In progress at UNHQ

GA/SHC/3432

REPORT OF UN HIGH COMMISSIONER ON REFUGEES, CITING INCREASE IN INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT, IS TAKEN UP BY THIRD COMMITTEE

3 November 1997


Press Release
GA/SHC/3432


REPORT OF UN HIGH COMMISSIONER ON REFUGEES, CITING INCREASE IN INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT, IS TAKEN UP BY THIRD COMMITTEE

19971103 Background Release The increase in the number of internally displaced persons between January 1996 and March 1997 reflected both the nature of recent conflicts and new obstacles to obtaining asylum, according to the annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The report is one of several before the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as it begins its consideration of questions relating to refugees and the displaced.

Supplementing that report, a report of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner on the work of its recent session offers recommendations on such questions as international protection for refugees, safeguarding asylum, ensuring the safety of UNHCR staff, protecting child and adolescent refugees, and UNHCR's annual budget.

Also before the Committee are reports by the Secretary-General on the following subjects: assistance to unaccompanied refugee minors; follow-up to a 1996 regional conference on the problems of refugees, displaced persons and others involuntarily displaced and returning in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and neighbouring States; and on assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa.

According to the UNHCR's annual report (document A/52/12), the world's refugee population decreased from 14.5 million to 13.2 million in 1996. Similarly, the overall population of concern to UNHCR fell to some 26.1 million. Of that number 3.3 million were repatriated refugees in the early stages of their reintegration, 4.7 million were internally displaced persons and 4.9 million were others of humanitarian concern, mostly victims of conflict. Because of the Office's increased focus on voluntary repatriation as a solution for many of the world's refugees, in 1996 over one million refugees returned to their country of origin.

During the period under review -- 1 January 1996 to 31 March 1997) -- no massive new refugee influxes were experienced, the report states. However, there was an increase in the estimated number of internally displaced persons, reflecting both the nature of recent conflicts and the growing number of

obstacles to obtaining asylum. While thousands of asylum-seekers have been admitted and given refuge in many parts of the world, attitudes have hardened in others, resulting in a range of protection problems. Those included severely restrictive admission policies, restrictive application of the refugee criteria for individual asylum-seekers, and new legal measures in international forums that would automatically exclude certain categories of asylum-seekers from refugee status.

The report draws attention to the conflict that engulfed what was then known as eastern Zaire and the sudden, large-scale return to their own country of Rwandans from Zaire and the United Republic of Tanzania at the end of 1996. That development had posed unprecedented challenges for UNHCR, both in terms of providing humanitarian assistance in the midst of conflict and in supporting massive reintegration in a fragile post-conflict environment. In addition, the Office continued its efforts to promote and consolidate solutions to problems of displacement. In the former Yugoslavia, it began phasing out its emergency humanitarian programme and reoriented its efforts in support of the peace process, focusing in particular on identifying solutions for refugees and displaced persons.

Nevertheless, the UNHCR programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996, designed to encourage significant early return movements, faced serious political obstacles, the report states. Those were the result of a lack of freedom of movement and security problems, in addition to continuing housing shortages and significant unemployment. Of a total of 1.2 million refugees who currently remain outside Bosnia and Herzegovina, principally in Western Europe, it is estimated that an additional 200,000 could return in 1997. That was in addition to the 250,000 refugees and displaced persons who returned to the country during the course of 1996.

Elsewhere, UNHCR reached a milestone with the conclusion of the 1989 Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indo-chinese Refugees, marking the final chapter of more than 20 years of international humanitarian efforts to resolve the aftermath of the conflict in Indo-china. During 1996, more than 29,000 Vietnamese non-refugees were repatriated, resulting in the closure of camps in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. In addition, the Thai Government closed its camp for Vietnamese non-refugees in February 1997. As at 1 March this year, a total of 755,315 Vietnamese refugees had been resettled in third countries since 1975, while over 106,000 Vietnamese non-refugees had been repatriated to their county of origin.

