Asylumseekers and refugees's topics - tribe.net

World Refugee Day

2008-06-21T06:16:15Z

Hello everybody,

Hardly any activities here lately for various reaons as far as I'm concerned: I was very busy looking for a new job, have found it, survived the probation/adaptation period and am now enjoying what it takes and offers. I was also expecting the other members would knock on the door more often since a tribe is a collective endeavour and the doors are, of course, wide open.

To the point now: June 20th, today where I live, is the World Refugee Day (WRD). Since this is an international event, I lpractically limited myself to the weal and woe sourced by UNHCR and here are a few relevant articles and activities:

1. News: www.unhcr.org/news.html

2. Activities including Darfur on Trafalgar Squre in London, pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter etc: www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/WRD

3. Cyclone in Myanmar (Burma). Check out the related stories on the right side: www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/48242c4f4.html

- Photogallery Myanmar: www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/photos

- Red Cross site on the cyclone in Mynamar: www.ifrc.org/what/disast...is/index.asp

4. Tour a refugee camp in your home with Google Earth:
http://www.unhcr.org/events/47f48dc92.html

5. Learn about the real lives of refugees – through their eyes:
http://share.ovi.com/channel/PangeaDay.refugee?sort=5

6. Basic general facts and figures about refugees worldwide: www.unhcr.org/basics.html

7. How to help via UNHCR: www.unhcr.org/help.html

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Articles

2007-02-24T15:06:53Z

Hello everybody,

Hope you're all doing alright. The tribe has lately been hibernating. For my part, I'v been too busy learning some survival and enjoyable skills from a punch of polar bears and this may be the case for all of us. How about knocking on the door occasionally ? The friendly ursus maritimus are now my guests and they may give you a hot, delicious cup of thea; with a wide smile! They've learnt that from me; I should somehow pay them back, shouldn't I?! Post anything related!. Thanks!

1. Dozens of nations at Paris conference pledge not to use child soldiers
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=1e0360a1-6ecc-40b9-9cbe-533daf151ad2&k=28367

2. 100, 000 Bhutanese refugees in Nepal: Impasse In Changed Context
http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=13301

3. New Dutch cabinet moves on asylum seekers
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2007/02/new_cabinet_moves_on_asylum_se.php

4. Iraqi War Refugees: Millions of Iraqis Flee The Violence
http://www.voanews.com/english/NewsAnalysis/2007-02-23-voa39.cfm

Ther are also audio clips on the website.

5. Angolan refugees boost agriculture for camp and their Zambian hosts
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45dda2414.html

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Multi award-winning documentary: Refugee All Stars Band

2007-02-24T14:42:05Z

- The documentary: http://refugeeallstars.org/v3/index.html

- Website on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/therefugeeallstars

- Refugee musicians' story wins 'Best Documentary' in L.A. film festival
www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/437a19784.html

-----------------------------------

Background article: Refugee All Stars remember their roots as they start to hit the big time

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 5 (UNHCR) The Refugee All Stars are in great demand these days, but the group of Sierra Leonean musicians had not forgotten their pasts when they kicked off a small European tour in London this week.

"We're at our happiest when we're performing in front of a crowd. Our goal is not just to entertain, but also to educate. We want to tell people our story and the story of other millions of refugees around the world," lead vocalist Reuben M. Koroma told UNHCR before Monday's concert at the Carling Academy Islington.

That same night the group's appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, a bellwether for success in the entertainment world, was aired. They played a song from their new CD and discussed their flight from the bloody conflict in Sierra Leone, which only ended in 2002.
The Refugee All Stars have also recently supported the legendary American rockers, Aerosmith, while another of their songs – "Ankala" – is featured in the Leonardo di Caprio movie, "Blood Diamond," which opens later this week. A documentary about the group – formally known as Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars – continues to pick up awards and pack in audiences in Europe and America.

Monday's concert was an opportunity to bask in the music – an African version of reggae and rap – and remember the millions of refugees who still suffer as the All Stars once did. The audience of around 100 people danced in the aisles during most of the energetic two-hour set, the first London gig for the band formed in a refugee camp in Guinea in the late 1990s.

Through the music, the seven touring members of the band shared their harrowing journey – from fleeing persecution to living in camps and finally going back home. They also wanted to share a message of global peace – and to show support for UNHCR's Ninemillion.org campaign.

UNHCR staff were present at the concert to help raise awareness of the campaign, which aims to give refugee children greater access to education and sports programmes. The agency volunteers distributed magazines and postcards, and collected donations. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars are strong supporters of the campaign, which was launched last June with backing from UNHCR corporate partners, Microsoft and Nike.
Ninemillion.org is UNHCR's entry point to the public at large as it creates an emotional connection between the world and refugees. The campaign is about putting a face on real people: the refugee children. The campaign is UNHCR's first initiative to raise awareness for the refugee cause via the web.

The Refugee All Stars announced on November 9 that they were committing themselves to helping the campaign. The band will use their new album, "Living like a Refugee," and the documentary to raise awareness and funds.

"In the refugee camps we found the most traumatised youth – those who had lost family, had been maimed, or had been taken as child combatants – and we focused on helping them," Koroma said in November. "In addition to music and theatre, we had the greatest success in helping them achieve a sense of normalcy through sports and basic schooling."
He said the band hoped that "Ninemillion.org can expand on these efforts to reach the millions of youth still in need."

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars play in Amsterdam on Tuesday; Gent in Belgium on Wednesday; Paris on Thursday and Rennes in France on Friday.

By Karen Wagstaff
In London, UK

Source: http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4575b1742.html

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Child refugees: ninemillion.org

2007-02-24T14:29:34Z

Nine million children are refugees right now.

Ninemillion.org is a UN Refugee Agency led campaign to raise awareness and funds for education and sport programs for refugee youth, many of whom are forced to spend years of their young lives away from home with little hope of returning. What happens to them now, during their years as refugees, is up to all of us.

Enter the site and meet some of the children who are living in refugee camps around the world today. Be inspired by their hope, and join the ninemillion.org movement.

http://www.ninemillion.org/

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I joined two organizations

2006-12-25T07:43:21Z

I think

They will help integration better then our current Dutch government.

The Foundation for Refugee Students UAF
http://www.uaf.nl/uaf/pagina.asp?pagnaam=english

The Dutch Council for Refugees
http://www.vluchtelingenwerk.nl/46-Home.html

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Iraqi Refugees

2006-12-15T03:06:41Z

Has anyone received or knows where to find the latest statistics on Iraqi refugees fleeing their country? I know that hundreds have ended up in Syria.

