INTERNATIONAL
PROTECTION 4
September 2001
3rd
Meeting Original:
ENGLISH
I
1. Strengthening
protection capacities in host countries has been a recurring and cross-cutting
theme throughout the Global Consultations process. The subject is complex and
needs to be considered separately since it underpins the success of endeavours
to improve protection in the areas under discussion in the context of the
Global Consultations: i) protection of refugees in mass influx situations; ii)
reception arrangements;[1]
iii) fair and expeditious asylum procedures,[2]
including the return of those not in need of international protection;[3]
and iv) the realization of durable solutions.
2. In
the context of UNHCR’s international protection mandate, efforts are
geared to enhancing the capabilities of States to meet international legal
obligations in the refugee protection area. They also contribute to
strengthening the rule of law by creating national protection structures.
Another important component of these efforts is the fostering of international
cooperation to ensure a fair sharing of the burden and responsibility of
receiving and hosting refugees.
3. The
complexity of the endeavour to strengthen protection capacities stems not least
from the fact that, while the goals of these efforts may be similar from
country to country, their actual content will inevitably differ, depending on
factors such as the developmental situation of the country, the limits of its
own resources, the degree of legal sophistication of its asylum system, and the
extent of its experience in handling refugee situations.
4. The
purpose of this note is to offer a preliminary analysis of the issues and
challenges inherent in activities to strengthen protection capacities, with a
view to stimulating discussion on how, including through collaborative efforts,
such capacities can best be reinforced.[4] Annex I to this paper lists a
number of core strategies and activities being pursued by UNHCR and other
protection partners; Annex II provides concrete examples of “best
practices” by individual States, UNHCR, refugees, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and other actors. The note also puts forward some general
considerations which might be endorsed, together with a number of follow-up
activities. While the focus of this paper is on individual asylum systems, much
can equally apply in mass influx situations.
6. Activities
are geared variously towards strengthening national authorities, laws and
policies to enable proper handling of refugee and asylum issues, the reception
and care of refugees, the promotion of self-reliance of refugees and the
realization of durable solutions. They are designed to complement host country
initiatives, bringing in regional and international partners in a spirit of
solidarity and participatory burden-sharing. Domestic public support and
political leadership are two additional, fundamental support bases for such
activities.
7. States
have primary responsibility for providing protection to refugees. As with
international protection generally, capacity-building initiatives most often
benefit from the participation and cooperation of a range of actors in a
burden- and responsibility-sharing context. At the Regional Meeting of the
Global Consultations held in Cairo in July 2001, participants specifically
identified insufficient international support for local capacity-building as
resulting in disproportionate burdens being shouldered by States in the region,
many of which are grappling with other economic and social problems.[6]
8. Refugees
and asylum-seekers continue to arrive in countries with limited resources.
Their presence can burden local infrastructure,
environment and resources, on occasion testing the limits of capacity
and hospitality severely. Refugees and asylum-seekers are
now too often portrayed as a burden, a cause for social and economic
instability, or a threat to national security. Creative new approaches are
called for from the international community. Refugees can be seen as an
opportunity rather than a problem. Their capacities can be recognized and they
can be empowered to adapt to their new environment and work towards their own
solutions. They can also benefit hosts as a source of labour and expertise, by
expanding consumer markets for local goods and in some circumstances by
justifying increased foreign aid. The anchoring of refugee issues into the
development agenda reduces the gap between humanitarian assistance and
development efforts and has to be one goal of new approaches. Factors impeding
the effective integration of refugee and development policies and plans include
lack of support in donor and host communities and weak coordination between
refugee and development agencies. Greater attention now needs to be paid
to overcoming these difficulties so as to maximize the potential of refugees
for local communities, ensuring they become integral and contributory actors in
the development of localities and regions.
9. There
is indeed a need for the international community to encourage and support the
efforts of host countries to realize the socio-economic potential refugees
offer. Technical assistance programmes are important in this context. This can
take many forms, including aid to host countries to register refugees and
asylum-seekers, and the deployment of experienced refugee adjudicators where
there are refugee status determination backlogs. The European Union’s
capacity-building activities in the areas of institution-building and transfer
of knowledge offer instructive examples. They have included the Phare
Horizontal Programme on Asylum, the Twinning Tool and initiatives undertaken in
the context of the High Level Working Group on Asylum and Migration (see Annex
II).
