Copyright 2001 M2 Communications Ltd.

M2 PRESSWIRE

November 20, 2001

LENGTH: 3403 words

HEADLINE: UN

Refugees victims of terrorism, not its perpetrators, High Commissioner
tells Third Committee, as refugee debate opens - Part 2 of 2

BODY:

Statements
CHRISTOPHE PAYOT (Belgium, on behalf of the European Union) said the
number of internally displaced persons was increasing dramatically, and
they now outnumbered refugees by almost two to one. The figure was
estimated at 25 million, in 40 or so countries, half of them in Africa.
But while refugees enjoyed a special status and international assistance,
protecting and guaranteeing the rights of internally displaced persons was
primarily the responsibility of the State concerned. The scale and variety
of the humanitarian needs of those people required coordinated action. The
European Union welcomed the efforts being made by the United Nations,
particularly the setting up of a unit within the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and endorsed the criteria set
by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on internally
displaced persons. The European Union supported the Guiding Principles on
Internal Displacement, the benchmark in these matters, and appealed for
them to be generally applied.
Mr. Payot said the main difficulty facing humanitarian action today was
safety. Too often, humanitarian personnel, and in particular UNHCR staff,
became targets. The events of the past few months were yet another sad
reminder of that fact. The sickening murder of four UNHCR staff members in
West Timor and Guinea last year and of another in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo in March of this year were unacceptable acts of the utmost
gravity and should be condemned as such. In this context, the European
Union welcomed the fact that the Rome Statue of the International Criminal
Court made it a war crime to intentionally direct attacks against
personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in a
humanitarian assistance or peacekeeping mission in accordance with the
Charter of the United Nations, as long as they were entitled to the
protection given to civilians or civilian objects under the international
law of armed conflict. The European Union called on all States which had
not yet done so to ratify the instruments, and also the 1994 Convention on
the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. The European Union
emphasized the importance of giving UNHCR personnel adequate protection.
He said the European Union was working on a common policy on asylum and
immigration. The European Union's objective was to establish a common
European asylum system, based on full and comprehensive application of the
1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees. This common policy
would see the European Union harmonizing the procedures for granting
refugee status and the arrangements for refugee reception, as well as
sharing the burden equitably between Member States. The aim was to provide
a better response to the challenges of today's world, such as temporary
protection, mass influxes and mixed flows. Last month, the Presidency of
the European Union had held an international conference on migration in
Brussels, where particular attention was paid to the link between asylum
and migration. Organized in collaboration with the European Commission, the
conference was an opportunity to tackle the question of a policy capable of
taking account of the many facets of the problem, like prevention and
setting up partnerships with countries of origin; management of migratory
flows; economic migration; integration and employment. The constructive
debate that took place over those two days of discussion would be of
further help in preparing for the proceedings of the European Council in
Laeken next month, which, it was hoped, would result in a fundamental
political pact on a Community approach to immigration.
CARLOS DOS SANTOS (Mozambique, on behalf of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC)) said SADC noted with concern that conflicts
continued to displace hundreds of thousands of people and forced them to
join the ranks of refugees. The flight of refugees not only deprived the
countries of origin of their human resources, but also placed a burden on
the host countries, many of which had limited resources. The SADC called
upon all States Parties to conflicts to make every effort to peacefully
settle their differences to avoid the unnecessary suffering of people. The
situation of refugees, returnees and displaced persons required the urgent
attention of the international community.
In this regard, SADC reiterated the appeal made by the Organization of
African Unity Council of Ministers urging the international community to
provide adequate support and assistance to refugees in Africa.
Mr. Dos Santos said the international community should accord special
attention to women and children. The SADC considered that the recent
decision of the Security Council to put the issue of protection of children
in armed conflict on its agenda would be instrumental in alleviating the
adverse affects that armed conflict had on children. The SADC looked
forward to the outcome of the General Assembly special session on children
as another important landmark in this regard, and SADC welcomed the entry
into force of the Optional Protocol on the Convention on the Rights of
Children and Armed Conflict.
It also applauded the adoption by the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other United Nations agencies of
policies and guidelines on gender, especially for refugee women. It also
saluted the Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security
that called for the empowerment of women, including refugee women, to
participate actively in the peace process.
He said the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in refugee camps was a source of
concern to SADC. That deadly disease had a devastating impact on the most
vulnerable segments of the refugees - women, children and youth. The SADC
welcomed the Declaration of Commitment that was adopted at the General
Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS last June and hoped the Health Fund
that was agreed upon at the session would also benefit refugees,
particularly refugee women and children.
The SADC was deeply concerned at the critical financial situation faced by
the UNHCR. There was also concern about the Programme Budget for 2002-2003,
in which funding allocated to UNHCR had been further reduced. That decision
would negatively affect the operations of UNHCR in carrying out its
mandate, and thus increase the burden on host countries. The SADC called
upon the international community to ensure that financial resources needed