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Verdonk deal ‘a victory for parliament’

2006-12-14T11:39:24Z

Thursday 14 December 2006

The left-wing parties who forced a political crisis with a motion of censure against hardline immigration minister Rita Verdonk have generally reacted positively to the cabinet’s compromise, announced just after midnight. Parliament will debate the deal with prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende later this morning.

In the Volkskrant, Labour (PvdA) leader Wouter Bos called the decision ‘a victory for parliament’. GreenLeft’s Femke Halsema said it was good news that an end had come to Verdonk’s hard line approach on asylum seekers. However, the compromise reached was ‘completely crazy’, she said.

Socialist leader Jan Marijnissen told the paper that the cabinet has made a ‘substantial’ move to meet the wishes of parliament, but he too called the compromise a ‘curious solution’.

Under the compromise announced by Christian Democrat prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende, there will be no more deportations of asylum seekers who have been in the country for over five years and have children, until a new government has been formed.
Despite widespread expectation that Verdonk would resign, the minister and the rest of the Liberal (VVD) cabinet will remain in office but Verdonk will no longer be responsible for asylum policy.

Source: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2006/12/verdonk_deal_a_victory_for_par.php

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Compromise on asylum seekers, no resignations

2006-12-14T11:28:53Z

Thursday 14 December 2006

After a crisis meeting of almost 12 hours, a compromise has been found to solve the stalemate between the cabinet and MPs over the question of long-term asylum seekers. Despite Tuesday’s censure motion against her, the hard line immigration minister Rita Verdonk is to remain in the cabinet. And long-term asylum seekers with children will not be deported.

Verdonk will, however, hand over her asylum portfolio to justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin. Verdonk told the media that she does not want to take responsibility for the compromise reached between her Liberal (VVD) party and its coalition partner, the Christian Democrats.

The CDA and VVD currently form a minority caretaker government following November’s election.

After what many political insiders described as a contentious meeting between CDA and VVD ministers which went on until midnight, prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende said his party was prepared to go some way to meet the wishes of parliament.

The cabinet will suspend the deportation of asylum seekers who have been in the country for over five years if there are humanitarian grounds for doing so. This would apply in particular to families with children, he told MPs.

The VVD ministers remain opposed to the compromise but said they would not resign ‘for the sake of the country’. Their withdrawal from the government would lead to a new crisis and further political instability.

Gerrit Zalm, the VVD deputy prime minister said his ministers had decided to remain in the cabinet ‘with pain in their hearts’ and called it a ‘black day’.

MPs passed a motion of censure against Verdonk on Tuesday after she said she would resume deporting failed asylum seekers, against the wishes of a parliamentary majority.

Balkenende and Hirsch Ballin are due to debate the cabinet’s compromise with parliament later this morning.

Source: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2006/12/compromise_over_asylum_seekers.php

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Chaos after Dutch cabinet and parliament clash over asylumseekers

2006-12-14T09:29:25Z

Dutch politics has been left in chaos after a night of high drama in parliament. It's now expected that hard-line Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk will resign later today after a motion dismissing her policy was passed. This followed a tense debate on asylum seekers in which the minister repeatedly clashed with other politicians. She made it clear she was not going to continue with the temporary stop she had introduced two weeks ago on the deportation of failed asylum seekers who've been in the country for more than five years.

The motion dismissing the minister and her policy was passed in the early hours of the morning after a gruelling debate. A refusal by Minister Verdonk to give an assurance that no asylum seekers from the group would be deported for 24 hours whilst further consultations were held, infuriated many members of parliament and sparked the motion dismissing the minister's policy. Labour Party MP Frans Timmermans has the following to say:

"She refused on two accounts to do what the majority in parliament want. Parliament was very lenient and said, 'well, we'll wait 24 hours,' but she didn't even want to do that. At a certain stage it becomes a clear issue of whether parliament allows a minister to just refuse to do anything parliament says or decides to say 'well, minister, if you don't want to do what we ask you to, then please leave'."

The issue of failed asylum seekers who've remained in the country for a relatively long time is a hugely emotive one in the Netherlands. Left-wing parties have campaigned for this group to be allowed to stay in the country ever since Rita Verdonk announced her hard-line policy, saying there would be no amnesty for them, back in 2003.

New parliament, new motions

Following the elections on November 22, there's now a new left wing majority in parliament. Since the new parliament came into session it has been passing motions to introduce a new policy in regard to these long-term asylum seekers. Parliament wants to call a complete halt to the deportation of these people - who originally numbered some 26,000 individuals - until new legislation can be drawn up which will grant them an amnesty, or general pardon as it's known in Dutch. For Ms Verdonk, however, this halt to the deportation programme is no longer acceptable, and she commented:

"The policy of the cabinet is clear: there will be no general pardon. And this motion in fact amounts to a general pardon."
Ms Verdonk has the backing of the current cabinet and this is making the clash between her and parliament even more of a problem.

One-party cabinet?
The other ministers from her party - the right-wing VVD - have threatened to resign too. This would leave the Christian Democrat CDA party of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende as the only one still in the cabinet. The original coalition was made up of three parties. Political observers say the situation is unique, some are even calling it surreal.

Another complicating factor is that the current cabinet is an outgoing one. Negotiations are underway to try and find a new coalition following the elections three weeks ago. In this outgoing or 'caretaker' capacity the cabinet has to avoid introducing new legislation, and the two parties that make up the cabinet have been using this argument to say that it can't accept the new motion of parliament on the long-term asylum seekers.

Ministers will meet later on Wednesday afternoon to discuss where to go from here, but it looks certain that Ms Verdonk will have to resign -whether her fellow VVD ministers will go with her remains to be seen.

