Annual Report 2013 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Newsletter, 2014 - Volume 4 ช ำระค าฝากส งเป นรายเด อน ใบอน ญาตพ เศษท 55/2555 ศฟ. บด นทรเดชา 10312 Thank You for Your Continued Support
2 3 Message fromthailand Representative Basic Facts 42,876,586 People of concern to the High Commissioner UNHCR s presence in Thailand 2,971,824,815 Total 2013 UNHCR expenditure (USD) 123 Countries in which UNHCR is present 5 121 Number of offices Total staff Dear UNHCR Supporters, More people were forced to flee their homes during 2013 than ever before in recent history. Nearly 2 million people fled the brutal conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and hundreds of thousands escaped war, violence and persecution in the Central African Republic, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Sudan. By the end of 2013, over 51 million people the highest number ever were forced to be displaced. These alarming levels of mass suffering cannot be borne by UNHCR alone. We call on the international community to overcome its differences and find solutions to these conflicts. As the UNHCR Representative in Thailand, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your long term support. With your donation, you have helped us to continue with our operations in the country without being too dependent on global funding. You have made a difference to the lives of thousands of refugees in Thailand. I hope you will be pleased to see in this report how UNHCR spent your donation to change their lives. Conflicts and war continue to force people out of their homes. UNHCR is there to take care of refugees from the beginning to the end of their exile. I hope you will stand by UNHCR until together we find lasting solutions for refugees. Thank you again for your generosity. With my Warmest Regards, Signature Mireille Girard Representative UNHCR Thailand UNHCR s Mission The High Commissioner for Refugees is mandated by the United Nations to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. UNHCR s primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. In its efforts to achieve this objective, the office strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state, and to return home voluntarily. By assisting refugees to return to their own country or to settle permanently in another country, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight. 459 Number of UNHCR offices worldwide 7,211 UNHCR regular staff members 7,638 Staff members in the field 991 Staff members at Headquarters 1 per 4,970 Ratio of staff members to people of concern 733 NGOs working as implementing partners 148 States parties to the 1951 Convention and/ or the 1967 Protocol 2013 UNHCR Thailand Operation Refugees living in camps in Thailand were forced to flee from violence and conflict in Myanmar over the last 30 years. By the end of 2013, there were about 128,000 people living in nine refugee camps in four provinces along the Thai-Myanmar border, 77,913 of them were registered refugees. Most of them were ethnic Karen and Karenni. Many have lived in the camps for more than two decades. UNHCR takes the necessary steps to protect them, helping them rebuild their lives, providing them with skills to become self-reliant and finding durable solutions for them.
4 5 Refugees 7200 Refugee Profiling Mine Risk Education UNHCR supported Handicap International to teach 7,200 refugees in nine camps about landmines in order to prevent injury and death. Social Inclusion With UNHCR s support, there were 822 people with disabilities in three camps receiving access to basic services in camps. They can lead their lives like other refugees in camps. Children Children Funding Shortage The lack of resources to address identified refugee needs has hampered UNHCR s efforts to sufficiently provide lasting support for refugees. Your continued support is essential for UNHCR to take the steps necessary to help refugees to start a new life in safety and with dignity. FINLAND NORWAY 15 USA 28 105 NETHERLANDS 30 5,681 8200 JAPAN 18 Refugees Birth Registration UNHCR worked closely with the Thai Government to ensure that refugee children born in camps are registered at birth. In 2013, about 2,573 children born in refugee camps received birth certificates. AUSTRALIA 332 NEW ZEALAND 27 Legal assistance centres supported by UNHCR provided 322 cases of counseling, some 70 of which were referred to the Thai legal system. UNHCR/Kibae Park 322 Legal Assistance Counselling In 2013, about 8,200 refugees living in the camps departed for third countries. Since 2005, about 87,500 refugees have been resettled in 13 countries. Cases UNHCR helped 4,751 refugees learn a wide range of skills including cooking, sewing, computer, agriculture and Thai language. In 2013, UNHCR sent out special appeals to support people affected by Typhoon Haiyan and the Syria Crisis. We raised 751,756 