10. At the Regional Meeting in Cairo
there was a call for regional responsibility-sharing mechanisms to be further
explored within as well as outside the region, through regular sub-regional
meetings which promote cooperation, cross-border partnerships, and the sharing
of protection strategies, refugee-related statistical information, relevant
legal experience and practical initiatives.
IV.
THE ROLE OF UNHCR
11. Strengthening
protection capacities is a function inherent in UNHCR’s international
protection mandate as illustrated in the Annexes to this note. In relation to well-established
asylum systems, they are broadly directed at promoting public awareness and
support, providing a solid basis for refugee protection in national
legislation, policy and practice, as well as developing strong partnerships
with a wide range of actors to ensure adequate provision of international
protection. Countries with well-established institutions of their own can, in
addition, become important partners for UNHCR in efforts to build and
strengthen protection capacities where systems are still being set up.
12. In
many countries of the world, particularly in Eastern Europe, large parts of
Asia, Africa and South America, asylum systems are still in the earlier
stages of development. Some are fledgling, while others are being
consolidated. Here strengthening protection capacities is a responsibility
which embraces a range of activities, from initial institution-building to the
development of capacity to enable refugees to become self-reliant, pending the
identification of durable solutions. In situations where refugee status determination procedures are not
sufficiently resourced, dealing with any backlog of unprocessed cases requires
particular attention. In refugee situations where local integration is
the only viable solution, the goal is to support host countries in providing
this opportunity. For integration to become an integral component of a
functioning asylum system and a viable element of a comprehensive durable
solutions strategy, efforts need to be invested in promoting public awareness
and tolerance, in parallel with active technical and financial assistance
projects in host communities.
14. In short, building
protection capacity can be a lengthy and complex process, particularly where
initial capacity is weak. It is also a participatory process that needs to
adapt flexibly to changing circumstances and different scenarios. Its success
hinges on a number of factors, including the need for national ownership and
for strengthened coalitions between a range of partners. For its part, UNHCR
has built ties in this area with a wide variety of actors, among them host and
donor governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), NGOs, religious
groups, the legal profession, judges, parliamentarians, public opinion leaders
and journalists. The military, peacekeeping forces and the corporate sector are
also more and more included.
Supporting North/South linkages between NGOs and academics, among
others, has proved an important feature of partnership arrangements.
V. CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS
15. The activities, initiatives and
best practices set out in this note and its Annexes are presented to the Global
Consultations forum to assist States and other international actors in giving
content to regional and national strategies to strengthen protection
capacities. It is recommended that
their formulation and implementation should be guided by the following overall
considerations:
·
Strengthening capacities is a
core activity in the area of protection, and is an important tool of
international cooperation in efforts to share the burden and responsibility
borne in particular by host countries. Implementation of protection obligations
cannot, however, be made conditional on burden-sharing.
·
Activities in support of
strengthening protection capacity should be incorporated into the mainstream
planning of relevant national institutions, including development institutions.
National ownership should be prioritized and the focus should be on skills
development and system-building initiatives, so that protection structures are
sustainable and eventually become financially and operationally independent.
·
Strengthening protection
capacities must be a flexible concept with the content of activities able to
adjust to changing circumstances and differently structured asylum systems in
variable stages of development. Equally, it needs to be gender-sensitive.
·
It should be conducted within a
partnership framework involving host and donor governments, humanitarian
assistance and development agencies, together with refugees themselves.