Source: http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/ned061213mc

Check also this page for an anecdotal stroy: http://www.radionetherlands.nl/features/dutchhorizons/criticaleye/061208ce

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Darfur diaries (book and documentary)

2006-12-07T11:57:54Z

http://www.darfurdiaries.org/thefilm.html
(QuickTime player required)

Synopsis: In October, 2004 a team of three independent filmmakers – Aisha Bain, Jen Marlowe and Adam Shapiro – left for Darfur, Sudan and eastern Chad. After monitoring the worsening political and humanitarian crisis for months and recognizing that the mainstream media offered marginal and inadequate coverage, the team set out with the goal of providing a platform for the people of Darfur (both those displaced inside Darfur and those living in refugee camps in Chad) to speak for themselves about their experiences, their fears, and their hopes for the future. The conflict serves as the ongoing narrative in the film, but the focus is on the people who are living through what has been termed a “genocide.” Through the voices of refugees, displaced persons, and in particular women and children, who are always among the most vulnerable in any conflict situation, this film seeks to provide space for the marginalized victims of atrocities to speak and to engage with the world. Additionally, the film probes the history, culture and heritage of Darfur as a means of deepening understanding of the crisis and complicating easily assumed perceptions by which the conflict is often portrayed (such as a matter of race, ethnicity or religion).

The film presents the Darfurians the filmmakers met (refugees and displaced peoples, civilians and fighters resisting the Sudanese government, child soldiers, teachers, students, parents, children and community leaders) as a people with full lives, culture, and heritage--people with homes that they desperately want to return back to, people undergoing traumatic loss but who demonstrate inspiring strength and resilience, and people whose lives, homes, safety and rights deserve to be protected vigilantly as a fundamental human right.

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U.S. fails to protect asylum-seekers, group says

2006-12-07T11:55:23Z

Wed. Dec. 6 2006

Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- A Canadian refugee group says the United States is no longer a safe haven for people who need protection, accusing Washington of flouting international rules against torture.

In a report Wednesday, the Canadian Council for Refugees calls on the federal cabinet to pull the U.S. from its list of safe countries. Canada has struck a deal with the Americans known as the safe third-country agreement.

It means Canada can turn back potential refugees at the Canada-U.S. border on the basis they must pursue their claims in the U.S., the country where they first landed.

The report, however, says 2005 changes to American legislation have made it significantly more difficult for asylum-seekers to win protection.

Janet Dench, the refugee council's executive director, said there is also "damning evidence" the U.S. is routinely flouting the international Convention Against Torture.

"The situation in the United States is cause for very serious concern."
The report points to U.S. President George W. Bush's recent confirmation of the existence of CIA-run detention facilities for terrorism suspects.

"The secret nature of these facilities, combined with the testimony of detainees, make it likely that torture and inhuman and degrading treatment are part of both the conditions of detention and the interrogation practices," the report says.

It also underscores the case of Canadian Maher Arar, whom the U.S. sent to Syria where he was subsequently tortured.

The U.S. government maintains its immigration service was satisfied Arar would not be tortured, apparently because of an assurance from Syrian authorities.

The refugee council's report says Syria's reputation for human rights abuses was well-established at the time of Arar's deportation, and notes the U.S. State Department had cited credible evidence of torture by Syrian security forces.

A Canadian Immigration Department spokesman was not immediately available to comment on the report.

Source: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061206/asylum_seekers_061206/20061206?hub=Canada

Media release CCR : http://www.web.net/~ccr/releaselesssafedec06.html

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Warning over spiralling Iraq refugee crisis

2006-12-07T11:54:13Z

Matt Weaver and agencies
Thursday December 7, 2006
Guardian Unlimited

The surging violence in Iraq has created what is becoming the biggest refugee crisis in the world, a humanitarian group said today.

A report (pdf) by Washington-based Refugees International said an influx of Iraqis threatened to overwhelm other Middle Eastern countries, particularly Syria, Jordon and Lebanon.

Last month, the UN estimated that 100,000 people were fleeing the country each month, with the number of Iraqis now living in other Arab countries standing at 1.8 million..

Today's report came as George Bush and Tony Blair were due to discuss the situation in Iraq, which the bipartisan Iraq Study Group yesterday described as "grave and deteriorating".

Refugees International said the acceleration in the numbers fleeing Iraq meant it could soon overtake the refugee crisis in Darfur.

"We're not saying it's the largest [refugee crisis], but it's quickly becoming the largest," spokeswoman Kristele Younes said. "The numbers are very, very scary."

Ms Younes said the most pressing concern was to prevent other countries from sending Iraqis back to the violence that had forced them to flee their homeland.

The report revealed Iraqi refugees were facing tough restrictions in other Arab countries, preventing them from finding work or gaining access to healthcare and other public services.

Jordan has all but closed the door to Iraqis, and has stopped renewing residency permits for the approximately 500,000 already there.

The kingdom's restrictions have made Syria - which does not require entry visas from Arabs - the leading destination for refugees from Iraq, with around 2,000 entering the country each day, the UN said.

Refugees International called on the west to "lead an international initiative to support Middle Eastern countries hosting Iraqi civilians".

"The United States and its allies sparked the current chaos in Iraq, but they are doing little to ease the humanitarian crisis caused by the current exodus," Kenneth Bacon, the organisation's president, said.

The US State department claimed Washington had funded programme to help "the most vulnerable Iraqis" in Jordan and Syrian, and planned to expand that next year.

"Iraq's neighbours have showed great generosity in permitting significant numbers of Iraqis to enter and remain, and we continue to call on them to provide temporary asylum," a spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, Mr Bush's chief spokesman, Tony Snow, yesterday suggested a new US strategy for Iraq could be revealed in the next few weeks.

Appearing on CNN's Larry King Live, he said: "Maybe by the end of the year, the president can announce a new way forward."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1966333,00.html

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Migration Map

2006-12-06T13:01:00Z

http://www.migrationinformation.org/wmm/europe.cfm#

This map is interesting and the whole Website is a tremendous source for information.

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U.N.: 100,000 Iraq Refugees Flee Monthly

2006-11-04T21:00:42Z

By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS
Associated Press Writer

Nov 3, 2006

GENEVA (AP) -- Nearly 100,000 Iraqis are fleeing each month to Syria and Jordan, forcing the United Nations to set aside its goal of helping refugees return home after the U.S.-led invasion, officials said Friday.

Instead, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has drawn up plans to deal with the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who are desperate to escape the violence, chief spokesman Ron Redmond said.

"Much of our work in the three years since the fall of the previous regime was based on the assumption that the domestic situation would stabilize and hundreds of thousands of previously displaced Iraqis would be able to go home," Redmond said. "Now, however, we're seeing more and more displacement linked to the continuing violence."

It has been impossible to obtain accurate totals on the numbers of refugees because few Iraqis are registering with UNHCR, and most are being cared for by host families or charitable organizations, he said.