A 1996 report on the impact of armed conflict on children, along with the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, has given additional impetus to UNHCR efforts to integrate the needs and concerns of refugee women and children into protection and assistance programmes. Such ventures as the Bosnian Women's Initiative and a similar programme in Rwanda have enhanced the Office's operational capacity to address these needs. In

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addition, UNHCR has made progress in incorporating environmental considerations into related sectoral guidelines.

Other positive developments during the period under review include the successful conclusion of the repatriation and reintegration programme which benefited more than 1.7 million Mozambican refugees who returned to their home country from six countries of asylum in a period of three years (1993-1996), the report states. In Europe, UNHCR continued to implement a programme of action on problems of displacement in the CIS countries and relevant neighbouring states.

In the region of Central and South Asia, the plight of Afghan refugees continued to pose a challenge, the report states. The continuing fighting between factions and the change of authority in various regions of Afghanistan have affected their rate of repatriation. In 1996, some 120,000 Afghan refugees were repatriated from Pakistan, while less than 10,000 returned from Iran. The remaining caseload in Pakistan is some 1.2 million persons. In Iran, the remaining caseload is approximately 1.4 million persons. Iran continues to give asylum to the largest refugee population in the world. According to government figures, approximately 1.4 million Afghan and 500,000 Iraqi refugees remain in that country.

The report states that "Project Delphi", which aims to improve programme delivery, continued to be a priority for UNHCR. Launched in December 1995 and expected to be completed by the end of 1998, Project Delphi addresses the improvement of a range of policy and management issues. Areas of focus include reinforcing UNHCR's emergency preparedness and response capacity, contingency planning and new training initiatives, and the extension of those initiatives to include other United Nations and non-governmental organizations. These efforts have enhanced the UNHCR's ability to respond to refugee emergencies and to coordinate its activities with other operational agencies. The Office also continued to develop its institutional capacity to manage voluntary repatriation operations.

Addressing UNHCR's budget for 1997, the report states that the Office faces a sixth consecutive year with projected requirements beyond $1.2 billion. The Office has adopted the largest ever "General Programmes" target (including a programme reserve, voluntary repatriation fund, and the emergency fund), totalling $452.6 million. Under "Special Programmes", the Office requires some $740 million. Requirements for operations in the Great Lakes region and the former Yugoslavia, remain urgent priorities, as do repatriation operation in Africa and Asia and programmes in the CIS countries.

Despite special appeals, the lack of contributions and the timing of pledges for operations in the Great Lakes region and in the former Yugoslavia during 1996 were probably the Office's greatest challenges, since the shortage in financing hampered operations in the field, the report states. Under its

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programmes in the Great Lakes Region for 1996, UNHCR spent approximately $67 million on Rwanda, $60 million on the United Republic of Tanzania and $95 million on Zaire. For the same period, expenditure for the former Yugoslavia was $252 million.

Also before the Committee is the report of the forty-eighth session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, which met at Geneva from 13 to 17 October (document A/52/12/Add.1). Opening that session, the Executive's Committee's incoming Chairman, Bjorn Skogmo (Norway), said that UNHCR was too often left alone to shoulder political burdens which were linked to humanitarian efforts. The Executive Committee, together with the political bodies of the United Nations, must examine how to provide more political support to the humanitarian aspect of United Nations conflict management efforts, he said. The difficult task of financing humanitarian operations was a source of deep concern to UNHCR and donor Governments. It was particularly difficult to finance humanitarian efforts in the "forgotten" conflicts which no longer caught the headlines.

The report also contains the Executive Committee's conclusions on such issues as international protection; follow-up to the Conference of CIS countries; decisions on programme administration and financial matters; the 1998 work programme of its Standing Committee; and the Executive Committee's work programme for its next session.

With respect to the question of international protection, the Executive Committee recognized the fundamental importance of the principle of non- refoulement, which prohibits expulsion and return of refugees in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where their lives or freedom would be threatened. The Committee also recognized that countries of asylum carry a heavy burden, which was particularly the case for developing countries, countries in transition and countries with limited resources. The Committee called on Governments, the UNHCR and the international community to continue to respond to the assistance needs of refugees until durable solutions were found. The voluntary repatriation of refugees was affirmed as the most preferred solution, when feasible.

