Refugees. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. UN Photo/Evan Schneider

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1 Refugees For thousands of people forced to flee their homes each year, escaping with their lives and a few belongings is often just the start of a long struggle. Once they have found safety from persecution of war, they still face enormous challenges just trying to obtain things most of us take for granted schooling, a job, decent housing and health care. Secretary-General Kofi Annan UN Photo/Evan Schneider

2 Chapter Summary The cornerstone of the United Nations mission is international protection striving to guarantee refugees basic human rights and ensuring that no person will be involuntarily returned to a country where he or she has reason to fear persecution. The Organization also seeks to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to all those displaced, particularly including women, children and the elderly.

3 Refugees 2005 UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Highlights Dating back nearly to the Organization s founding, the United Nations has been called upon to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems around the world. Today, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), created by the General Assembly in 1950, continues to be responsible for ensuring the protection and well-being of refugees as traditionally defined: people outside their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution, who cannot or do not want to return home. But the Office s responsibilities have also come to include other, similarly affected groups, such as former refugees who have returned to their homeland, internally displaced people, and people who are stateless or whose nationality is disputed. By the beginning of 2005, the number of people in these circumstances had risen to 19.5 million, a 14 per cent increase in a single year. The cornerstone of the United Nations mission in this area is international protection striving to guarantee refugees basic human rights and ensuring that no person will be involuntarily returned to a country where he or she has reason to fear persecution (an action known as refoulement ). The Organization also seeks to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to all those displaced, particularly including women, children, and the elderly. It then seeks long-term, durable solutions by helping refugees repatriate to their homeland if conditions warrant, helping them integrate into their countries of asylum, or assisting in their resettlement in third countries. Through the work of the High Commissioner and in many other ways, the United Nations serves as an inter- In seeking durable solutions to the plight of refugees around the world, the High Commissioner s Office supported operations of voluntary repatriation in conditions of safety and dignity. Some 1.1 million refugees repatriated voluntarily in

4 UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe national advocate for refugees, both in international forums and country-by-country. In advance of refugee crises, the High Commissioner, along with many other parts of the United Nations, works to prevent or reduce situations of involuntary displacement by encouraging States and other institutions to create conditions conducive to the protection of human rights and the peaceful resolution of disputes. To help Member States prepare for refugee emergencies, UNHCR provides technical assistance in the development of detailed emergency/contingency plans. Such plans were completed in ten countries in 2005, two more than had been produced the year before. In seeking durable solutions to the plight of refugees around the world, the High Commissioner s Office supported operations of voluntary repatriation in conditions of safety and dignity. Some 1.1 million refugees repatriated voluntarily in The Office also assisted the resettlement of some 38,507 people to 23 countries in 2005, compared with 42,000 resettlements to 15 countries the year before. In both years, the main receiving countries were the United States, Canada and Australia. UNHCR s Project Profile promotes the early and continuing registration and documentation of refugees and their circumstances as a way of ensuring their protection and of monitoring their needs. In 2005, Project Profile teams completed field implementation and training on new standards and tools in 22 countries covering 60 sites. More than 500 staff members were trained on best practices and on the use of the new registration database application, whose development was completed 236

