Syrian refugee are incresing day by day

One million Syrians have fled their homeland, the head of the United Nations refugee agency today said, warning that in the absence of a political solution, humanitarian workers need additional funds to help the refugees and support the countries hosting them. ”With a million people in flight, millions more displaced internally, and thousands of people continuing to cross the border every day.

Syria is spiralling towards full-scale disaster,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, said in a press release.“We are doing everything we can to help, but the international humanitarian response capacity is dangerously stretched. This tragedy has to be stopped. ”The number of refugees increased dramatically since the start of the year, with more than 400,000 people fleeing Syria to neighbouring countries – Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, and increasingly to North Africa and Europe, according to figures reported by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).“This number translates into one million people who are dependent on the generosity of host countries, the response of humanitarian agencies and the financial support of governments and individuals,” said Mr. Guterres, who will be travelling to the region later this week to visit UNHCR operations in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.

In Lebanon, the population has increased by as much as 10 per cent. Jordan’s energy, water, health and education services are being strained to the limit. Turkey has spent over $600 million setting up 17 refugee camps, with more under construction. Iraq, already stressed by a population of one million internally displaced persons (IDPs), received over 100,000 Syrian refugees in the past year.

Communications and Society

In August 2012 Aspen Institute hold  a Forum on Communications and Society (FOCAS to discuss the movement towards open and innovative governance and develop tangible proposals and recommendations to increase transparency, promote smarter governance and enhance democracy. Participants included media and technology experts, government officials, academics, and leading NGO directors. Notably joining the conversation was President of the Republic of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves, White House Digital Strategist Macon Phillips, Ushahidi Executive Director Juliana Rotich and a number of up-and-coming technology innovators with expertise in designing platforms and applications for open governance systems.

American democracy is premised on informed citizens engaging in self-governance. Yet  today many citizens are disenchanted with their governments at all levels and are uninterested in participating. At the same time, citizens’ use of mobile and digital technologies is creating a significant communication gap between governments and the governed. And governments find themselves strapped for cash and unable to respond to these tensions in constructive ways. 

On a more encouraging note, however, there is now a burgeoning “open governance” movement to use information and communications technologies to foster accountability, transparency and trust, to open up traditionally closed systems, and to transform governance. Collaborative technologies such as social media are now enabling two-way information channels between citizens and governments, helping to solve problems at the local, state and national levels. Digital technologies also have the potential to reduce costs to governments and citizens, and to create enormous opportunities for more transparent, participatory and responsive governments.

Some national governments are already embracing the open governance movement. Estonia, for example, is a leader. The nation has transitioned beyond 20th century bureaucratic rules and redesigned its government service systems online. Estonia boasts an electronic identification system for its population and an e-healthcare system where citizens own their own data. The nation operates a digital healthcare prescription system, 25 percent of the population voted online in the last elections, and its education system is anchored online.