Baht which helped UNHCR to provide assistance to refugees and displaced people. Your donation helps keep them safe and warm, providing them with shelter, sleeping mats, blankets, food, medical care and access to education. CANADA Protecting Unaccompanied Children Typhoon Haiyan and Syria Crisis Resettlement Countries in 2013 4500 UNHCR supported and monitored the well-being of nearly 4,500 unaccompanied children in camps during 2013. UNHCR and the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage joined hands to conduct a household-based survey in the nine camps. This assessed the demographics of the refugee population and provide a channel for them to voice their concerns and future aspirations beyond life in a camp. It also evaluated their needs, particularly as it relates to issues of human security, including future livelihoods. UNHCR/S.Bhukittikul People with Disability UNHCR Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage 2013 Achievements and Impact
6 7 Statement of Revenue and Expenditure EVENT Source of Income Thai Baht % Income from abroad Income from individual donors in Thailand* Total Funds Available 286,789,026 132,079,424 418,868,450 68.5% 31.5% 100% *100% of donations from individual donors in Thailand is used for the benefit of refugees in Thailand UNHCR Protection 31% Resettlement 20% Basic Needs and Essential Services 19% UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie marks World Refugee Day in Thailand Angelina Jolie visited Ban Mai Nai Soi camp in Mae Hong Son. She spent time with Karenni refugees from Myanmar one of the longest-running refugee situations in the world. Jolie called for urgent action to end the vicious cycle of violence and displacement as the world s displaced exceeds 50 million people for the first time since World War II. UNHCR reveals that global forced displacement exceeds 50 million for first time in post-world War II era. UNHCR announces Ploy, Chermarn, as the First Celebrity Supporter in Thailand Renowned Thai actress Ploy, also known as Chermarn Boonyasak, joined forces with the UN Refugee Agency and celebrities around the world to release video messages in support of refugee families and asking the public to show solidarity by sharing their stories. 51.2 16.7 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2013 million refugees (11.7 million under UNHCR s care) 3% Outstanding Payment 6% Programme Management 7% Stop Violence Against Women and Children 14% 33.3 million internally displaced people (23.9 million under UNHCR s care) 1.2 Nearly million asylum seekers Expenditure $US Thai Baht Plan B UNHCR Protection 4,230,603 130,302,572 Resettlement 2,758,410 84,959,028 Basic Needs and Essential Services 2,556,038 78,725,970 Stop Violence Against Women and Children 1,842,854 56,759,903 Programme Management 913,827 28,145,872 Outstanding Payment Total 867,852 430,041 13,599,625 26,729,842 13,245,263 418,868,450 *Exchange rate 1 $US = 30.8 Baht Plan B promotes World Refugee Day As the leading company in outdoor media, Plan B helps UNHCR to speak up for refugees throughout the year by promoting online fundraising spots, World Refugee Day messages and the Refugee Film Festival. Refugee Film Festival in Bangkok Over 2,000 people attended the Refugee Film Festival in Bangkok, watching six quality films about refugees. The audience included UNHCR donors, students, media and the general public. Their post-screening feedback was unanimous, with everyone agreeing that refugees need urgent help.
UNHCR/S.Bhukittikul Our Goals in 2014 Access to legal assistance and legal remedies is improved. Civil registration and civil status documentation are strengthened. All children in the camps who are under 12 months of age are issued official birth certificates by national authorities. Protection of children strengthened The risk of sexual violence in camps is reduced and the timing and quality of responses are improved. All refugees identified to be in need of resettlement are referred to resettlement countries. Access to information on conditions in potential return areas in Myanmar and on basic protection standards regarding voluntary repatriation. Comprehensive Solutions Strategy developed, strengthened and updated Many refugees in Thailand have very little choice but to spend decades in a camp. Your commitment to donate for five years or more allows UNHCR to take the steps necessary to protect them, help them rebuild their lives, provide them with skills to become self-reliant and prepare them for the day when they will be able to start a new life in safety and with dignity. Thank You for Your Continued Support UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) P.O. Box 2-121, Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200 Donor Service Hotline: 02 665 2523 Fax: 02 661 7075 Email: thabaf2f@unhcr.org www.unhcr.or.th UNHCRThailand UNHCRThailand UNHCRThailand