach to supporting Syrian refugees – one that would also benefit host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan
In the aftermath of the earthquake, minimal aid is reaching north-west Syria, the most affected region in the country. European governments need to put humanitarian imperatives first, even if this means temporarily abandoning longstanding political positions
If Turkey and other countries begin deporting more Syrians back to Syria, Europe could experience a new wave of arrivals. European policymakers need to devise a more sustainable, longer-term approach to the issue.
Heightened conflict in Ukraine could have serious consequences for European interests in the Middle East and North Africa. It could further disrupt energy supplies, exacerbate food insecurity, and help states in the region gain leverage over the US and Europe.
Europeans who have at heart the sustainable return of refugees, in line with Europe’s core interests and with the will of the Syrian people, should focus on ensuring that conditions on the ground in Syria allow for safe, voluntary, and dignified returns
The White House’s intent to restore the global human rights agenda should prompt the EU and its member states to rethink their refugee policies, at a time when refugees and other displaced people face immense challenges
The European Union can provide greater grassroots support to the Tunisian and Lebanese economies – and help avert an economic crisis abroad and political crisis at home
European countries should work to renew the UN Security Council resolution on cross-border humanitarian access to northern Syria, lest the area slides into a deeper humanitarian crisis
Italy and the EU should not assume that a concerted campaign to release George Zaki is doomed to failure
When confronted with the choice of either returning [to Syria] or fleeing to a third country, many might consider the latter, and Europe is a top choice
Kelly Petillo comments on Syria’s readmittance to the Arab League
This sets a precedent of impunity for war crimes, the effect of which can reverberate around the world, all the way to Russia and Ukraine
Kelly Petillo outlines potential impacts of Syria’s readmittance into the Arab League
The UN has no sanctions against the Assad regime, so they can provide aid if [the regime] allows
Western sanctions against the Assad regime are not the main cause of the slow trickle in humanitarian aid, explains Kelly Petillo
What has arrived so far is not even close to being enough
Kelly Petillo talks about the shortage of humanitarian aid in the northwest of Syria after the earthquake
Russia, backed by China, has been limiting international humanitarian assistance for years, in an attempt to deplete rebel-held areas and redirect aid toward Damascus
Kelly Petillo on the struggles of the international community to provide humanitarian aid to the earthquake-troubled regions
