by António Guterres rmed conflicts in of the Congo, MONUC (now MONUSCO) is a number of regions of the scheduled to leave in mid-2011. HIGH COMMISSIONER world grew more intractable Unresolved conflicts have resulted in quasi- FOR REFUGEES in 2010. Peace failed to come permanent and increasingly global refugee or, having arrived, quickly populations. For example, people displaced risked being undone. from south and central Somalia and from Peacekeepers today are parts of Afghanistan have continued to find a confrontedA with impossible situations. In many welcome in neighbouring countries, with half of the places where they are deployed, there is no of all Somali refugees now residing in peace to keep, there are a multitude of different and a quarter in , plus rapidly growing armed groups, the humanitarian and military numbers in . Some 96 per cent of spheres overlap and banditry is endemic. Afghan refugees are hosted by the Islamic At the same time, with concerns over Republic of Iran and by ; however, national sovereignty and national security further abroad, Afghans have been less likely to increasing, a number of States have signalled find States receptive to their arrival. a growing discomfort with the In some countries, populist politicians operations in their territories. requested played upon xenophobia and racism to mobilize that the MINURCAT force leave by the end electoral support in 2010, leading to growing of the year while in the Democratic Republic hostility towards refugees, asylum-seekers,

Mariam Victorien arriving home in after 45 years in asylum in the DRC. UNHCR / M. HOFER / DRC • 2010

4 UNHCR Global Report 2010 migrants and ethnic minorities. It became more frequency and intensity of natural disasters, difficult for people to access territories where became an increasingly important driver of they could obtain protection, and regrettable privation and social tension. incidents of refoulement took place throughout the year. EMERGENCY RESPONSE The failure to respect the universal norm UNHCR’s key priorities in 2010 to reinforce that prevents States from returning people our protection and emergency preparedness to countries where their lives or freedom are capabilities served us well in responding to the in danger has become the most significant year’s major crises. The quick succession of protection gap confronting UNHCR. In events in Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan underscored April, we adopted new operating procedures the importance of being able to respond to more to address instances and imminent risks of than one emergency at a time, and tested our refoulement. objective of being able to deliver shelter and relief Global patterns of displacement continued items for up to 600,000 people within 72 hours. to evolve, largely as a result of the interaction The emergency in Kyrgyzstan broke out of global trends such as population growth, in the southern city of Osh. Clashes between urbanization and climate change, as well as ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz left hundreds water, energy and food insecurity. Rising food dead and as many as 400,000 displaced. prices, influenced to some extent by the greater Approximately 75,000 refugees, mostly women

A Commitment to Protect

UNHCR Global Report 2010 5 and children, fled to the Andijon area concerted involvement in a shelter Approval was also given in 2010 for of neighbouring Uzbekistan. When construction programme paid dividends a significant enlargement of protection the emergency began on 10 June 2010, in the provision of accommodation to positions in Sudan. In the context of UNHCR had only one international victims of violence before the arrival of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement staff member, one local employee and a the harsh Central Asian winter. and in particular the January 2011 driver in Osh, and no presence at all in referendum on the independence of Uzbekistan. Southern Sudan, UNHCR expanded n estimated 20 million its support for the return of southerners Pakistanis were displaced by from the north while undertaking Establishing the floods, described by the UN comprehensive contingency planning Secretary-General as a “slow- with surrounding countries. the pragmatic A rolling tsunami.” Afghan refugees in 16 In addition to the reinforcement of frameworks of of 84 camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa protection capacity in the Democratic as well as two in Balochistan and one Republic of the Congo and Sudan, international in Punjab were among those affected, I authorized the creation of 42 new as were people previously displaced protection positions for 2011 in key areas, cooperation internally from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and such as refugee status determination, needed for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. resettlement, asylum and migration, At the request of the Emergency statelessness and cluster coordination in protection Relief Coordinator, UNHCR was asked situations of internal displacement. and solutions to assume the lead role for protection These are being complemented by at field level in response to the disaster. increased training opportunities for requires a UNHCR also led the camp coordination both staff and partners through the and camp management cluster Global Learning Centre. Protection fair and equal nationally and the shelter/NFI cluster partnerships are also being strengthened partnership in provinces where its presence was and expanded, particularly with most significant, namely Balochistan national partners, which already among all and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. account for approximately three quarters relevant actors. Through seven field units established of all of UNHCR’s implementation in the affected areas, we reached arrangements. approximately 2 million people with From the outset, the response was relief items, emergency shelter and, GAINS FROM THE REFORMS a corporate one, involving a collective for the most vulnerable, transitional 2010 was the fifth year of the com- effort by many different entities shelter. Prioritizing those identified prehensive institutional reform pro- within UNHCR. A rapidly assembled with specific needs, the Office cess, designed to stabilize our finances Headquarters Task Force fostered real- launched 16 quick impact projects to and guarantee the sustainability of our time coordination and took prompt, help returning communities of up structures. clear decisions. A dedicated Human to 3 million people rehabilitate badly With respect to those goals, the Resource Cell mobilized Russian- damaged infrastructure. A noted benefit reforms have been highly successful. speakers and other staff members of UNHCR’s timely and effective The total volume of UNHCR activities with appropriate skills for deployment provision of humanitarian assistance and in 2006 was some USD 1.1 billion. in Central Asia. In Kyrgyzstan, community support in Pakistan was its Staff costs were around 41 per cent of senior and experienced UNHCR contribution to staff security. total expenditure while Headquarters personnel assumed responsibility for was consuming 14 per cent at that the coordination of the protection and PROTECTION CAPACITY time. In 2010, we conducted USD 1.88 shelter clusters. with respect to the other key priority billion worth of activities with staff UNHCR’s new Global Stock of strengthening protection capacity, costs reduced to 27 per cent of total Management system and expansion of UNHCR’s operation in the Democratic expenditure, and Headquarters costs the organization’s strategic stockpiles Republic of the Congo was reinforced cut to 9 per cent. The funds carried over allowed us to deliver 200 tons of tents with 39 additional posts, thanks mainly from 2010 will allow us to dedicate USD and non-food items (NFIs) to Andijon to a targeted donor contribution for this 30 million to a new round of urgent within 72 hours of the Government’s purpose. Despite the acute and complex activities in relation to unmet needs for appeal for assistance. emergencies in the conflict areas of water, sanitation and hygiene, as well UNHCR’s provision of material North and South Kivu and the Orien- as the fight against anaemia and other assistance was a key factor in expanding tale and Equateur provinces, important micronutrient deficiencies. the protection space available on both progress was achieved on the return of While many of the gains from the sides of the border. The early attention Congolese refugees. Voluntary repatria- reforms have been consolidated, others given to housing, land and property tion from was concluded in 2010, still require attention. UNHCR’s issues also played an important role allowing the Kala and Mwange camps to processes and systems are, in many in addressing the crisis. UNHCR’s be closed. cases, excessively bureaucratic and

