12 Mar 2013

TURKEY / GUTERRES

On a trip to Turkey to visit camps hosting Syrian refugees earlier this week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres tells a press conference, "In January we had 5,000, in February we had 8,000, so this shows you the staggering escalation we are witnessing." UNHCR

Posted at: March 12, 2013 1:25 pm

Duration: 03:00

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STORY: TURKEY / GUTERRES
TRT: 3.00
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 10 MARCH, ANKARA & GAZANTIEP (NIZIP CAMP), TURKEY

SHOTLIST:

10 MARCH, NIZIP CAMP in GAZANTIEP, TURKEY

1. Wide shot, Nizip camp
2. Various shots, refugees in camp
3. Wide shot, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres walking in the camp 
4. Wide shot, António Guterres enters a tent
5. Various shots, António Guterres in the camp talking to refugee family inside a tent
6. Close up, Syrian refugee Raeda 
7. Close up, Raeda's son 
8. SOUND-UP (Arabic) Raeda, Syrian Refugee:
"We came from Syria, we were shelled, my husband died in the shelling."
9. Close up, son 
10. SOUND-UP (English) António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees:
 "It is a very big tragedy, last week more than one million people that fled the country, but there are several million inside Syria that badly need assistance."
11. Close up Raeda's son
12. Med shot, refugee woman standing in camp
13. Close up, older Syrian refugee
14. Med shot, outside registration centre Gazantiep 
15. Wide shot, refugees at clinic
16. Various shots, António Guterres watching registration process
17. Close up, registration card
18. Close up, António Guterres 
19. Various shots, refugees waiting 
20. Close up, one month old baby

10 MARCH, ANKARA, TURKEY

21. Med shot, António Guterres arrives for press briefing 
22. Various cutaways, journalist
23. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR: 
"In January we had 5,000, in February we had 8,000, so this shows you the staggering escalation we are witnessing. Now if this escalation goes on and nothing happens to solve the problem, we might have at the end of the year, a much larger number of refugees, two or three times the present level."
24. Cutaway, journalists
25. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR: 
"UNHCR is a strict humanitarian agency we cannot be involved in the political dimensions, but we know there is no humanitarian solution to the plight of the Syrian people. We can mitigate suffering, but we cannot provide a solution the solution is political, the solution needs to be found by those with political responsibilities."

10 MARCH, NIZIP CAMP in GAZANTIEP, TURKEY

26. Wide shot, camp

STORYLINE:

Nizip camp, a sea of tents that stretches out into the horizon.

Children play amidst the washing lines whilst mothers look on.

Located in the province of Gazantiep, this is one of the 17 camps built and maintained by the Turkish Government.

Over 8,000 refugees live here.

Today the camp had a special visitor, UNHCR High Commissioner António Guterres. He sat with Syrian families, listening to their stories of flight.

Raeda walked two days to reach the Turkish border. She lives in this tent with her six sons.

SOUND-UP (Arabic) Raeda, Syrian refugee:
"We came from syria, we were shelled, my husband died in the shelling."

SOUND-UP (English) António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees:
"It is a very big tragedy, last week more than one million people that fled the country, but there are several million inside Syria that badly need assistance."

Turkey says they have spent over US$ 800 million funding the camps, they are home to over 185,000 refugees.

Turkey has now begun registering Syrians residing outside of camps. At this local centre in the city of Gaziantep, Guterres saw the registration process in action. 
  
After they are interviewed, refugees are provided with a registration card. They can now receive access to free health care and additional aid.

To date, over 40,000 refugees have registered and there are another 31,000 awaiting registration. Previously, Syrians were only registered if they lived in camps.

UNHCR provides technical advice and assistance to the Turkish Government by identifying persons with special needs.

At a press conference in Ankara, Guterres expressed his thanks for Turkey's humanitarian efforts.

SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR:
 "In January we had 5,000, in February we had 8,000, so this shows you the staggering escalation we are witnessing. Now if this escalation goes on and nothing happens to solve the problem, we might have at the end of the year, a much larger number of refugees, two or three times the present level."

He also called on all those with political responsibilities to find a solution, warning that the conflict could spill over into neighbouring countries.

SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR:
"UNHCR is a strict humanitarian agency we cannot be involved in the political dimensions, but we know there is no humanitarian solution to the plight of the Syrian people. We can mitigate suffering, but we cannot provide a solution the solution is political, the solution needs to be found by those with political responsibilities."

With the conflict now entering its second year, the tragedy and suffering experienced by Syrian refugees looks set to continue.

Filed under 13.01.00 - PROTECTION OF AND ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC TURKEY UNHCR - Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.