The U.N. agency has been counting those entering Syria in recent months, however, and has found an average of 2,000 a day leaving Iraq by that route.

The outflow of refugees caught the agency by surprise because it was hard to detect.

"If people flee to camps, it's quite visible," Redmond said. "This is a steady stream of people now who are leaving."

The Jordanian government says another 1,000 a day are entering Jordan, he said.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said he couldn't comment on whether the figures were accurate.

"Obviously there has been some level of violence in Baghdad and it's natural that you would expect some people to leave," Fratto said. "But we're going to continue to work to bring down violence so that Iraqis can stay there and stay in a free country and a free democracy."

Redmond said almost all the refugees are believed to be staying in Syria and Jordan, but that a few are returning to Iraq and still others are going to other countries. He noted that Iraqis were the leading nationality seeking asylum in Europe in the first half of this year, with 8,100 applying - a 50 percent increase over the year-earlier period.

Figures were unavailable for arrivals in other neighboring countries, but the agency says an additional 50,000 Iraqis a month are fleeing their homes but remaining within Iraq, which classifies them as "internally displaced" rather than as refugees who have crossed an international border.

"We've got a displacement crisis under way here, and the international community needs to do more to chip in to support the humanitarian needs of these people," Redmond said.

The influx has been driving up prices in Syria and Jordan for housing, food and other commodities, Redmond said.

UNHCR estimates that 425,000 Iraqis have been displaced this year alone, largely due to sectarian violence sparked by the bombing of an important Shiite shrine in the city of Samarra in February,

Redmond recalled that, before the 2003 invasion, UNHCR had made contingency plans for 600,000 refugees and displaced people, and had a budget of $154 million. But there was no mass exodus in the beginning, and UNHCR has long since scaled back to $29 million.

UNHCR now estimates that 1.8 million Iraqis are living in neighboring countries and 1.6 million are displaced internally, but those numbers include many who fled during the 1990s, long before the invasion, Redmond said. As of July, Iraq's population was estimated at 26.7 million.

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_REFUGEES_IRAQ?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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REBUILDING LIVES IN AFGHANISTAN

2006-11-04T11:38:54Z

More than 4.5 million Afghans have returned to their homeland since the end of 2001, when the Bonn Agreement set Afghanistan on the long and bumpy road to political stability and socio-economic development. UNHCR has been part of that process since the beginning, with staff and offices all around Afghanistan to assist the millions displaced by decades of strife and war.

In 2002 alone, more than 2 million Afghan people – refugees and families who had been forced to move within Afghanistan – returned home. Since then, a steady stream of people have made their way back from Pakistan and Iran to establish themselves in the new Afghanistan.

The journey home is just the beginning. Once inside Afghanistan, returning families face the daunting prospect of having to rebuild not just their lives, but also their country's future.

The Bonn process was completed with the holding of parliamentary and provincial elections last September and the opening of parliament on December 19, 2005. Despite the successful political transition, longer-term efforts to rebuild state institutions and to tackle the security situation require the continued strong engagement of the international community. This was pledged in the Afghanistan Compact launched in London in January.

The serious housing shortage that affects parts of Afghanistan, especially in the cities, is of great concern to all Afghans, and especially to those who have just arrived back in the country. UNHCR, in cooperation with partner agencies and the Afghan authorities, has helped build almost 150,000 shelters since 2002, providing homes for more than 750,000 individuals. In 2005, UNHCR allocated some USD 14 million to finance the construction of another 23,000 shelters.

Job prospects in the cities are slowly improving, but poverty remains a problem in many rural areas. UNHCR works with the government to make sure that areas where returnees live are included in national development plans and runs its own cash-for-work and training programmes to help returnees get a fresh start.

Continuing insecurity remains a problem for communities, returnees and those striving to help them. The situation is particularly volatile in the south, south-east and east. This is a key concern for refugees in Iran and Pakistan who are considering coming home.

The voluntary repatriation programmes from Iran and Pakistan are governed by tripartite agreements, which end by 2007 for Pakistan and in March 2007 for Iran. Looking to the future, UNHCR is working with the governments of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan to find comprehensive regional solutions for Afghans who may choose not to repatriate.

More on: http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/afghan?page=intro

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The Shock Effect

2006-10-14T01:46:17Z

How things get presented is enormously important; that's why public relations is such a lucrative business. The recent The New Yorker had a big ad campaign for the Gap Red http://www.gap.com/browse/home.do?cid=16591. Perhaps my problem is never having been in a The Gap store before. And somehow the idea of "clothing designed to help eliminate AIDS in Africa" struck me a little odd. Well, at least I would like it more if the clothing was made in Africa. I think it's basically a good thing when people use their fame to draw attention to important causes, but sometimes the effect on me is baffling. Some have labeled the pictures of starving children as "development porn." Somehow the fashion plate pictures and "development porn" are numbing to me. Maybe I'm unusual in that, still neither really promotes empathy in out shared humanity.

This post is great http://www.droppingknowledge.org/web/thedrop/2006/10/12/the-shock-effect-and-public-awareness/ in no small part because of the cool links. Click on all of them if you've got the time, especially Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City http://www.refugeecamp.org/ What's so effective is the presentation puts you in the position of making decisions that refugees must make. In a short presentation genuine understanding can be had. Ah and then the best part is having gone through that to see suggestions of what you can do.

None of us are helpless to help others: the hard part is figuring out how. I wouldn't mind having a The Gap red hoodie, but I'm not going to pay $60 for a sweatshirt. I'm happy someone will. But the Doctors Without Border's presentation seems a lot more worthwhile.

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International Crisis Group urges tough sanctions over Darfur

2006-10-12T11:41:56Z

Getting the UN into Darfur

Nairobi/Brussels, 12 October 2006: With Khartoum continuing to reject the expanded UN mission in Darfur, the international community must take strong economic and legal, and some new military measures to change the regime’s calculation of the costs of non-cooperation.

Getting the UN into Darfur,* the latest policy briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines ways out of the impasse over deploying a major UN peacekeeping force. Pressure on the ruling National Congress Party should include targeted sanctions on key regime figures, an investigation into the offshore accounts of its businesses, encouraging divestment campaigns, some measures against the petroleum sector, maintaining the threat of International Criminal Court prosecutions for atrocity crimes, and moving to enforce a no-fly zone over Darfur.