On the issue of safeguarding asylum, the Executive Committee drew attention to the need for full respect for the institution of asylum in general, as well as for particular aspects of the matter. Those included the principle of non-refoulement; access of asylum-seekers to fair and protective procedures for determination of their status and protection needs; the need to admit refugees into the territories of States; the need for rapid, unimpeded and safe UNHCR access to persons of concern to the High Commissioner; and the need to apply scrupulously the exclusion clauses of the 1951 Convention to ensure that the integrity of the asylum institution is not abused by the extension of protection to those who are not entitled to it.

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Addressing the safety of UNHCR staff, the Executive Committee strongly condemned any acts which obstructed or prevented the staff of UNHCR and its implementing partners, as well as other humanitarian personnel, from discharging their humanitarian functions, or which entailed their being subjected to threats, the use of force and physical attack, frequently resulting in injury or death. It called on States and all concerned parties to refrain from any action which would prevent or obstruct UNHCR staff and other humanitarian personnel from performing the functions required under their mandates, as well as to take all measures to safeguard the physical security and property of such staff. In addition, it asked States to investigate fully any crime committed against such staff and to bring to justice the persons responsible.

The Executive Committee urged States to take all possible measures to protect child and adolescent refugees and called on UNHCR to continue to integrate fully the rights of the child into its policies and programmes. It also called on the Office to include on the 1998 work programme of its Standing Committee a report on the implementation of its strategy for follow- up to the "Machel Study" on the impact of armed conflict on children, with special reference to establishing operational performance objectives concerning refugee children and adolescents. States were called upon to negotiate an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

According to the report, the Executive Committee approved the UNHCR's revised 1997 General Programmes budget, amounting to $452.6 million. For 1998, an amount of $440 million was approved for the total General Programmes budget. Member States were urged to respond generously, in a spirit of solidarity and in a timely manner, to the High Commissioner's appeals for resources, in light of the extensive needs to be addressed by the Office.

The Secretary-General's report on assistance to unaccompanied refugee minors (document A/52/273) summarizes the system-wide response to the deep concern provoked for the plight of unaccompanied refugee minors by the Graca Machel's 1996 study on the impact of armed conflict on children. That report indicated that unaccompanied children were especially at risk for neglect, violence, military recruitment, sexual exploitation and other abuses.

Unaccompanied minors, generally under the age of 18 years, make up 52 per cent of the caseload assisted by UNHCR, the Secretary-General states. Those figures move up to between 60 to 66 per cent in a number of refugee situations. In populations affected by an emergency, these minors are considered most at risk, needing immediate care and attention. Recent events in the Great Lakes region have underscored the need for urgent action to address the needs of minors separated from their families by forcible and other violent displacements.

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The report outlines concerted international actions taken to assist and protect these vulnerable minors and to expedite their return and reunification with their families. They are based on three goals identified jointly by UNHCR, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and non-governmental organizations working in the field. These goals centre on the prevention of separation, even in context of mass population movements; the reunification of minors with their families through intensive tracing efforts; and care for unaccompanied minors during the time of separation from their families.

The report states that increased cooperation among United Nations agencies and between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations is leading to development of appropriate responses to the situation -- responses which are proving beneficial to situations of internal displacement as well. It is also extending the capacity for emergency response into the approach to post-emergency situations. The UNHCR is planning to create a number of posts in 1997 of senior regional advisers for children, to respond promptly to the needs of all refugee minors, including the unaccompanied.

The Secretary-General's progress report on the implementation of the 1996 CIS Conference on refugees and displaced persons (document A/52/274 and Corr.1) states that steering activities of the Conference's Programme of Action are carried out by UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The activities involve 45 States, 21 international organizations, 73 non- governmental organizations and four other entities. A report compiled by UNHCR and IOM outlining progress in each of the CIS countries provides the basis for the Secretary-General's report.