16. By way of
follow-up to this paper, the following activities, might be pursued:
a)
Development by UNHCR of a manual on strengthening protection capacities containing tools, techniques and
approaches which could be adapted to different situations.
b) The design by States and UNHCR, in cooperation with other relevant partners, of strategies to strengthen protection capacities where they do not yet exist. Regional or sub-regional workshops could be organized to define such strategies and partnership arrangements. UNHCR could facilitate the pairing of needs with concrete offers of support and expertise by States, IGOs, NGOs, private companies and other actors.
c)
Promotional and educational-based initiatives by all actors concerned, designed
to foster a positive and respectful attitude towards refugees, and signalling
the opportunities which their presence presents. Initiatives could include: i)
dissemination of existing UNHCR public awareness/educational material; ii)
targeted public information campaigns to promote tolerance and to counter
xenophobic tendencies; and iii) confidence-building measures among local and
refugee communities.
d) Further
exploration of opportunities for resource mobilization with the private sector,
including in the context of the Global Compact Initiative launched by the UN
Secretary General.[7] In addition
to UNHCR funding, effective use could be made of funds for developing
capacities and structures which
may be available to prospective new member States from certain regional
groupings. In recognition of the
fact that displacement is not just a humanitarian issue, but has links with
development as well, donors might consider how best to allocate a percentage of
development funds to programmes benefiting both refugees and the local
populations that host them.
CORE COMPONENTS OF STRATEGIES TO STRENGTHEN PROTECTION CAPACITIES
a) Creating or adapting adequate
national legal frameworks
Efforts in this area
enable all stakeholders to rely on a predictable legal framework, which not
only ensures refugees’ access to their rights but also responds
effectively to the different interests at stake. Activities in this area may
include:
· promoting accession to
international refugee instruments and other relevant human rights instruments;
· promoting and
supporting the amendment of existing national laws and/or the creation of new
national laws in a manner which ensures compliance with international refugee
law and standards, including the drafting of administrative instructions and
operational guidelines;
· providing material and
technical legal support for the adaptation of the State’s legal,
administrative or judicial structures, including assistance in
drafting/reviewing draft legislation or undertaking comparative studies;
· supporting the timely
implementation of legislation, inter alia, by providing targeted and
specialized training and advisory services (technical assistance).
b) Facilitating the establishment of national protection structures
Apart from material and
technical assistance measures, activities in this area are primarily focused on
both the transfer and harnessing of existing skills and know-how to a variety
of governmental and other institutions at both the central and local levels. In
some situations, this may extend to addressing underlying structural problems
(such as coverage of recurrent costs or shortage of qualified personnel) on
which sustainability ultimately depends. Activities in this area may include:
· providing material,
legal and technical support to the institutions implementing asylum procedures,
including by envisaging an appropriate advisory or other role for UNHCR in the
process;
· promoting gender- and
age-sensitive structures;
· assisting authorities
to register all asylum-seekers and refugees and to issue identity
documentation;
· facilitating access to
information on countries of origin, international legal instruments,
jurisprudence on refugee issues, regional/international expert studies,
periodicals or other initiatives in the refugee area;
· promoting the creation
of specific focal points on refugee-related issues in relevant ministries and
offices;
· providing broad or
sectoral training, including, for example, on-the-job training or exchange
programmes to government partners (including border officials), refugee
bodies/senates and the judiciary, aimed at strengthening their implementation
of protection and assistance functions;
· promoting the
establishment of a refugee/human rights component in the training curricula of
senior police officials, immigration and decision-making officials, including
judges;
· facilitating
participation in study visits and conferences to enhance the exposure of senior
civil servants to the international dimension of refugee protection;
· supporting the reform
of key administrative departments and encouraging the development of
coordination mechanisms between relevant ministerial departments which may
complement one another in addressing protection issues;
· fostering planning
processes involving national actors, including identification of applicable
standards, “gap” analyses, formulation of multi-year strategies and
budgets;
· generating or enhancing
operational partnerships between relevant local authorities and central authorities;
· development of legal
and social counselling networks;
· developing a culture of
partnership to enhance effective coordination between and among relevant
ministerial departments, UNHCR, other intergovernmental organizations and
relevant NGOs.
c) Fostering the growth of
“protection networks” in civil society[8]
Promoting broad support
for refugee protection in civil society is crucial to foster cooperation in the
protection and assistance areas, to forge partnership arrangements and to
ensure the sustainability of national protection structures. Activities in this
area may include:
· training and
awareness-raising on international protection and humanitarian assistance
issues;
· supporting coordination
and networking among civil society actors, in which context international NGOs
play an important role in working collaboratively with national NGOs to enhance
capacity to respond to protection needs;
· helping NGOs to develop
diversified funding strategies and broader-based community support;
· facilitating
government–NGO interaction (support for NGO legislation, meetings between
government authorities and NGOs, etc);
· providing small grants
to NGOs for the purposes of NGO development, training and support;
· provision of office
space and equipment to NGOs and others.