“There is a third way between the current approach of gentle persuasion and a full-scale, non-consensual military intervention”, says John Prendergast, Crisis Group Senior Adviser. “We need a series of economic, legal and more limited military measures that impose a cost on regime officials responsible for continuing the destruction and blocking the UN force”.

On 31 August, Security Council Resolution 1706 authorised a UN mission of at least 20,600 troops and police to deploy to Darfur with a Chapter VII mandate allowing the protective use of forceSudan’s consent for this deployment, which would replace the over-stretched African Union (AU) force, is only “invited” not required, but troop contributing countries are unwilling to take part if Khartoum does not agree.

Getting Khartoum to agree means upping the international pressure with four measures:

applying targeted sanctions, such as asset freezes and travel bans, to key NCP leaders who have already been identified by UN-sponsored investigations as responsible for atrocities in Darfur, and encouraging divestment campaigns;
authorising through the Security Council a forensic accounting firm or a panel of experts to investigate the offshore accounts of the NCP and NCP-affiliated businesses so as to pave the way for economic sanctions against the regime’s commercial entities;
exploring sanctions on aspects of Sudan’s petroleum sector, to include at least bars on investment and provision of technical equipment and expertise ; and
planning to enforce a no-fly zone over Darfur by French and U.S. assets in the region, with NATO support; obtaining Chad’s consent to a rapid-reaction force on its Sudan border; and, if everything else fails to change government policies and the situation worsens, contingency planning for non-consensual deployment of 40,000 to 50,000 peace enforcers to Darfur.

The U.S., UN, AU and European Union, should act together to the greatest extent possible but as necessary in smaller constellations and even unilaterally.

“Strengthening the AU is not a long-term solution. Non-consensual deployment criteria are not yet met – there remain steps to try, and it would be desperately difficult, risking making matters for civilians even worse”, says David Mozersky, Horn of Africa Project Director. “But if the situation continues to deteriorate, and the NCP still refuses UN peacekeepers, there may be no other way”.

Source: International Crisis Group
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4442&l=1&m=1

The whole document is available on:
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4442&l=1

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Almost 1 million Afghan refugees in Iran hoping to return home

2006-10-12T11:10:57Z

Tripartite meeting agrees to look at new ways to encourage returns from Iran

GENEVA, October 10 (UNHCR) – Iran, Afghanistan and UNHCR on Tuesday wrapped up a two-day meeting on voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan with agreement to look at new ways to encourage refugees to return home amid falling numbers of returnees from Iran.

The participants at the 11th Tripartite Commission meeting in Geneva also agreed to look more closely at the circumstances of the estimated 920,000 Afghans remaining in neighbouring Iran.

High Commissioner António Guterres, presiding over Monday's opening with Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi and Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Mohammad Akbar Akbar, noted that repatriation to Afghanistan had slowed down significantly this year after four years of unprecedented return figures.

"We remain committed to making return and reintegration of Afghanistan sustainable, but we must also be realistic in our expectations. Afghanistan still faces many difficulties. Moreover, the majority of the remaining 920,000 Afghans in Iran have been there 20 years or more. We must look more closely into their conditions and their situation to understand how best to support voluntary repatriation in future," he said.

Noting new political challenges in the region, the High Commissioner also reassured his counterparts of UNHCR's continuing engagement. He expressed his satisfaction at the good relations between Afghanistan and Iran and the constructive role that these would play in finding practical solutions to the longstanding refugee situation and issues such as irregular migration.

Pour-Mohammadi also noted the falling return figures over the past year. "Given the fact that we still have nearly one million registered Afghans in Iran, we need to reinforce and strengthen progress towards the repatriation and reintegration objectives agreed within the Tripartite Commission," he said.

He urged the international community "to live up to its promises of investing in the reconstruction of Afghanistan" so as to enhance the prospects for higher return figures in the future.

High Commissioner Guterres and Iran's Pour-Mohammadi also held separate bilateral talks on repatriation challenges, reintegration needs inside Afghanistan, protection concerns, and assistance interventions.

In a statement issued after this meeting, the two sides agreed to jointly look at ways to "mobilise additional financial assistance for enhancing voluntary repatriation and reintegration in Afghanistan and for providing essential assistance to the remaining registered Afghan refugees and displaced persons in Iran, in particular the most vulnerable." They also pledged to intensify high-level consultations, including Afghanistan.

An agreement was signed for joint assistance projects aimed at improving skills through vocational training programmes and providing education and medical assistance for the remaining registered Afghans in Iran.

"This joint project, as well as other initiatives undertaken bilaterally by the presidents of Iran and Afghanistan – which allow skilled Afghans to return while their families can stay legally in Iran for a certain period of time – are excellent examples of how both countries are adapting to new challenges," said Guterres. "These initiatives . . . will allow some to plan their future better and make voluntary returns more sustainable."

Aside from the 920,000 registered Afghan refugees, Iran also hosts 54,000 Iraqis. Since 2002 more than 1.5 million Afghans have returned home from Iran, 850,000 with UNHCR's assistance. An additional 200,000 Iraqis have also been repatriated since the 2003 change of regime in Iraq. This year's assisted returns from Iran have been the lowest in years – just over 4,500 by September. Some 155,000 Afghans have returned home spontaneously outside the voluntary repatriation framework.

By Astrid van Genderen Stort
In Geneva

Source: www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/452bc9da2.html

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UNHCR Ambassador Angelina Jolie slams West for barring refugees

2006-10-12T11:07:03Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - Hollywood star Angelina Jolie on Tuesday accused the West of cold-heartedness and hypocrisy in trying to shut out migrants, including refugees, from Africa and other hotspots.

More than 7,000 people have died trying to get into Europe over the past decade, according to Jolie, whose comments appeared in the magazine "Refugees", published by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for whom she is a goodwill ambassador.
She expressed outrage at a photo which appeared recently in the quarterly magazine, taken on an unidentified Mediterranean beach in Spain in 2002, which showed a couple relaxing under an umbrella not far from the washed-up corpse of a black man.

"We'll never know who he was or why he ended up there and the couple on the beach apparently couldn't care less," Jolie wrote. "Someone's son, someone's brother, or someone's loved one. In fact, you or me, if we had been born at another time, or in another place."

Jolie, who has been to more than 20 countries since becoming a UNHCR goodwill ambassador five years ago, said it was a scandal that such a rich world was not feeding all people in refugee camps, especially in Africa.

