PROTECTION OF HUMANITARIAN PERSONNEL, NEED FOR FAIRER BURDEN-SHARING STRESSED AS COMMITTEE DEBATES REFUGEE-RELATED ISSUES

Press Release
GA/SHC/3617

PROTECTION OF HUMANITARIAN PERSONNEL, NEED FOR FAIRER BURDEN-SHARING STRESSED AS COMMITTEE DEBATES REFUGEE-RELATED ISSUES

Protection and security of humanitarian workers must be the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner for Refugees' most important role, especially at a time when other international and local agencies were attempting to provide humanitarian assistance under an umbrella of protection that only the United Nations could provide. The Observer of the Holy See stressed that point to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon as it met to continue discussing issues related to refugees, including the High Commissioner's report.

The number of those seeking refuge from war or persecution was staggering, Monsignor Martino continued. Assisting those victims was increasingly complex. Also, as the movement of uprooted people increased, the international refugee protection regime was eroding and new barriers to asylum were being erected. The poorer countries bore the heaviest burden of receiving refugees, and the quality of protection was declining dramatically. The wealthier nations needed to accept a bigger part of the burden.

Speaking on behalf of the European Community, France's representative said security had become the watchword, because not only civilians were being targeted now but humanitarian assistance itself, when it was counter to a government's aims. He called for a strengthening of safeguards, such as the barring of armed elements from refugee camps and locating the camps away from danger. Victims who had lost their homes were to be protected as a basic human right, he concluded.

Its geographic location made it a safe haven for refugees, said the representative of Sudan. The ongoing war between Ethiopia and Eritrea had driven thousands of refugees into his country. Sudan received them “with open arms” and without regard for the social, economic and environmental impact such sustained influx would have on his country. He said, however, that the refugees would need tremendous assistance to be voluntarily repatriated in safety and dignity.

Speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the representative of Mozambique noted that the number of threatened people was increasing, and that the majority were woman and children. He approved of the UNHCR promoting gender-sensitive asylum procedures in countries of asylum. In the spirit of international solidarity and burden sharing, he appealed for an equitable apportionment of resources to refugees in all regions of the world.

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3617 48th Meeting (PM) 6 November 2000

The representative of the United States called for the inclusion of a development component in aid to refugees in order to find a solution to the development gap. It was an issue the UNHCR could not tackle alone. The Committee must consider ways in which development might be advanced by coping with the impact of refugees.

Also addressing the Committee today were the representatives of Norway, Japan and Cuba.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 7 November, to continue considering issues related to refugees, including the High Commissioner's report and humanitarian aspects, as well as returnees and displaced persons.

Third Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/SHC/3617 48th Meeting (PM) 6 November 2000

Commmittee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to begin considering issues related to refugees, including the report of the High Commissioner for Refugees and questions related to refugees, returnees and displaced persons, as well as humanitarian questions. (For background, see Press Release GA/SHC/3616 of this morning.)

JEAN-DAVID LEVITTE (France), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had undertaken very trying tasks in the last years. The watchword was now "security" because civilians were targeted -- as was the humanitarian work itself, when it was counter to a government's aims. A protocol should be developed to the Convention on the safety of United Nations personnel, to extend it and include all those who worked in humanitarian operations. High-risk operations should involve the entire humanitarian community in activities such as training and providing state-of-the-art communications equipment.

Certain safeguards for humanitarian assistance must be strengthened, he continued. Armed elements must not be allowed into refugee camps, and the locations of the camps must be away from any areas in which they were endangered. Victims who had lost their homes merited protection as a basic human right, preferably through the multi-agency approach under the coordination of the Emergency Relief Coordinator. Humanitarian assistance must not be used for political ends and the dialogue for easing victims’ circumstances must ever be strengthened. The dialogue should include the enlistment of donor countries. New sources of support must be sought out in the private sector and new partnerships must be forged, as for example in the communications sector.

Noting that some groups required special protection, such as refugee women and children, he said the demands on the UNHCR were so varied that an emergency response cell should be established. The High Commissioner was now in charge of 22.3 million refugees, some who had fled violence but others who had been displaced by climatic catastrophes. The UNHCR should propose measures combining emergency relief with development programmes.

Finally, he said the UNHCR was holding consultations on the Geneva Convention as part of its fiftieth anniversary commemoration. That was timely because the quality of asylum had deteriorated to a disappointing level. The European Union would be part of the consultations, which would reaffirm the 1951 Convention and its protocol. The consultations would also try to define norms applicable in instances of massive refugee influxes. Disparities in prioritizing groups for assistance made the process even more difficult. A European Fund for Refugees had been set up to help relocate and repatriate displaced people. The Fund could also be used in emergency situations.