d) Enhancing
capacity to achieve self-reliance and to realize durable solutions
States, civil society,
communities and refugees themselves are key partners in the achievement of
self-reliance and the search for durable solutions. While the establishment of
an enabling legal and operational framework for the realization of durable solutions
is key in many refugee situations, refugees themselves have important
capacities. Activities to increase the capacities can empower refugees to adapt
to their new environment and ultimately become self-reliant. Such activities
should be designed and delivered within a gender-sensitive framework. As
experience shows, empowered and self-reliant refugees are better prepared to
work towards finding durable solutions. Activities in this area may include:
· building self-reliance
among refugees through recognition of existing skills and qualifications and by
providing technical skills development, rights-awareness training and
community-development activities;
· promoting and
supporting the establishment of a solutions-oriented self-reliance policy
(including co-funding of language programmes, school enrolment, labour
orientation, community development activities, etc);
· building and/or
strengthening multi-faceted partnerships among governments, donors, refugees,
communities, NGOs and volunteers;
· assisting governments
to create a framework for economic, social and legal integration of refugees,
including through family reunification and eventually granting of citizenship;
· promoting resettlement opportunities;[9]
· supporting voluntary
repatriation arrangements, including by training in voluntary repatriation
standards and procedures for government authorities, NGOs and other operational
partners, as well as by establishing counselling structures to provide refugees
with the necessary information to allow them to make free and informed choices.
· outreach to the media, at
both local and national levels;
· promotion of balanced
and informed reporting in the media;
· working with schools
and universities to incorporate refugee issues in curricula;
· placing public service
announcements on refugee themes on TV, radio and in print;
· organizing special
events around refugee themes or particular dates (such as World Refugee Day and
Women’s Day) to involve the general public and bring refugees and the
community together;
· partnering with
community, religious groups or other interested organizations (including the
corporate sector) to raise awareness of refugee issues among their
constituencies.
The following is a selection of interesting initiatives and best practices by individual States and international organizations, including UNHCR, refugees, NGOs and other actors. It is hoped that they may provide inspiration for similar action and contribute towards a better understanding of efforts to strengthen protection capacities in host countries. They have been grouped according to the core capacity-building components listed in Annex I.
· Promotion by UNHCR
of accession to international refugee instruments
Increased efforts are
being undertaken by UNHCR in 2001 to promote universal accession to the 1951
Convention and its 1967 Protocol. UNHCR has produced two booklets providing
guidance to States in this process.
Examples of
UNHCR’s activities undertaken in the area of promotion of national
refugee legislation are reflected in the Note on International Protection,[10]
presented to the fifty-second session of ExCom.
·
Phare
Horizontal Programme on Asylum
In Europe, the two-year
Phare[11]
Horizontal Programme on Asylum (1999–2000)[12]
represented a novel approach to strengthening asylum, involving a partnership
between seven European Union member States, the European Commission, ten
Central European and Baltic States, and UNHCR. The programme supported the
development of asylum systems to ensure compatibility with international and
regional refugee law standards, completion of a country-by-country
“gap” analysis, the establishment of a National Action Plan
detailing legislative revisions, changes of practice, required institutional
improvements, as well as donor support necessary to set these changes in
motion. A similar initiative is now envisaged by the EU in South Eastern
Europe under CARDS,[13]
within the broader context of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.
·
UNHCR’s refugee status determination project (“RSD
project”) – around the globe
The RSD
project aims at reducing backlogs, enhancing capacity to deal with new cases,
and setting procedural standards by the development of an RSD toolkit. An important objective is to improve
the quality and consistency of refugee status determination carried out by
UNHCR offices and to develop processes and tools to prevent fresh backlogs
arising. The project also aims at
assisting Governments to undertake RSD, and places particular emphasis on
training eligibility committees, providing background information and
decision-making.