to assist refugees were made available in a timely manner.
TIAN LIXIAO (China) said the past five decades had witnessed profound
changes in the world, and the protection of refugees had become more and
more challenging. Responding to that situation, the UNHCR had launched the
Global Consultations on international protection and the High Commissioner
had identified measures to improve the work of his office, such as focusing
on core activities, strengthening management and enhancing fund-raising
mechanisms. China was of the view that the Global Consultations, based on
the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, aimed
to establish a more effective international protection regime.
He said the Consultations should also focus on exploring how the principle
of responsibility and burden sharing could be genuinely practiced, and how
UNHCR and the countries of asylum could obtain sufficient resources for
refugee protection. They should also focus on alleviating the social and
economic burdens on host countries as well as on strengthening their
capacity-building. When formulating its "Agenda for Protection" based on
those Consultations, the UNHCR should pay special attention to
incorporating and reflecting the demands and concerns of all parties.
He said China had always believed it was critical to address the root
causes of the refugee issue. To eliminate the scourges of war, poverty and
injustice, countries should adhere strictly to the principles of the
Charter and related international law, as well as mutual respect for State
sovereignty. The international community should adopt effective measures to
help developing countries eliminate poverty. Developed countries should
help smaller States achieve development, in line with the principles of
responsibility and burden sharing. He added that following the 11 September
terrorist attacks, it was important that measures to combat terrorism
should not harm innocent people.
He called on the international community to provide, in the spirit of
international solidarity and responsibility and burden sharing, more
assistance to Afghan refugees and their major host countries Pakistan and
Iran.
YOSHIYUKI MOTOMURA (Japan) said that in response to the fluid and complex
humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the entire region, creative
thinking was now desperately called for. Recognizing the plight of
displaced persons eager to cross borders in order to escape conflict, Japan
supported the Office of the UNHCR in its efforts to persuade Afghanistan's
neighbours to open their borders based on the principle of non-refoulement.
In the meantime, sympathy was felt for those neighbouring countries which
necessarily had grave concerns about their security and the burden of
hosting even more refugees. To provide effective assistance to those in
need, the international community should not insist on adherence to
particular principles, but make an extra effort to be flexible. Japan
therefore welcomed UNHCR's recent decision to put more emphasis on
operations inside Afghanistan, where people were in need of immediate aid.
Also, Japan welcomed the efforts of neighbouring countries, such as
Pakistan and Iran, to accommodate vulnerable displaced and desperate
persons, by providing for their safety and basic needs, and hoped they
would continue.
No matter how grave it might be, he said, the emergency in Afghanistan
should not unduly overshadow other items on the agenda, thereby creating
more "forgotten crises" where the voices of refugees went unheard and their
needs unmet. Until quite recently, that was precisely the situation with
Afghan refugees. According to the latest statistics, there were still more
than 21 million people of concern to UNHCR, of whom 12 million were
refugees and the rest asylum-seekers, returned refugees, internally
displaced persons and others. That clearly indicated that UNHCR had been
expanding the scope of its responsibilities, from seeking solutions to the
problem of individual refugees to exploring solutions to broader refugee
issues. The past successes of UNHCR proved that complex refugee problems
could be solved when governments were committed and resources were made
available. A key element in refugee protection was providing durable
solutions, thus cutting off the vicious circle of conflict and refugee
outflows. Japan accordingly supported the solution-oriented approach taken
by UNHCR in dealing with individual refugee and other displacement cases.
He said Japan was helping UNHCR fulfil its mandate in several ways. First,
given the important mission of UNHCR to provide protection to refugees and
seek permanent solutions to refugee problems, its core contribution had
accounted for 10 to 15 per cent of UNHCR's annual budget for the last 10
years. Another pillar was cooperation through the Trust Fund for Human
Security, through which Japan provided financing for such projects as the
establishment of the UNHCR Regional Centre for Emergency Training, where
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government officials in Asia and
the Pacific enhanced their ability to deal with emergencies. The Government
of Japan had also been exploring a form of cooperation with UNHCR that
aimed at a strong linkage between development assistance and its
humanitarian effects. As UNHCR's strength lay in its field presence,
Japanese embassies at the operational frontier were now instructed to work
more closely with UNHCR. A precursor to that was the collaboration between
the Japan International Cooperation Agency and UNHCR in Tanzania, where the
burden borne by the host country was eased, leaving UNHCR to concentrate on
refugee protection and assistance.
OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway) said many wondered if the world would ever get
back to "business as usual" after 11 September, and as the Committee took
up the issue of refugees, he realized that "business as usual" was indeed a
relative term.
For those dealing with the plight of refugees and internally displaced
persons, crises and catastrophes were the order of the day. The Afghan
tragedy might have heightened people's awareness of the fact that the
plight of refugees and internally displaced persons affected the entire
international community.
He said the issue of protection was particularly important when it came to
safeguarding the interests of the most vulnerable. In many cases, that
meant women and girls.
Norway had been an ardent advocate of mainstreaming their special needs in
the general operations of UNHCR and other agencies and organizations. They
must not be merely an afterthought. Norway, in its efforts to raise
awareness in this respect, would host a seminar in Oslo next January on the