JULIA TAFT (United States) said UNHCR had been called on as never before to take on the responsibility of meeting the needs of so many refugees and other persons caught in conflict. It had been under Ms. Ogata’s stewardship that the people-oriented programme had been developed. While that might be viewed by some as a simple programming tool, it was in fact, immensely important. The people-oriented programme focused on the client as well as on indigenous populations: it limited the negative impact of refugee-receiving countries, maintained asylum, and helped to ensure the security of both refugees and those who helped them. Ms. Ogata had also tackled the issue of internally displaced persons. The UNHCR had indeed galvanized the international community to respond to the humanitarian imperatives of our time. But the agency was not an independent actor; it was an organization in which all Member States were stakeholders. It was therefore the collective efforts of States to ensure that UNHCR fulfilled its mandate to protect and provide durable solutions for refugees. It was also the obligation of Member States to ensure that the UNHCR was adequately funded, so that refugees might receive the standard of care and protection they deserved. “We cannot hold UNHCR accountable if donors do not improve their generosity,” she said.

While the core principles of the Convention on Human Rights remained valid, it was recognized that with today’s complex flows of people, certain gaps needed to be examined. Another important challenge for the UNHCR, she said, was to strengthen its overall emergency preparedness and response, including the development of a “surge capacity” to ensure rapid deployment in emergencies. It was also imperative that adequate registration systems be implemented to document all refugees. Most importantly, there was the need to address the security of both refugees and humanitarian personnel. It was not acceptable that humanitarian workers had become targets of conflicting parties, seeking to politicize and disrupt humanitarian assistance. It was also of crucial importance to seek a solution to the development gap. The UNHCR could not tackle that issue alone. She called on the Committee to consider ways to use the impact of refugees to undergird development. Finally, she said her delegation remained concerned about the protection of the most vulnerable groups among refugees, particularly women and children. The Secretary-General had urged the Security Council to give women an equal voice with men in questions of peace and security. She was pleased to see that the Council had unanimously adopted its first resolution, recommending that women in war zones should receive special treatment as victims of conflict and should be partners at the negotiating table.

MR. EL-AAS (Sudan) said it was no secret that Sudan’s geographic location made it a safe haven for refugees seeking safety and protection. Sudan had received them with open arms, regardless of economic, social and environmental implications. One recent example of this had been the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which had driven thousands of refugees into his country. Increased assistance and humanitarian relief were needed for those refugees to be voluntarily repatriated in safety and dignity. He thanked Ms. Ogata for the frequent visits she had paid to the region. He also condemned the killing of humanitarian personnel.

He went on to say that although Sudan had sacrificed many of its resources for the protection and well-being of refugees, there had been a decrease in assistance for programmes to assist with refugee initiatives. If programmes were further scaled back, those refugees as well as Sudan, as a “host country” would be left with a complex legal and humanitarian situation. Any decrease in funds and programmes should take place only after careful consideration with all parties concerned, as well as with the UNHCR. As a host country, Sudan was very concerned with the situation of Sudanese nationals in neighbouring countries. He called on the international community to ensure that Sudanese authorities be allowed to visit refugee camps in other countries to appraise the circumstances of such nationals. He drew the Committee’s attention to the 1998 Ministerial Conference in Sudan on facilitating the return of refugees and displaced persons, and called on the High Commissioner and the international community as a whole to implement the outcome of that conference.

ROALD NAESS (Norway) said that over the years, a number of protection gaps had become evident. It was necessary to discuss new protection instruments, including complementary forms of protection. The upcoming global consultations on international protection would provide an opportunity to address those issues as well as further strengthen and better implement protection instruments. Humanitarian assistance must be accompanied by political and confidence-building measures. The UNHCR interventions had contributed to conflict prevention, reconciliation, peace-building and reconstruction. The UNHCR would remain an indispensable partner for peace-building.

Tragically, he said, the international community had been reminded that humanitarian workers were sometimes allowed to take too high a risk to save lives. Some of them, including UNHCR staff, had been brutally targeted simply because they were humanitarian workers. Measures for enhanced security and protection of relief workers must be further strengthened, both by the inter- agency system and by United Nations Member States. He strongly supported placing the security of humanitarian workers and the thresholds of risk and responsibilities on the agenda of an inter-agency review.

CARLOS DOS SANTOS (Mozambique) speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) noted with concern that at a time when the UNHCR was marking 50 years of its existence, the number of threatened people was increasing instead of diminishing, and that the majority of them were women and children. He was, however, gratified to note that the Department of International Protection within the UNHCR was promoting gender-sensitive asylum procedures in countries of asylum. The SADC commended that initiative. He added that his organization would like to reiterate the appeal of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Council of Ministers at its seventy-second meeting in Lomé, which urged the international community to provide adequate support and assistance to refugees in Africa, in the spirit of international solidarity and burden sharing. He further appealed for the equitable provision of resources in all regions of the world.

