REFUGEES, HUMANITARIAN PERSONNEL NOW AT GREATER RISK THAN A DECADE AGO, ASSEMBLY"S SOCIAL COMMITTEE TOLD

Press Release
GA/SHC/3563

REFUGEES, HUMANITARIAN PERSONNEL NOW AT GREATER RISK THAN A DECADE AGO, ASSEMBLY’S SOCIAL COMMITTEE TOLD

Red Cross Official Says Environment `More Volatile’; As Debate Ends, UNHCR Director Stresses Need for Stabilization, Post-Conflict Recovery

A serious development of the last decade in refugee-related situations was the increased volatility of the environment under which humanitarian personnel worked, the representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at the United Nations told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), this morning, as the Committee concluded its consideration of questions related to refugees and other displaced persons, including humanitarian issues.

The change, he said, threatened the well-being of both beneficiaries and staff. Explaining that the deterioration was linked to the confusion caused by the changing nature of conflicts, the mix of genuine refugees and armed elements, and the increasing number of actors in relief situations, the Observer called for new training and more coordination to enhance security.

Stating that there were about 1.8 million Afghan refugees in her country, the representative of Pakistan said burden-sharing not only meant sharing responsibility for the provision of resources but also sharing the burden of refugees. She called for international solidarity in dealing with their future protection.

Also calling for “global solidarity” in dealing with refugee-related problems, the representative of Armenia said the international community must recognize that the host country might not be in a position to take care of refugees.

In a concluding statement, the Director of the Liaison Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at United Nations Headquarters, said stabilization and post-conflict recovery were essential in addressing the consequences of conflicts, including in situations where people remained displaced or returned to precarious conditions. He added that major operational challenges remained, such as those in Kosovo and East Timor where resources were lacking, both in terms of funding and political will.

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3563 49th Meeting (AM) 17 November 1999

The Committee meets again at 3 p.m. today to take action on draft resolutions related to crime prevention and criminal justice; questions related to refugees; and human rights questions. It is also expected to receive draft resolutions on issues related to the advancement of women and to human rights questions.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to conclude its current consideration of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)as well as questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons, along with humanitarian questions. (For background information, see Press Release GA/SHC/3558 of 12 November.)

Statements

TEHMINA JANJUA (Pakistan) said international solidarity and burden-sharing were essential in any future protection arrangements for refugees. She said responsibility should be shared not only in the provision of resources, but also in caring for the refugees.

Despite the return of around 2 million Afghan refugees, some 1.8 million remained in her country. “The drying up of international assistance for the Afghan refugees has left Pakistan largely on its own to deal with this onerous burden”, she said. Those refugees had been compelled to leave the camps and shift to urban centres in search for work. This mass movement to urban areas had aggravated the security, economic, social and environmental problems related to refugees. She said the situation in Afghanistan could not be a reason to ignore the needs of Afghan refugees in her country. Refugee repatriation could be guaranteed only through assistance from the international community.

ANA AGHADJANIAN (Armenia) said the refugee problem needed to be addressed in an integrated manner, by including the countries of origin, host countries and others involved. The international community must recognize that the host country might not be in a position to take care of refugees.

She said the number of refugees who had fled the constant shelling by Azerbaijani forces amounted to about 20 per cent of her country’s population. Their right to culture, language and religion had not been protected in Azerbaijan. They had been exposed to brutal acts of violence as well as to ethnic cleansing. Armenia had had to accommodate about half-a-million refugees. Also the 1988 earthquake in her country had aggravated the situation since many were left homeless. Her Government was taking steps to integrate refugees into society. She hoped that there would be global solidarity in order to fight against the erosion of respect for humanitarian laws.

ARMAS RAHOLA, Observer Office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at the United Nations, said a serious development of the last decade was the increased volatility of the environment in which humanitarian personnel worked. It threatened the health and well-being of both beneficiaries and staff. The deterioration was linked to confusion caused by the changing nature of conflicts, the mix of genuine refugees and armed elements, and the increasing numbers of actors in the relief situations. New training and more coordination were needed to enhance security.

He said the UNHCR “reachout” process was working well. It achieved cooperation between States and donors, on the one hand, and humanitarian agencies on the other. It also increased coordination between agencies themselves. All those elements contributed to protecting all players in refugee crises situations. Improved internal coordination within the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had ensured that the appropriate component took the lead in complicated situations with the ICRC playing the lead role in the immediate vicinity of the conflict zone and the national society assisting displaced people elsewhere in the country.

The use of military capabilities for humanitarian purposes could be of use in early phases of major emergencies, he said. However, that had to be balanced against the risk of confusing beneficiaries and host governments as well as others, with regard to the roles of political actors, military forces and humanitarian organizations.

KOFO ASOMANI, Director, Liaison Office of the UNHCR at United Nations Headquarters, said recurrent themes from the Committee's debate had been the security of refugees, of States facing the destabilizing effect of large-scale movements, and of humanitarian staff assisting in the crisis. Prevention had also been stressed, as had the importance of regional initiatives, including those by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. As had been pointed out, stabilization and post-conflict recovery were essential to consider in addressing the consequences of conflicts, including in situations where people remained displaced or returned to precarious conditions.

He said major operational challenges remained in Kosovo, the former Yugoslavia, East and West Timor, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Angola and the northern Caucasus. Those were complicated by the overall challenge of insufficient resources, both in terms of funding and political will. That applied not only to funding for projects to fulfil the UNHCR’s mandate, but also for implementing peace agreements and promoting the rehabilitation and development to capitalize on "windows of opportunity".

In particular, he said, it had been repeatedly stressed that displacement of people in Africa received less attention than displacements elsewhere. That situation must be redressed; the primary challenge and responsibility was to protect refugees. The means to do that ranged from granting asylum to providing assistance and searching for solutions. It extended to making efforts to prevent refugee flows and reconciling divided communities.

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