A practical instrument used by the EU for countries in Central Europe (candidates for EU membership), and now by the Stability Pact for South Eastern European countries: civil servants from national administrations of Western Europe make themselves available to assist administrations in the Candidate Countries to build up expertise in different areas. In addition, there have been training programmes for expert education.
·
EU:
High Level Working Group (HLWG) on Asylum and Migration (set up in 1998)
Based on comprehensive action plans
addressing migration and asylum issues, EU States are in dialogue with various
countries of origin and/or transit. UNHCR has contributed to the development of
several Action Plans as part of the HLWG process. EU Member States have in
varying degrees been able to assist with the implementation of the Action
Plans. In addition, the EU established a dialogue with other interested third
countries to forge further partnerships in implementing the various Action
Plans.
· Exchange programmes
and knowledge transfer – Western and Eastern Europe, Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS)
Government officials and NGO staff dealing with refugee issues in Eastern Europe and the CIS undertake placements with their counterparts in Western Europe or within the CIS. Areas include refugee status determination, country of origin research and social counselling.
· Refugee law and
human rights courses – United Republic of Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan, Italy,
France, Costa Rica, Eastern and Central Europe
Through established
programmes as well as new initiatives, and with the support of UNHCR, NGOs and
private foundations or institutes, refugee law and human rights courses have
been implemented. For example: i) in Tanzania, the East African School
of Refugee and Humanitarian Affairs started an inter-disciplinary refugee
studies programme; ii) in Kyrgyzstan, UNHCR, in collaboration with
others, established human rights summer schools open to law students and young
professionals from the five Central Asian Republics; iii) in San Remo and
Strasbourg, UNHCR, in collaboration respectively with the International
Institute of Humanitarian Law and the Human Rights Institute conducts refugee
law courses targeting senior government officials dealing with refugees, academics,
refugee law judges and NGO representatives; iv) in Costa Rica, UNHCR
assisted the Judicial School to set up a training programme on refugee law for
judges; v) in Eastern and Central Europe, the Council of Europe, often
in cooperation with UNHCR, organizes training, workshops and seminars on
various subjects for government officials of the member states.
· Promotion by UNHCR
of refugee law – around the globe
Research and learning
in refugee law is being promoted in various forms, including through the i) donation
of refugee law texts to universities in Ghana, Guinea (Conakry) and Nepal;
ii) creation of a refugee law and documentation Research Centre at the
Branch Office, Conakry; iii) inclusion of refugee law in law school
curricula; iv) Organization of African Unity (OAU)/UNHCR Compendium
of all OAU instruments and texts on refugees, returnees and displaced persons
in Africa; v) launch of a website of refugee literature in Spanish.
·
Regional partnerships
Examples include the 2000
cooperation agreement between UNHCR and the League of Arab States; the
collaboration of UNHCR with the organs of the Inter-American Human Rights
System on promotion, training and capacity building, as well as research
and joint studies.
·
Access to the judiciary for refugee victims of abuse – Kenya
A mobile court, supported by UNHCR, was established in Dadaab, Kenya, to ensure the prosecution of perpetrators of violence against refugees, including sexual violence against refugee women and children, and to provide easier access to witnesses.
· Separated children:
promotion of a common policy and commitment to best practices – EU
The Separated Children in Europe Programme, a joint UNHCR/Save the Children Alliance initiative, was established to respond to the increasing number of separated refugee children arriving in Europe. Under the programme, a number of country assessments have been completed, a Statement of Good Practices produced, and a pan-European NGO network established. A common policy and commitment to best practices at the national and European levels is thus being promoted.
· Increase of capacity
to protect and care for refugee children – around the globe
In collaboration with the Save the
Children Alliance and, since 1999, with the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNHCR has
developed and is implementing the Action for the Rights of Children (ARC)
project. ARC’s primary goal
is to increase the capacity of UNHCR, governments and NGO field staff to
protect and care for refugee children at all stages. ARC is a compendium of guidelines, critical issues, case
studies and participatory training materials for field workers and policy
programmers.