Many would-be refugees fell into the hands of unscrupulous smugglers "who push them into overcrowded boats or hide them in the backs of containers, or tell them to walk across minefields or scale barbed wire fences in the middle of the night".

"Many have also died trying to get into the United States and Australia. But we don't notice," wrote the Oscar-winning actress, who is filming in India.

Ignoring simmering conflicts had proven damaging and expensive, she said, citing Bosnia, Rwanda and Afghanistan.

"I have been to some of these countries, or to their neighbours, where most of the refugees remain," said Jolie.

"It is a truly humbling experience, a shocking eye-opener. It has made me realise that we are all -- myself included -- behaving like the couple sitting under their umbrella on the beach, gazing studiously out to sea," she said.

Source: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?storyid=2006-10-10T163843Z_01_L10576418_RTRUKOC_0_UK-UN-REFUGEES-JOLIE.xml&type=worldNews&WTmodLoc=World-C3-More-8

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Colombian asylum seekers face documentation limbo in Venezuela

2006-10-12T11:04:00Z

APURE STATE, Venezuela, October 11 (UNHCR) – Dozens of little villages and settlements lie along the banks of the Arauca River in the Venezuelan state of Apure, one of the poorest and least developed in the oil-rich country. Among the local population, which subsists on fishing and small-scale farming, are many Colombians who have crossed the river to escape the violence in their country.

Venezuela has long been a land of asylum and it has always been generous in its welcome – Colombians in need of assistance, for example, are allowed to work and have access to the health and education systems. But it can take a long time before asylum seekers get proper documentation – a problem the UN refugee agency is trying to address.
"We are working with the authorities to speed up the process of screening asylum claims and issuing documentation to asylum seekers," said John Fredrikson, UNHCR representative in Venezuela. "It is a huge task, but it is also an extremely important one," he added.

The case of 22-year-old Gustavo highlights the difficulties that Colombians face. He and his family arrived in Apure four years ago after one of the irregular armed groups active in Colombia had tried to forcibly recruit Gustavo. The young man still feels guilty that his family had to leave everything behind because of him.

"The worst thing at the time was that we had to flee the week before Christmas and, since then, every Christmas we remember what happened," he said. "But you have to keep looking forward. It's hard enough sometimes, but if you keep looking back, it becomes impossible to move on."

Gustavo has moved on. Thanks to Venezuela's generous policies, he has been able to take advantage of a free secondary education in Apure. He is a good student, so good that he was selected last year for a scholarship to study medicine in Cuba. It was a proud moment for him and his family. Unfortunately, after months of legal wrangling, Gustavo could not go.

Although Gustavo and his family registered as asylum seekers with the Venezuelan authorities in 2003, his case has still not been decided and he has not been issued with any document to legalise his presence in the country. Without such a document, and despite UNHCR's intervention, he was unable to travel to Cuba.

For 26-year old Diña, who arrived from Arauca in north-eastern Colombia five months ago, the lack of proper documentation became a serious issue when she was about to give birth, The child was very big and in the wrong position so Diña and her husband travelled to the small town of Guasdualito to check into the local clinic. But troops at a checkpoint on the edge of town would not let her pass because she did not have a Venezuelan document.
Alerted by a Colombian neighbour, the local UNHCR team came to visit Diña the following day. Although still worried about giving birth on her own, it was concern over her eight-year old boy that brought her to tears on that day.

"We had to leave him behind when we fled Colombia because we didn't know what we would find here," she says. "He is with my husband's parents and I know that for now that is the best place for him. But it is hard, so hard. I have been thinking about him all the time since we've been here."

Diña agreed to travel with the UNHCR team the following morning, when her husband could accompany her. But when the team came back, Diña had already given birth to a healthy girl she called Patrizia – a happy chapter in an otherwise bleak story for the young woman.

Marie-Helene Verney
In Apure State, Venezuela

Source: http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/452d169c4.html

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United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

2006-10-01T10:11:51Z

The Convention consisting of 54 articles (15 pages) is available on:

http://www.defenceforchildren.nl/ariadne/loader.php/en/dci/eng/CRC/

See also ninemillion.org:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/partners/opendoc.htm?tbl=PARTNERS&id=4492c4e92

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Childrens’s Rights - Dutch links

2006-10-01T10:10:29Z

Geen kind in de cel :
http://www.geenkindindecel.nl/

Defence for Children :
http://www.defenceforchildren.nl/

Stichting Alleenstaande Minderjarige Asielzoekers Humanitas (SAMAH):
http://www.samah.nl/

Kindervakantieweken Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland:
http://www.vluchtelingenwerk.nl/503-Kindervakantieweken.html

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Detention of refugee children in the EU

2006-10-01T10:04:20Z

14,000 campaigners say NO to the detention of children

18 September 2006

Today, Monday 18 September 2006, the Refugee Council, Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) and Save the Children will deliver postcards to the Home Office calling for the immediate end to the detention of children.

As part of the No Place for a Child campaign run by the three organisations in partnership with the Scottish and Welsh Refugee Councils, 14,000 people signed up to oppose locking up asylum seeker and migrant children.

The cards call on the Home Secretary to stop the detention of children for immigration purposes, and to introduce alternatives to detention for these children and their families.
Maeve Sherlock, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council said:

“Nothing can justify an immigration policy that involves locking up children. All the research has shown how incredibly damaging it is for children who may already have experienced serious trauma.

“There are alternatives which have been successful in other countries. It is time to end this inhumane practice.”

Sarah Cutler, policy director of Bail for Immigration Detainees, said:
“This campaign has shown that there is public and parliamentary support for ending detention of children. We urge the government to act and to stop treating these children like criminals.”

Colette Marshall, UK Director of Save the Children, said:
“Detention is a stressful and confusing environment for children which has huge physical and psychological implications. The UK Government cannot defend a policy that has such a damaging effect on children when viable alternatives exist. These children have done nothing wrong; the Home Office cannot justify locking them up.”

Notes to editor
1. The postcards will be delivered to the Home Office, 2 Marsham Street,
London SW1P 4DF, at 2.30pm on Monday 18 September.
2. All three organisations, Refugee Council, BID and Save the Children, will be present, and spokespeople will be available for interviews.
3. The campaign was launched in March 2006, and over 150 MPs from all the major political parties have signed a motion to declare their support. Further details and case studies can be found at www.noplaceforachild.org.uk

Source: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/news/press/2006/september/20060918.htm

Check also: 17 Years and Counting, a British website containing refugeestories:
http://www.refugeestories.com/

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Essay for interested researchers: "Labelling Refugees: Forming and Transforming a Bureaucratic Identity"

2006-10-01T09:58:24Z

Labelling Refugees: Forming and Transforming a Bureaucratic Identity

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Oxford Journals, Oxford University Press is publishing a collection of 100 seminal papers selected from many of their 180 journals.