physical protection of women and girls in refugee camps. That was part of
the humanitarian agenda that the Government was seeking to promote through
its membership on the Security Council.
On the subject of the most vulnerable, Norway also drew attention to the
Secretary-General's report on Protection and Assistance to Unaccompanied
and Separated Refugee Children.
For more than two years now, Norway had been one of the main sponsors of
the Separated Children in Europe Programme, a joint initiative by UNHCR and
the International Save the Children Alliance. That programme not only
succeeded in compiling relevant statistics for the first time, it had also
shown that the rights and needs of separated children were insufficiently
understood and acknowledged. Clearly, the programme had an important
advocacy function which those children would continue to need.
He said that when talking about vulnerable groups like refugees and the
displaced, it was important not to lose sight of the fact that those groups
also represented immense human resources. They could be victims of
conflicts and crises, but if they were only regarded as part of a problem,
they might not be considered as part of the solution. It was time to train
the international community's collective focus in that direction. Just
imagine the unused resource potential of Afghan refugee women, he said.
ILHAM IBRAHIM MOHAMED AHMED (Sudan) said in the last three years, her
Government had hosted flows of refugees with all goodwill and without
hesitation, in spite of the social and environmental consequences. Sudan
wished to continue having the support of the international community in
hosting the refugees until they could return home in peace and dignity. It
was hoped Sudan could share this burden. It appeared international refugee
assistance was dropping in Sudan. Her Government needed to be helped in
areas that were most hard hit by the influx of refugees, in particular
concerning their effect on Sudan's natural resources.
She said Sudan followed its international agreements in hosting refugees,
and hoped for their safe return to their countries of origin soon. Sudan
was concerned that Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries were being
exploited and forced to partake in armed conflicts. Many of those refugees
were children, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) should help protect them.
There was also a need to ensure the safety of United Nations and other
humanitarian personnel. Sudan deplored and condemned all attacks on field
personnel.
She said her Government renewed its commitment to the international and
regional documents regarding refugees.
Sudan would continue to make resources available to all refugees in Sudan
- they would receive everything they needed to live in an atmosphere of
peace and dignity.
SICHAN SIV (United States) said protection - particularly physical
protection of refugees - remained a key priority for the United States.
Refugee women and children faced distinct protection challenges. Although
they were a stated policy priority of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more had to be done.
The United States urged UNHCR and its partners to strengthen all their
programmes in the field to meet the special needs of those refugees.
Governments largely determined the degree to which refugees were afforded
durable solutions. They were called on to do more to promote voluntary
repatriation, local integration and resettlement. The United States would
continue to work with the UNHCR to provide resettlement opportunities for
refugees.
Mr. Siv said the challenges for the international community and for UNHCR
had been great during the past weeks.
The High Commissioner and his staff had once again helped mobilize the
international community's support for Afghan refugees. In the war against
terrorism, the United States was fully dedicated to working with UNHCR and
other humanitarian organizations. Special gratitude should be expressed to
Afghanistan's neighbours. Some of them had hosted millions of Afghan
refugees for many years, and had been asked once again to accept new
arrivals. Others had facilitated the flow of humanitarian assistance into
Afghanistan and obviated the need of many to flee.
He said the High Commissioner and his staff had had an exceptionally
challenging year due to lower resources.
Funding shortfalls had forced the UNHCR to reduce its budget this year by
almost $100 million and to present a minimum budget for 2002. The budget
could not go any lower. All who could should contribute to UNHCR's efforts
to assist refugees. As the largest donor, the United States would continue
its strong support. Other donors were expected to do more, so that the
UNHCR could develop a more needs-based budget for 2003. Those who had
decreased their contributions to the UNHCR in recent years had to reverse
that trend. The United States asked those who had not been traditional
donors to UNHCR to step forward now and provide assistance. There were,
sadly, refugees all over the world. No country was untouched by that human
tragedy.
MARIA PEREZ DE PLANCHART (Venezuela) said her Government had established
various mechanisms to guarantee the human rights and protection of refugees
and displaced persons. Her country had adopted on 3 October a law on the
protection of refugees and asylum seekers which was in line with
international norms. Situations of crisis continued to proliferate
throughout the world, and the number of refugees continue to grow. Such
persons required international protection and care. The UNHCR played a
pivotal role in harmonizing international efforts in that regard.
Problems for refugees and internally displaced persons could not only be
solved through providing protection and humanitarian assistance, she said.
Ensuring peace and stability was critical in that regard. Also the
reconstruction of societies and creation of situations that would allow
safe returns to secure environments, were important. It was also essential
to promote and protect the safety of humanitarian workers who often
performed dangerous duties in the field. Her delegation welcomed recent
efforts to ensure the safety of all humanitarian workers as well as
refugees living in encampments.
She called on all States to fulfil their international obligations to
assist refugees and asylum seekers, particularly in Afghanistan and its
neighboring countries. In light of the present needs of the UNHCR, she
announced that her Government had provided $1 million to assist
Afghanistan.
While that was significant for a country the size of Venezuela, she
realized that it was small compared with the real needs of the people in
that country.
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LOAD-DATE: November 20, 2001