·
“Reach
Out” – around the globe
Recommendations which emerged from a
series of “Reach Out” consultations with national NGOs in a number
of regions include the establishment of improved information-sharing, UNHCR
assistance in developing national NGO legislation and more protection training
for NGO staff. Through a joint initiative of several humanitarian agencies, a
three-year protection training programme for staff of operational partners has
been launched, using as its basis A Protection Field Guide for NGOs published in 1999. Other
recommendations in various stages of implementation include the development of
a Best Practices Handbook, publication of a regional quarterly newsletter
about refugee protection issues in the Middle East and the initiation/enhancement
of collaborative efforts between North/South NGOs.
·
Building
NGOs – CIS/Central Europe
As a follow-up to the 1996 CIS
conference, capacity building for NGOs has centred around four major
activities: i) thematic working groups led by NGO partners; ii) workshops on
capacity-building for NGOs and UNHCR field offices; iii) regional conferences
on NGO legislation organized by UNHCR in cooperation with the Council of
Europe, the International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law, and the Open Society
Institute; and iv) a small grants fund for NGOs in the CIS countries. In
addition, a UNHCR Catalogue of NGO Capacity-Building Resources for the
Countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States was issued in 2000 as a tool for
networking and possible collaboration among NGOs. This is an example of a very
comprehensive NGO-strengthening process which could usefully inform
capacity-building strategies elsewhere. In Central Europe and the Baltic
States, NGO networks benefit from twinning arrangements with NGOs in the West.
·
Honorary
liaison persons – Caribbean
A low cost civil society protection
network was established by UNHCR in the Caribbean, composed of prominent
community leaders affiliated to organizations concerned with issues such as
human rights, migration and social welfare. These leaders are designated as
“honorary liaison”
persons who monitor the arrival of asylum-seekers, help refugees access legal
assistance and basic services, and facilitate UNHCR’s contacts with
national authorities.
·
Eminent
Persons Group – South-east Asia
The Eminent Persons Group, established
by UNHCR in Southeast Asia, is another model of how people with experience and
interest in refugee and related issues can advance refugee protection,
sensitize key sectors of civil society and lobby governments for a
protection-oriented treatment of refugees, including the enactment of national
refugee legislation. The group has, for instance, developed a national model
law on refugees and asylum which is being promoted for adoption in South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation countries.
· Civil Society
Responds to the Needs of Refugee Women – Kenya
The Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) is a membership organization of women lawyers and law students. FIDA conducts legal awareness and awareness of rights programmes. The Kenyan branch of FIDA is working with refugee women in various camps in areas such as law enforcement, training and education for officials on how to handle violence against women and combat sex discrimination.
·
Universities, NGOs, lawyers, students: provision of
legal aid and representation and exchange programmes – USA, Central
European and Baltic States, Cyprus, Costa Rica, South Africa
Various American
non-profit agencies have programmes to screen asylum-seekers and find attorneys
to represent them pro bono. Several universities in the United States have set up
legal clinics specifically to assist asylum‑seekers. Students, under
supervision, prepare the cases. The latter set-up served as a model for legal
clinics in Central European and Baltic States, as well as Cyprus.
Apart from providing asylum-seekers and refugees with free legal
representation, it strengthens cooperation between NGOs working in the field of
asylum, ensures that refugee law will be increasingly integrated into the
regular curricula of law faculties and that young practitioners will leave
university with practical skills and legal knowledge on refugee and asylum
issues. Current efforts are complemented by sister partnerships and other
cooperation programmes with the aim of linking developing legal aid
programmes and clinics with more developed programmes (e.g. student exchange
between Harvard University and ELTE University Budapest). At the University of Costa
Rica, law students are trained in refugee law, with an emphasis on refugee
status determination, to strengthen both government and NGO capacity in
RSD. In South Africa,
refugee legal counsellors funded by UNHCR are working out of the Legal Aid
Clinics of Cape Town and Johannesburg universities. The Refugee Rights project run by Lawyers for Human Rights
in Pretoria and Durban is another example of the provision of legal counsel to
asylum-seekers and refugees.
· Law judges improve
refugee protection – around the globe
The International
Association for Refugee Law Judges (IARLJ) and UNHCR have an agreement to
promote understanding of refugee law and asylum principles worldwide and to
encourage networking among national judges and quasi‑judicial
decision-makers. In cooperation with the Immigration Refugee Board of Canada,
UNHCR and York University (Canada), IARLJ thus developed a training module for
refugee law judges and quasi-judicial decision-makers. A series of
international conferences and joint workshops for national judges in different
parts of the world has been held. The network has also encouraged the sharing
of information and promoted capacity-building among members of the judiciary
worldwide through research initiatives, publications and training, as well as
through the provision of technical and legal assistance to national
decision-making bodies.