The essay entitled 'Labelling Refugees: Forming and Transforming a Bureaucratic Identity’ published in 1991 by Prof. Roger Zetter has been selected as one of the 100 seminal papers.

------------------------------------------

Journal of Refugee Studies VoL 4. No. 1 - 1991

Labelling Refugees: Forming and Transforming a Bureaucratic Identity

ROGER ZETTER*
Editor, Journal of Refugee Studies

This essay examines how and with what consequences people become labelled as refugees within the context of public policy practices. Conceptual and operational limitations to the existing definition of refugees are noted. These, the paper contends, derive from the absence of a systematic study of labelling processes in the donative policy discourse associated with refugees.

The paper outlines the conceptual tools of bureaucratic labelling - stereotyping, conformity, designation, identity disaggrcgation and political/power relationships. These tools are then deployed to analyse empirical data collected from a large refugee population in Cyprus, supplemented by selective secondary research data on various African refugee populations. The analysis proceeds in three parts. First the formation of the label is considered in which stereotyped identities are translated into bureaucratically assumed needs.

The label thus takes on a selective, materialist meaning. Alienating distinctions emerge by the creation of different categories of refugee deemed necessary to prioritize need. Next, reformation of the label is considered. The evidence shows how latent and manifest processes of institutional action and programme delivery, reinforce a disaggregated model of identity; in this case disturbing distinctions are made between refugee and non-refugee. Third, the paper considers how labels assume, often conflicting, politicized meanings, for both labelled and labellers.

The paper concludes by emphasizing: the extreme vulnerability of refugees to imposed labels; the importance of symbolic meaning; the dynamic nature of the identity; and, most fundamentally of all, the non-participatory nature and powerlessness of refugees in these processes.

'You don't feel a second class citizen except with other people - then the housing is a label' - Greek-Cypriot Refugee

Download the 23-page paper as a digital reader on:
http://fmo.qeh.ox.ac.uk/fmo/Reader/ViewDoc.asp?Path=JRS/1991/03/01&Page=41&Label=41&PrimId=Ar0790000&ZoomOn=1&Zoom=1&BookCollection=FMO&Language=English

PDF version:
http://jrs.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/4/1/39

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Burmese family resettled in canada tours their new city

2006-09-15T10:23:03Z

By Sharon Boase
The Hamilton Spectator
(Sep 14, 2006)

His own life has been so fraught with difficulty and strife that Ler Moo Hsa never let an opportunity go by that might improve the fortunes of his wife and four youngsters.

An orphan from the age of four, Hsa (pronounced "Saw") had to flee his native Burmese village as a young man when a major offensive was launched by the Burmese army, driving thousands of ethnic minority Karen people to refugee camps over the Thai border.

The whole story on:
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1158184239318&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1014656511815

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Afghan returnees hope for sweet returns from buzzing business

2006-09-15T10:05:58Z

BEHSUD, Afghanistan, September 5 (UNHCR) – If there's one area in Afghanistan's patriarchal society where females are valued highly, it is beekeeping. That seems apt considering that the female bee dominates the hive – a fact which may have surprised some 30 male students listening intently to a recent lecture by agronomist Abdullah Ahad Qarashi in this eastern district.

Read more on:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/opendoc.htm?tbl=NEWS&id=44fda9262

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Somali Refugees' Hopes Dwindle for Return to War-Ravaged Homeland

2006-09-15T10:02:40Z

By Nico Gnecchi
Dadaab, Kenya
14 September 2006

The recent takeover of much of southern Somalia by the Islamic courts has cast a shadow on some Somali refugees heading home. New arrivals keep surging across the border, and more than 21,000 so far this year have crossed into Kenya. Nico Gnecchi reports from Dadaab, near the Somali border in northeastern Kenya.

Read more and listen to the report on:
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-14-voa35.cfm

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Targeting Refugees and Human Rights Workers in Colombia

2006-09-15T10:01:15Z

"Police Ripped Children from the Arms of Their Parents"

By MARY TURK
September 14, 2006

The four international observers came to watch and film as displaced Colombian families occupied an abandoned, government-owned slaughterhouse. Instead, they were seized and taken away by police, accused of organizing the peaceful protest and paraded before television news cameras. Eleven hours later, the Spanish, Italian and U.S. citizens were released, with police officials warning that their "life histories were being analyzed to proceed with their deportation."

Whole article on:
http://www.counterpunch.org/turck09142006.html

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Reflink: Portal for research and information

2006-09-02T13:46:11Z

Reflink is a reference portal of selected information sources dealing with refugee, asylum, human rights and related topics. A compilation of some 300 links to generally regarded "reliable" internet sources, Reflink has been compiled and thematically organized to facilitate research and information searching on topics related to refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR.

All the links are on:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/reflink

posted in Asylumseekers and refugees - 2 replies

Web videos and photo galleries

2006-09-01T10:24:40Z

Plug in to refugee experiences through photo galleries, web videos and downloadable screensavers for your PC. Updated regularly.

Videos:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/template?page=home&src=static/webvideos.htm

Photos:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/template?page=home&src=static/photosets.htm

posted in Asylumseekers and refugees - 0 replies

Acclaimed concert DVD "Voices for Darfur" released

2006-07-25T04:09:56Z

In December 2004, some of the music industry's most illustrious artists joined up with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at London's Royal Albert Hall for a special concert to raise funds for the victims of the conflict in Darfur.

Now, EMI has released the DVD of the concert, the proceeds of which will also go to support the UN refugee agency's work in Darfur and Chad. The DVD features additional exclusive songs by Sade, David Gray and Franz Ferdinand, as well as backstage footage from the concert, and is already attracting some high praise from music critics.

Read more including reviews on:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/events?id=%204337e98e2

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Dr. Akio Kanai from Japan, 2006 Nansen Refugee Award winner

2006-07-25T04:07:49Z

In partnership with UNHCR, Dr. Akio Kanai has helped improve the vision of more than 100,000 refugees and displaced people over the past two decades.

