An IRC psychologist reflects on the fresh trauma faced by refugees who fled violence in their home countries only to be displaced by a fire in a refugee camp in Greece.

Seventy years ago, 145 countries signed the 1951 Refugee Convention in the wake of World War II, when the displacement of millions of people across Europe shed light on the need for humanitarian protections for those forced to flee violence and persecution. Since 1951, 50 million people have been protected under the Convention’s umbrella. Yet, today, the consensus that forged the Convention and the international cooperation that underpins it are being increasingly undermined. Over the past several years, we have seen a decline in resettlement, a hardening of refugee inclusion and asylum policies, and humanitarian aid lagging behind needs, across the regions that once most firmly upheld these protections. This report outlines how the US and Europe were key players at the time of the Convention's creation - now is the time for these same actors to reinvigorate it.

With over 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, it is now more important than ever for resettlement organizations to partner with members of the community to support refugees.

The Battle for Raqqa, expected to be one of the fiercest since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, is intensifying. There is a real risk that as many as 100,000 residents will remain trapped in Raqqa after the assault begins and get caught up in the fighting.

After some of the bloodiest fighting in more than seven years of civil war in Syria—including a suspected chemical attack in the town of Douma—the enclave of Eastern Ghouta is under the control of the Syrian government.