5 Refugees in By the end of the year, refugee operations in a total of 50 countries had received assistance under Project Profile to expand the practice of regular registration and the use of the resulting information. The Office also introduced the Standards and Indicators Initiative in 2005, an effort to map all work with refugees in relation to broadly accepted standards of protection and care in each of the sectors that make up a complete refugee service system. In 2005, UNHCR again placed special emphasis on protecting and serving women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities groups that collectively make up more than 80 per cent of a typical refugee population by incorporating their particular needs into the mainstream of frontline practice. By the end of the year, the Office, working with other UN agencies, governments and non-governmental organizations as partners, had begun work in 40 country offices, assessing the protection risks faced by these vulnerable groups, surveying the means of overcoming those risks, and exploring ways to solve problems and create opportunity. Refugees, internally displaced people and returnees were participants in these assessments and drew particular attention to improving security, livelihoods and education. The assessments were followed by workshops that began formulating practical steps to meet the identified needs. Among the serious problems identified in these processes were numerous reports of child labor, exploitation and abuse; extensive domestic violence and sexual exploitation of women; and shortages of assistance that exacerbated all of these problems. Projects to prevent sexual and gender-based violence were launched in 16 countries during the past year. Though the concerted effort on behalf of these groups is relatively new, some countries have already introduced changes in their operations to respond to the identified needs. Examples include changing the food rations for older people, or providing suitable latrines for people with physical disabilities. In Benin, the High Commissioner s Office supported refugee women in launching a peer-support project for women and girls who had survived violence, including the training of women as peer counselors. In Rwanda, child care arrangements were set up so that unwed adolescent mothers could return to school, despite resistance by some members of the community who considered the situation shameful. Participatory assessments among Liberian refugees in West Africa revealed particular needs of adolescents that had largely been overlooked. As a result, a pilot project for more than 1,500 Liberian adolescent girls and boys was created to equip them with marketable skills and create income-generating opportunities to facilitate their reintegration in Liberia. Overall, the participatory assessment process has brought previously undetected problems to light and created new partnerships and programs for resolving them. UNHCR has increasingly sought to apply the principles of community development in designing solutions to refugees problems. Working with non-governmental organizations as partners, the Office has produced a manual and begun training sessions to encourage the development of programmes and projects led 237

6 by the affected populations. As an example, in coordination with the Government of Nigeria, UNHCR made funding available to reduce the exposure of young refugee women to prostitution through a project combining food assistance, vocational training and small start-up grants. In Zambia, funds were made available for community child care for single refugee mothers to enable them to pursue economic opportunities. Other projects there included improved school sanitation, the purchase of books for children, the formation of agricultural gardens and support for the repatriation of refugees with special needs. Actors and Partnerships The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees is the United Nations primary agency for leadership, support and advocacy on behalf of refugees and populations of similar concern. The Office s employees serve at its headquarters in Geneva and in field offices in 116 countries around the world. Its budget comes almost entirely from voluntary contributions, principally from Member States but also from intergovernmental organizations, corporations and individuals. It receives a limited subsidy of less than 2 per cent of its total expenditures from the United Nations regular budget for administrative costs. It also accepts in-kind contributions, including such things as tents, medicines, trucks and air transportation. UN Photo/Evan Schneider As humanitarian crises have become more complex, UNHCR has expanded both the number and types of organizations it works with. Within the United Nations System, the Office s partners include the World Food Programme, which supplies food and basic commodities to refugees, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UN Development Programme, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. United Nations peacekeepers and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations have provided critical support in such countries as Kosovo and Timor-Leste. Beyond the UN family, partners include the International Committee for the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Organization for Migration and close to 600 non-governmental organizations. Financial institutions have also provided essen- 238

7 Refugees tial support, including the World Bank and the Council of Europe Development Bank. Non-governmental organizations are an integral component of UNHCR s modus operandi with whom the Office continues to forge effective and strategic partnerships in order to achieve its core priorities of advocacy, providing protection and assistance and finding durable solutions. In 2005, UNHCR channeled over one-fifth of its annual budget through partnerships with some 645 non-governmental organizations, of which 480 were national or local organizations. More than 82 per cent of these funds covered activities in education, legal assistance and protection, health and nutrition, community services, shelter and transport and logistics. Performance Summary In providing international protection and assistance to refugees and other populations of concern, and in seeking lasting solutions to their situation, UNHCR has set a series of strategic goals for 2005 and beyond. These include supporting governments in the creation and maintenance of an international protection regime and in providing protection and assistance; maintaining and improving emergency preparedness and response capacity; better assessing refugees needs; seeking durable solutions to their situation; advocating for their rights; building effective partnerships to ensure protection and quality services; and helping to prevent UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe and mitigate the conditions that trigger refugee movements. Internally, the Office has set itself a strategic goal of continuing to improve its own management performance, quality and efficient use of resources. The Office s most fundamental measure of performance is its success in ensuring protection and material help for refugees and other populations of concern. In practice, protection and material help are interrelated. UNHCR can only offer effective legal protection if a person s basic needs shelter, food, water, sanitation and medical care are also met. The agency therefore coordinates the provision and delivery of such items and services, with additional, specific attention to the needs of women, children and the elderly. UNHCR developed and then globally integrated into its operations the concept of quick impact projects, known as QIPs. These projects usually small-scale programs to rebuild schools and clinics or repair roads, bridges and wells are designed to bridge the gap between emergency assistance provided to 239