Watch the video on:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/template?page=home&src=static/webvideos.htm

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Rescuing refugees in Lampedusa, Italy

2006-07-25T04:04:24Z

Asylum seekers and others try to reach Europe via Lampedusa on rickety boats.

Watch the video of a rescue on:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/template?page=home&src=static/webvideos.htm

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Precarious conditions in mountain shelters for fleeing Lebanese

2006-07-25T04:01:47Z

Conditions for fleeing Lebanese seeking refuge in the mountain areas north of Beirut are precarious, with relief supplies needed urgently to cope with the growing numbers of displaced, says the top UN refugee agency official in Lebanon. The problem is getting those supplies into the country.

See the whole story on:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/opendoc.htm?tbl=NEWS&id=44c3789f4

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ninemillion.org : Nine million children are refugees right now

2006-07-25T04:00:11Z

UNHCR launched a global campaign on World Refugee Day: ninemillion.org.

Ninemillion refugee children in the world dream of a better future. This campaign is helping these children realize their dreams by improving their lives in refugee camps through education and sport. Learning and play create stronger children. Stronger children build stronger communities.

Read the whole story on:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/partners/opendoc.htm?tbl=PARTNERS&id=4492c4e92

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20 June, International World Refugee Day

2006-06-16T12:29:31Z

Just as we make a special effort to remember our mothers on Mother's Day, we want the world's refugees to be remembered on their special day. For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own Refugee Days and even Weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on 20 June in several countries. As an expression of solidarity with Africa, which hosts the most refugees, and which traditionally has shown them great generosity, a special UN General Assembly Resolution was unanimously adopted in 2000 which designated 20 June every year as World Refugee Day.

Please visit the website:

www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/events

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High Commissioner's Statement for World Refugee Day 2006 (Video or text)

2006-06-16T12:25:55Z

You could watch the video statement here:

http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/videoConsole?file=http://www.unhcr.org/video/hc-wrd2006-eng.txt

-----------------------

Text of the High Commissioner's Statements

Geneva, 13 June 2006

Imagine what it's like to be a refugee, forced to flee persecution, civil war or violence and leaving behind everything that is there – home, family and friends. And suddenly, you find yourself in a strange land, dependent on the protection and help of others. Imagine the sense of isolation, of helplessness, of anxiety about an uncertain future.

And yet, if there is one common trait among the tens of millions of refugees that we at the UN refugee agency have helped over the past 55 years, it's the fact that despite losing everything, they never give up hope.

On this World Refugee Day of 2006, we honour refugees and displaced people all over the world who, on the strength of that hope, have overcome enormous odds to start rebuilding their lives. Each refugee has a different story, but collectively theirs is a story about the triumph of hope over despair.

And we at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees draw great inspiration from their tenacity and courage. We are often asked how we can face the grim reality of our work, year after year, without feeling discouraged. And our answer is simple: if the refugees themselves don't give up hope, how can we?

Their perseverance inspires all of us who work with them to do everything we can to find solutions so that they can get on with their lives. These solutions include voluntary repatriation back to their homeland once conditions allow, or – if this is not possible – integration in the country of first asylum or resettlement to a third country.

In turn, the prospect of such solutions enables refugees to maintain their hope for a better future. And over the past 55 years, UNHCR and its partners have helped more than 50 million uprooted people to re-start their lives – and that work continues in more than 100 countries.

But unfortunately, more than 5 million refugees have been in exile for five years or longer – and some of them for decades. Keeping their hope alive is the responsibility of everyone, including international leaders who should be doing more to resolve these situations and to address the root causes of conflict and displacement.

All of us can do our part to give hope to the uprooted – from a simple, welcoming smile to refugees in our own communities, to the participation of individuals, businesses and governments in supporting the field activities of the many humanitarian agencies caring for the displaced. World Refugee Day is part of that common effort as we gather June 20 in cities and towns, in refugee camps and in remote settlements to pay tribute to the courageous, unwavering hope of the world's refugees – and to assure them that they are not forgotten.

Thank you.

António Guterres
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

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World Refugee Day TV spot with Angelina Jolie

2006-06-16T12:22:34Z

You could watch here the WRD TV spot with UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie.

http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/videoConsole?file=http://www.unhcr.org/video/jolie_wrd2006.txt

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Keeping the Flame of Hope Alive

2006-06-14T21:48:44Z

Throughout their long and daunting journey from oppression and persecution to asylum and protection, and eventually to a place they can call home, refugees show incredible strength, courage and determination. Their journey is a dangerous and arduous one and every day spent in exile is a day too long.

But in every step of their journey refugees carry with them an unshakable, unrelenting hope. By hanging on to their hopes for basic survival, sustenance and protection, and for the chance to one day rebuild their lives, refugees defy all odds. As the UN Refugee Agency we continue to be impressed by the tenacious hopefulness of refugees which, in turn, motivates us to leave no stone unturned in the fulfillment of our mandate, to protect them and to find durable solutions to their plight.

On World Refugee Day, we ask you to remember the millions of refugees under our care who are trying to pick up the pieces of once-peaceful lives. As different as they are from each other, one thing connects them all: hope for a better future and a chance to restore lasting peace to their lives.

Help us keep that flame of hope alive!

Please visit the website of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home

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The 1951 Refugee Convention

2006-06-14T21:46:35Z

The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees is the key legal document in defining who is a refugee, their rights and the legal obligations of states. The 1967 Protocol removed geographical and temporal restrictions from the Convention. In July 2001, UNHCR published a special edition of its Refugees Magazine dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the Convention. Read it in pdf format here (1.2MB)

http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/protect?id=3c0762ea4

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Gallery of prominenet refugees

2006-06-14T21:44:17Z

You could watch here a gallery of prominenet refugees including Albert Einstein, Chinua Achebe, Madeleine Albright, Frederic Chopin, Nuruddin Farah, Gao Xingjian, Nadien Gordimer, Victor Hugo, Isabel Allende, Claude Strauss-Levi, Nawaal El Saadawi, Alexandra Tolstoy ...:

http://www.unhcr.org/promref/index.html

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The refugee story in statistics

2006-06-14T10:04:06Z

UNHCR seeks to contribute to informed decision-making and public debate by providing accurate, relevant and up-to-date statistics. This page provides data, trends and statistical reports on the "People of concern to UNHCR": refugees, asylum-seekers, returned refugees, internally displaced and stateless persons in more than 150 countries.

http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/statistics

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