The report indicates that CIS government efforts to implement the Programme of Action focus on strengthening the institutional framework for managing migration and displacement problems. They include activates aimed at elaborating legislation, protecting minority rights, maintaining peaceful inter-ethnic relations, assisting in the integration of newly arrived populations, and strengthening bilateral and subregional mechanisms to ensure a coordinated response to shared problems. While the UNHCR focuses on strengthening its own regional policies and approaches, the IOM concentrates on migration management and assistance, integration assistance, and information dissemination.

Some countries have supported the process by contributing to the 1997 joint appeal of UNHCR and IOM, the report states. A number of countries have pointed to the importance of conflict-resolution processes and concerted efforts at reconciliation. A greater role for non-governmental organizations in addressing the acute problems of the displaced in the CIS countries is urged, along with CIS government cooperation in creating an enabling environment for non-governmental organizations to function more effectively,

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particularly through tax legislation. The report calls for increased coordination of activities and for an increased role for the OSCE.

The Secretary-General's report on assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa (document A/52/360) states that Africa hosted the highest number of refugees and displaced persons in the world, placing a severe strain on the development of the affected countries. According to UNHCR, at the end of 1996 Africa hosted 4.1 million refugees, some 2 million internally displaced persons of concern to the High Commissioner, and 1.66 million returnees in the early stages of reintegration.

Developments in the Great Lakes region continued to evolve at a rapid pace throughout the reporting period (June 1996 to May 1997), the Secretary- General states. The Office faced mounting pressure for repatriation of an estimated 1.9 million refugees. However, in late 1996 and early 1997, almost 1.5 million Rwandan refugees returned to their home communes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Republic of Tanzania in a period of less than two months.

The return of refugees from the eastern part of the former Zaire was precipitated by the outbreak of conflict in the region and was considered more of a life-saving exercise than a traditional repatriation operation, since asylum in the zones became untenable, the report states. Between January and June, nearly 170,000 refugees were repatriated to Rwanda by land and air, mainly from Zaire. Many thousands of refugees remain unaccounted for or may have perished during the six-month ordeal. Others reached the Congo, and later Gabon and the Central African Republic, while several thousands reached the Angolan border.

Following the return of the refugees to Rwanda, the UNHCR focused on expanding such essential services as health, nutrition, education and social services, to meet the urgent need of returning children, the report states. A special focus was placed on unaccompanied and traumatized children, particularly the 6,500 minors living in overcrowded and inadequately staffed children's centres in home communes. In Burundi, because of the security situation, UNHCR continued its policy of neither promoting nor facilitating repatriation. Nevertheless, it provided assistance to a total of 128,000 Burundians who had returned spontaneously since November 1996.

The Secretary-General highlights the need for a regional approach to address the phenomenon of "irregular movers" -- urban refugees in the southern African subregion, whose numbers have steadily increased. He adds that Governments are also increasingly concerned about the issue of "undocumented migration", considered a critical problems.

The report reviews the work of UNHCR, World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in assisting refugees and

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displaced persons. It also provides an overview of refugee movements in West Africa, the Horn of Africa and in the southern African subregion. Throughout Africa, diverse activities were undertaken by a number of United Nations bodies to implement appropriate policies and guidelines on refugee women, children and the environment, the report states. The United Nations has also promoted a number of joint activities with the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and its intergovernmental organs, in addition to memorandums of understanding with individual Member States.

A letter from the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands, dated 18 March, (document A/52/97) transmits a statement issued on 3 March by the Presidency of the European Union on Karen refugees. The statement urges the Thai Government to apply internationally recognized norms and standards in the treatment of refugees who crossed into Thailand as a result of renewed violent conflict on the Myanmar side of the Thai/Myanmar border.

A letter dated 14 April from the Permanent Representative of Georgia (document A/52/116-S/19997/317) transmits a copy of a report on the policy of ethnic cleansing/genocide conducted in the territory of Abkhazia, Georgia, and the necessity of bringing to justice the persons who committed these crimes in accordance with international principles of due process. It also contains the conclusions of the State Commission of Georgia for the investigation of the Policy of Ethnic Cleansing/Genocide carried out against Georgian Population in Abkhazia. The reports contains information on the deportation of the Georgian population, as well as on the denial to the refugees and forcibly displaced persons of the right to return to their homes.

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For information media. Not an official record.