8 refugees and people returning home and the longer-term development aid undertaken by other agencies. Analysis UNHCR s efforts to improve the observation by States of internationally accepted standards for the treatment of refugees especially the fundamental principles of asylum and nonrefoulement have met with uneven results. While changes in refugee legislation have been plentiful in recent years, not all of these changes have been aimed at improving the situation of refugees or asylum seekers. In fact, some States introduced a more restrictive approach to the granting of asylum. The number of officially designated refugees has decreased in recent years, but this decline has been more than offset by an increase in the number of internally displaced persons. In collaboration with other actors addressing this challenge, UNHCR has assumed responsibility for protection, emergency shelter and camp coordination for internally displaced populations. In seeking long-term solutions to the situation of refugees, efforts at repatriation and at resettlement in third countries both saw a measure of success in 2005, as described earlier in this chapter. For refugees returning home or preparing for repatriation, UNHCR has sought, together with other development actors, to do more to help national governments in addressing the development needs of the returnees. However, the pursuit of a third general category of durable solutions local integration into the country of asylum has been more challenging. Central to the success of local integration efforts is the attitude of the host government, and many States have proven reluctant to consider this solution for refugees on their territory. Information-gathering efforts such as Project Profile and the Standards and Indicators Initiative depend on continually improving data management to ensure that the information collected will remain accessible and accurate. In 2005, UNHCR began development of an Operational Data Management Learning Programme to become available to staff in The effort to bring age, gender and diversity issues into the mainstream of refugee operations continues to demand greater understanding and practical knowledge. For example, a full understanding of community dynamics and awareness of internal and external power relations in a refugee community are essential for gathering information from affected people and designing appropriate responses. To fully transform traditional working practices, it will be necessary to continually reinforce the concepts and to provide further support on how to assess, plan and implement community-based solutions in a practical way. 240

9 Refugees Subprogramme Objectives and Performance Measurements 1 Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Subprogramme Objective To provide international protection to refugees and to others of concern to UNHCR and to seek solutions to their problems. Expected accomplishment A: Indicator of achievement A: Progress towards a durable solution through the formulation, facilitation and active implementation of voluntary repatriation operations in conditions of safety and dignity, followed up by the monitoring of the situations in countries to which the refugees return. Number of refugees and other persons of concern who return from situations of forced displacement, in the framework of voluntary repatriation operations. Expected accomplishment B: Indicator of achievement B: The promotion of resettlement as a form of providing protection, durable solutions and a burden-sharing mechanism, as well as the refinement of tools to improve monitoring and oversight of the resettlement function. Number of persons resettled; Number of countries engaged in resettlement. Indicator Baseline Performance Measure Target 2005 Actual 2005 Number of returnees 1.5 million 1.5 million 1.1 million Number of persons resettled 42,000 30,000 38,507 Number of countries engaged in resettlement

10 2 Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Subprogramme Objective To ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to those of concern to UNHCR from the outset of an emergency, until such time as the beneficiaries have been successfully reintegrated in their communities of origin, while at the same time paying particular attention to the capacities and needs of the priority categories of refugee women, children, adolescents and the elderly. Expected accomplishment: Further improvement to UNHCR levels of emergency preparedness and contingency planning. Indicator of achievement: Number of contingency plans elaborated in response to potential refugee emergencies; Number of UNHCR staff and partners trained on emergency-related training programmes, both at regional and central locations. Indicator Number of contingency plans elaborated in response to potential refugee emergencies Baseline Performance Measure Target 2005 Actual Number of UNHCR staff and partners trained on emergency-related training programmes, both at regional and central locations