He expressed the hope that the Millennium Summit’s undertaking to "strengthen international cooperation, including the burden sharing in and the coordination of humanitarian assistance to countries hosting refugees and to help all refugees and displaced persons to return voluntarily to their homes in safety and dignity and to be smoothly reintegrated in their societies" would be translated into concrete action as the new century unfolded. It was in that context that the SADC welcomed the re-establishment of a UNHCR/OAU task force, within the framework of cooperation between the Office and the OAU, to follow up the implementation of the conclusions and recommendations of the Khartoum Declaration, adopted by the OAU Ministerial Conference on Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons in Khartoum, Sudan, in December 1998.

The SADC supported the adoption by the international community of broader, regionally based peace-building approaches to assist regions and countries emerging from the spiral of conflict, poverty and human displacement, with a view to addressing the problem of refugees and its far-reaching effects. To that end, the SADC appreciated the decision by the UNHCR to review its role on internally displaced persons, and was adopting a policy of preparedness to respond to the calls by the international community to assist groups of internally displaced persons. He ended by commending the initiative launched by the UNHCR to commence a process of Global Consultations with States, with those with close involvement of refugee experts, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and refugees, aimed at revitalizing the international protection regime and discussing measures to ensure international protection for all who needed it.

YUKIO SATOH (Japan) said that the efforts of the international community in various aspects of the problem must be better coordinated. The problem of the "gap" between the efforts of the international community at the various stages of relief and development activities was indeed real and serious. Closing that gap was essential in order to maximize the effectiveness of relief and development activities. Although greater cooperation among the organizations engaged in refugee issues were now taking place under Ms. Ogata's leadership, they were still inadequate. Therefore, he encouraged those concerned, particularly the UNHCR, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, to redouble their joint efforts to attain better coordination among their activities, particularly in the field.

He emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of personnel in the field, engaged in humanitarian assistance. It was self-evident that more focused efforts were needed to enhance the security of those personnel. In that context, it was important that the Assembly should follow the Secretary- General's recommendation and pursue the development of a protocol to the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, which would "extend the scope of legal protection to all United Nations and associated personnel engaged". Japan would provide $1 million to the United Nations, as it did last year, to support its training programmes aimed at enhancing the security of field personnel. He hoped others would join that effort.

RENATO MARTINO, Observer of the Holy See, said protection and security must be seen as the most important role of the UNHCR, especially at a time when there were other international and local agencies to provide humanitarian assistance under the umbrella of protection that only the United Nations could provide. The number of those seeking refuge from war or persecution was staggering. Assisting those victims was increasingly complex and challenging. Ironically, as the movement and insecurity of uprooted people increased globally, the international refugee protection regime was eroding and new barriers to asylum were being erected.

Recalling that children made up half the world's 22.3 million refugee population, he said that the ratio of children in some refugee populations was

as high as 70 per cent. Some of those children had lived their entire lives in a refugee camp. They were the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, needing special protection in their right to life, security, education, health care, guidance and supervision. They needed help in finding an identity, the love of a family and the hope of a future.

In addition, he recalled that the poorer countries had borne the heaviest burden of receiving refugees. In many of those countries, the quality of protection and accommodation had dramatically declined. Those countries needed the solidarity of the international community, particularly of the wealthier nations, which currently accepted only a small part of the burden. Without concrete support, the humanitarian crises of today would balloon. A clearer system of responsibility for internally displaced persons also needed to be established. It should be remembered that the best protection for refugees was to protect their basic human rights. The 2001 World Conference on racism would be a good occasion for which the wealthier countries could team up with those carrying the heaviest refugee burdens.

LUIS ALBERTO AMOROS NUNEZ (Cuba) drew the Committee’s attention to the importance of the High Commissioner’s visit to Cuba in May. He was particularly pleased to report Cuba’s offer to have Cuban doctors provide services in refugee camps overseen by the UNHCR. That reconfirmed Cuba’s long history of providing support for refugees and other vulnerable populations. He drew attention to the fact that since the 1970’s Cuba had provided shelter for refugees from Latin America as well as other Caribbean countries. Those persons, whether seeking protection or asylum, had been allowed to become an integral part of Cuban society. The Government had provided housing, employment and education opportunities. Cuba continued to receive refugees despite the drain on its own resources and the economic embargo by the United States Government. Cuba had handled those issues primarily on its own, but had called on the UNHCR to provide technological and management expertise.

He also said that Cuba appreciated the work of the High Commissioner, and said that it was the duty of the international community to continue to provide support so the UNHCR could continue to provide the same level of assistance. It appeared, however, that while the refugee problem was on the increase, the agency’s budget was decreasing. It was also important to realize that while international media attention was focused on East Timor, Kosovo and the Balkans, other crises of equal gravity -- namely in Africa -- had received less international attention. He also said that it was important to study the more complex structural reasons for conflicts. The main function of the UNHCR was to provide assistance to refugees and to provide durable solutions. The agency should work in close coordination with Member States to ensure voluntary repatriation or enhanced opportunities for those refugees wishing to remain in host countries. He called on the international community to mobilize the necessary funds to support the UNHCR’s work. Assisting the world’s refugees was a challenge that should be taken up by the international community as a whole.

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