6 UNHCR Global Report 2010 need to be simplified. Results-based find solutions for displaced persons border management systems; and management needs to be more fully and local community members. It is mobilizing the media and civil society in implemented, including further fine- being piloted in , Georgia, advocacy efforts. tuning of the customized software tool eastern Sudan and the United Republic 2010 was a landmark year for Focus designed to assist in programme of , with expansion foreseen addressing the problem of statelessness. planning and implementation. to Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Viet Nam naturalized a first group The impact of our decentralization Republic of the Congo, , Pakistan of stateless former refugees from and regionalization process needs to be and Southern Sudan. Cambodia and revised its legislation evaluated. And shortcomings in our to make reacquisition of human resources practices need to be easier for former citizens. Kenya’s new addressed, even if in some cases our hough down slightly from constitution grants women equality problems are complicated by UN-wide 2009, the level of resettlement with men in their ability to pass along rules and policies that are beyond undertaken by UNHCR in nationality to their children. UNHCR’s control. T 2010 remained high. More than Legislation to this effect was adopted 108,000 refugees were submitted for by in December. Georgia and SUSTAINING RETURNS resettlement and over 73,000 departed. Lithuania also introduced reforms to unsurprisingly, with so many unre- The volume of resettlement has doubled their legislation during the year. The solved conflicts, 2010 was a challeng- over the last five years and delays Brasilia Declaration on the Protection ing year in terms of finding solutions have built up in a number of receiving of Refugees and Stateless Persons in the for the world’s refugees. Approximately countries’ programmes. Americas, announced in November 197,600 refugees were able to return to The total number of countries with 2010, represented an important their homes – even fewer than in 2009, resettlement programmes has grown contribution at the regional level. The when returns were at the lowest level for to 25 but resettlement needs continue to United Nations Human Rights Council, two decades. outnumber available places by a factor as well as the Organization of American Once again, the largest number of 10 to 1. Bottlenecks in processing States General Assembly, called for of returns took place in Afghanistan. need to be addressed since resettlement States to consider acceding to the 1954 In 2010, more than 118,000 refugees not only provides vital solutions for and 1961 Statelessness Conventions and repatriated, the vast majority from individual refugees and their families, a number of States initiated accession Pakistan. This was more than double but demonstrates to host countries in procedures. the figure in 2009. Since 2002, the developing world, where four-fifths approximately 5.5 million Afghan of the world’s refugees reside, that other WORDS AND DEEDS refugees, representing some 20 per cent regions are prepared to shoulder a larger the commemoration of the 60th anni- of Afghanistan’s total population, have proportion of the responsibility. versary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, returned home. the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Con- Sustaining the reintegration of these THE NEW DEAL vention on the Reduction of Statelessness individuals and families will require the expansion of existing resettlement and the 150th anniversary of the birth of considerably more resources for a programmes and the creation of new Fridtjof Nansen, the first High Com- range of measures, from land reform ones are part of the new deal on burden- missioner for Refugees, will take place to livelihoods. In recognition of this, sharing that I called for at both the 2010 in 2011, culminating in an intergov- UNHCR has agreed to increase the Executive Committee session and last ernmental event at ministerial level in cash grant component of repatriation December’s Dialogue on Protection Chal- December. assistance by 50 per cent in 2011. lenges. Only by maximizing resettle- We hope that this conference will UNHCR continued to support ment and voluntary return opportunities produce both important words and the sustainability of returns, local and achieving a more equitable sharing deeds: a vision of protection in the 21st integration projects, regional of responsibility for hosting refugees can century and a commitment to getting development efforts that improve we expect to see more receptivity to local there. UNHCR will support States in living conditions for local inhabitants integration. their efforts to make concrete pledges in and refugees, and the rehabilitation Establishing the pragmatic frame- relation to the reduction and prevention of former refugee settlements, works of international cooperation of statelessness, the promotion of throughout the year. The Transitional needed for protection and solutions protection and the resolution of specific Solutions Initiative, co-led by requires a fair and equal partnership refugee situations – objectives that we UNHCR and UNDP and supported among all relevant actors. As participants must all strive to attain. by a number of donor governments, at the 2010 Dialogue concluded, such aims to include displacement needs frameworks should be underpinned by on the developmental agenda. core principles in respect of expanding Through bilateral and multilateral and improving protection space; assistance, it brings humanitarian reinforcing national responsibilities and António Guterres and development actors together with comprehensive regional approaches; national governments to ensure the increasing legal migration alternatives; sustainability of interventions and putting in place protection-sensitive

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