· Refugee Education
Trust
As a lasting legacy of
UNCHR’s 50th anniversary, the independent Refugee Education
Trust was launched on 14 December 2000. The Trust gives refugees in developing
countries opportunities for post-primary education. The focus is on providing
quality education to the largest number of refugees where the needs are
greatest.
· Towards
self-reliance – Kazakhstan/Egypt
In Kazakhstan, UNHCR assisted refugee women to set up their own NGO to develop small-income generation projects, vocational training and address issues of violence against refugee women. At a recent meeting in Cairo, refugee women agreed to establish a refugee women’s committee to act as a dialogue partner with UNHCR, respond to problems and promote coordination with different local authorities.
· Empowering refugee
communities
In Western Sahara, refugee women have formed their own National Union and assumed sole responsibility for developing local administrative structures. Refugee women run campaigns informing other refugee women of their rights and encouraging their participation in the political arena. Another UNHCR initiative has been the production of a module on rights-awareness training aimed at empowering refugee women to assert their rights in host countries to enhance their legal status.
· Refugees involved in
camp management – Nepal
Refugee camps in Eastern Nepal provide an example of refugee participation in camp management, thereby promoting self-reliance. Camp committees have been established and men and women are equally eligible to run for camp committee posts. Refugees are involved in almost all activities in the camp, including food distribution, school teaching and administration, income generating projects, provision of health care, the construction and maintenance of camp structures and the registration of births.
· Strengthening
self-reliance – Uganda
In 1999, the Ugandan authorities and UNHCR implemented a long-term assistance strategy designed to help refugees become self-reliant. The programme places particular emphasis on developing skills in agricultural production, income-generation, community services, health and education, water resources and sanitation.
· Combating violence
against refugee women and girls – Kenya
In 1999, the Ted Turner
Project established the “Refugee Communities Against Sexual and Gender
Violence” project in the Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps, Kenya. The project focuses on empowerment of
refugee women and girls through skills development, training and
income-generation, raising public awareness of the consequences of sexual
violence for the victim and the community at large, improvement of security in
and around camps, and promoting women’s rights.
· Responding to the
educational needs of Afghan refugee girls to build future self-reliance –
Pakistan
UNHCR-funded schools have been established in Pakistan to cater for Afghan refugee children. The implementation of the Home Based Schools for Girls programme provides thousands of Afghan girls with access to education. Such programmes also allow female teachers among the refugees to utilize their literacy skills, as well as providing them with an important employment opportunity.
·
Enhancing public understanding – EU
Over
the past two years, UNHCR has run a public awareness campaign of TV and print
advertisements and posters in all 15 EU countries. The project, funded by the European Commission, aims at
ensuring the smooth integration of recognized refugees. It also combats negative stereotypes and
xenophobic attitudes towards these refugees. Other events include seminars in
Austria and Germany (Bavaria) to familiarize journalists with refugee
integration needs, mechanisms and the need for integration policies, as well as
the establishment of a panel of refugee speakers in Ireland.
· Combating
xenophobia – Southern Africa
Similar
campaigns have been carried out in countries in Southern Africa, notably a
“roll back xenophobia” campaign in South Africa. A positive impact has been
observed in the media, with more accurate and objective reporting on the
presence of foreigners in South Africa, and in health and educational
institutions where attempts have been made to facilitate access by refugees and
asylum-seekers. Furthermore, it
was noted that community meetings at grass roots level to explain why refugees
are in South Africa and underscore their plight and rights did produce changes
in the attitude of participants. In the run-up to the World Conference on
Racism and Xenophobia in September 2001, the campaign is planning an event
centered on South Africa-specific concerns relating to xenophobia. It is hoped
that this will have positive spin-offs in South Africa and provide added value
to the work done by the “roll back xenophobia” campaign.
