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Insights from CIREFCA and the Indochinese CPA

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Insights from CIREFCA and the Indochinese CPA NEW ISSUES IN REFUGEE RESEARCH Working Paper No. 120 Comprehensive Plans of Action: Insights from CIREFCA and the Indochinese CPA Alexander Betts Department of Politics and International Relations University of Oxford E-mail : [email protected] January 2006 Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees CP 2500, 1211 Geneva 2 Switzerland E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.unhcr.org These working papers provide a means for UNHCR staff, consultants, interns and associates to publish the preliminary results of their research on refugee-related issues. The papers do not represent the official views of UNHCR. They are also available online under ‘publications’ at <www.unhcr.org>. ISSN 1020-7473 Table of Contents Abstract..........................................................................................................................5 Introduction....................................................................................................................5 CIREFCA (1987-1994)..................................................................................................8 Context.......................................................................................................................8 Process .......................................................................................................................9 Critical Evaluation .......................................................................................................11 Projects.....................................................................................................................11 Dissemination of Norms ..........................................................................................13 Contribution to Peace...............................................................................................14 Promoting the Role of NGOs...................................................................................15 UNHCR-UNDP Collaboration ................................................................................16 Factors Which Led to Success .....................................................................................19 Early High-Level Planning Within UNHCR ...........................................................19 Political Momentum.................................................................................................21 Ownership................................................................................................................23 Flexibility.................................................................................................................24 •Emergence of the peace process.........................................................................24 •Political impasse over Belize..............................................................................24 •UNHCR financial crisis......................................................................................25 •Criticism from donor states ................................................................................25 •Donor Support ....................................................................................................27 •Commitment from the Central American States ................................................28 • The support of the UN System ..........................................................................30 The Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indochinese Refugees (1988-1996)..............30 Context.....................................................................................................................31 Process .....................................................................................................................32 Critical Evaluation .......................................................................................................36 Countries of Asylum................................................................................................36 Country of Origin.....................................................................................................39 Resettlement States ..................................................................................................40 Factors Which Led to Success .....................................................................................41 Viable Country of Origin.........................................................................................41 Interests and Linkages..............................................................................................41 UNHCR Leadership.................................................................................................44 Comparing the CPA and CIREFCA ............................................................................46 Similarities ...............................................................................................................46 Process .................................................................................................................47 Linkages...............................................................................................................47 UNHCR Leadership.............................................................................................47 Inter-agency collaboration (IOM and UNDP) .....................................................48 Collective Bargaining by the South .....................................................................49 Differences...............................................................................................................49 Asylum-Migration Nexus v Peace Process..........................................................49 State-Specific Interests v International Public Good Logic.................................50 Comparing the Cold War and Post 9/11 eras.......................................................51 Exaggerating the Cold War Contribution ............................................................52 Globalisation: New Incentives for Engagement ..................................................53 3 Preconditions for a CPA ..............................................................................................54 Political ....................................................................................................................55 Interests................................................................................................................55 Linkages...............................................................................................................55 Leadership............................................................................................................56 Practical....................................................................................................................57 Country of Origin Involvement ...........................................................................57 Ownership............................................................................................................58 Inter-agency Collaboration ..................................................................................58 Strong Regional Presence ....................................................................................59 Application to Current Refugee Situations..................................................................59 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................61 Acknowledgements......................................................................................................63 4 Abstract1 CIREFCA and the Indochinese CPA are widely regarded as the two most significant examples of successful UNHCR-led international cooperation in the recent history of the refugee regime. This paper explores the factors which led to their success in achieving international agreement in order to derive insights for UNHCR’s current and future attempts to develop comprehensive regional approaches to protracted refugee situations. The paper is based on archive research conducted at UNHCR, examining documents relating to the two initiatives. Through comparative analysis of the political and institutional processes by which the two initiatives emerged and were implemented, the paper attempts to identify the pre-conditions for a successful CPA, particularly with respect to UNHCR’s role. It argues that the achievements of the two initiatives were not historically contingent, as is often claimed, but can be replicated, provided that certain pre-conditions are met by UNHCR and the other principal stakeholders. Introduction The global refugee regime has often been characterised by ‘collective action failure’, with limited international cooperation between North and South.2 However, the two comprehensive plans of action agreed in 1989 represent exceptions to this general trend, highlighting how successful multilateral cooperation can take place to tackle specific refugee situations. The Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indochinese Refugees (CPA) and the International Conference on Central American Refugees (CIREFCA) represent clear case studies that illustrate that significant global burden- and responsibility-sharing is possible and can lead to durable solutions for refugees in situations of mass influx or protracted refugee situations. The two initiatives had in common that they focused on ensuring
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