·
“Respect” campaign: contributions refugees bring to
society – around the globe
On 14 December 2000,
UNHCR launched worldwide a 50th anniversary public awareness
campaign “Respect”: respect for refugees, respect for their
contributions and respect for their rights. This campaign involved many public
activities including TV and print advertisements about refugees’ lives; a
Gallery of Prominent Refugees; and the concept of Refugee Voices through which
refugee artists tell their stories (concerts and CDs).[14]
·
World Refuge Day (WRD) – around the globe
20 June 2001 marked the
first ever world Refugee Day aimed to promote a positive image of
refugees and develop a tolerant attitude towards them, raise public awareness,
reduce xenophobic tendencies and demonstrate respect for refugees. Events
included broadcasts by public TV stations (e.g. advertisements about the
“Respect” campaign), refugee photo exhibitions, concerts, refugee
poetry, refugees’ flight and asylum stories, and visits with journalists
to refugee sites. Other events will continue throughout the year (e.g.
publication of a booklet for primary school children promoting tolerance,
seminars on cross-cultural education for secondary school teachers, and
preparation of a manual designed to mainstream these issues into general
teaching).[15]
·
Educational campaigns – United States, Spain, Russian
Federation
UNHCR launched an
education awareness project in the United States in 1999. Utilizing UNHCR’s educational
materials (lesson plans, teaching kits, videos and games),[16]
the project has encouraged teachers across the USA to teach their students
about refugee issues. Similar initiatives were undertaken in Spain and
are planned in the Russian Federation.
· Mobilizing young
people to respond to the needs of younger refugees – around the globe
UNHCR produced two
booklets, Refugee Teenagers and Refugee Children which raise awareness
of the plight of young refugees.
They are directed at young people and, in addition to providing
information on the circumstances and needs of young refugees, suggest ways in
which readers can help young refugees in their own country. Suggestions range from
awareness-raising activities to practical ways of helping refugees to integrate
into their new society.
·
Goodwill Ambassadors and other prominent individuals
National or
regional Goodwill Ambassadors and prominent individuals have contributed
financially to UNHCR’s work and/or assisted in raising awareness of
refugee issues. They have organized high-profile public events, generated
support through interviews in the press and on television, and publicized
refugee needs through field missions.
[1] See Reception of Asylum-seekers, including Standards of Treatment, in the Context of Individual Asylum Systems, (EC/GC/01/17).
[2] See Asylum Processes (Fair and Efficient Asylum Procedures), (EC/GC/01/12).
[3] See Conclusions of the Regional Meeting in Budapest from 6 to 7 June 2001, (EC/GC/01/14), and Refugee Protection and Migration Control: Perspectives from UNHCR and IOM, (EC/GC/01/11).
[4] See also evaluation reports of relevance: A Review of Capacity-Building in Central and Eastern Europe (1996); Evaluation of UNHCR Training Activities for Implementing Partners and Government Counterparts (2000); Evaluation of UNHCR’s Role in Strengthening National NGOs (2001): (unhcr.ch/evaluate/reports.htm).
[5] See UNHCR, A Practical Guide to Capacity-building as a Feature of UNHCR’s Humanitarian Programmes, September 1999. See also UNDP, Capacity Assessment and Development, Technical Advisory Paper No. 3 (magnet.undp.org/docs/cap/main.htm).
[7] See: unglobalcompact.org.
[8] Including individuals, NGOs, academics, professional associations, unions, ethnic or religious associations/groups, or other informal community groups, contributing to the common public good
[9] See New Directions for Resettlement Policy and Practice, EC/51/SC/INF.2.
[10] See Note on International Protection, A/AC.96/930.
[11] Phare originally stands for Poland and Hungary Assistance for Reconstruction of Economy.
[12] Joint Support Programme on the Application of the EU Acquis on Asylum and related Standards and Practices in the Associated Countries of Central Europe and the Baltics.
[13] EU programme for Assistance, Reconstruction, Development and Stabilization in South Eastern Europe and Europe, aiming at post-conflict recovery, reform, political and economic stability.
[14] See unhcr-50.org.
[15] idem
[16] For further information, contact UNHCR’ s Public Affairs Unit (montecal@unhcr.ch), or visit UNHCR’s public website