kit-toprint 4/05/04 10:00 Page 1 ©UNHCR /N. Behring-Chisholm a place to call home Rebuilding lives in safety and dignity ©UNHCR/P.Benatar, 2002 ©UNHCR/L.Gubb, 1982 ©UNHCR/L.Astrom, 1985 W orld Refugee Day, 20 June A PLACE TO CALL HOME Rebuilding Lives in Safety and Dignity Over the long course of human to find "durable solutions". It is this These are just some of the basic conflict, refugees are a relatively last mission that provides the rights and services to which all modern phenomenon. It is really theme for this year’s World people, including refugees, are only in the last 100 years, when Refugee Day: "A place to call entitled, and which of course do the nature of warfare changed home – rebuilding lives in safety not come free. The costs mount from armies fighting each other and dignity" even higher when you add in literally on fields of battle, to items such as the supply of whole populations being devas- To come even close to our long- construction and agricultural tated by aerial bombing, artillery term goal requires an enormous "starter kits", home and small- and gas attacks, that the world effort, serious commitment, and business loan guarantees, and has witnessed masses of civilians inevitably, a lot of money. direct financial assistance to host fleeing their homes to seek refuge "Durable solutions" are not just counties to help them cover the elsewhere. about physically transporting cost of absorbing refugee refugees back to their home populations. Multiply these by In the 55 years since receiving its towns and villages, or persuading the 20-plus million uprooted charter, UNHCR has already helped other countries to accept them. people whom we are trying to a staggering 50 million people, Because according to our UN help find durable solutions, and uprooted by conflict and forced to mandate, no refugee under our the enormity of the commitment leave their homes, to restart their care may be forced to relocate or that is needed can seem over- lives. This horrific total does not even return against his or her will, or to whelming. Simply put, UNHCR include the millions displaced by the conditions which are unsafe or needs all the financial and two World Wars. unsuitable. Therefore we have to material help it can get. work in a variety of ways to Some 20 million uprooted people create conditions that are In this information kit you will are still under UNHCR’s protection favourable to return, resettle- find a number of stories of today, and if you asked any one of ment or integration into other individual refugees who have them to name what they want societies. To do that a hundred successfully returned to their most of all, the answer would be and one things, which we more original homes, or integrated into almost sure to include the word fortunate people often take for the societies of the countries in "home" – to return home or to find a granted, first have to be put in which they sought refuge, or new one. Either way, "home", with place. To name just a few, there who have resettled in asylum all its implied associations of safety, needs to be: countries. Other articles provide warmth, neighbourliness, self- ● reasonable political stability; examples of how UNHCR has sufficiency and permanence, is ● a functioning social, legal and tackled the refugee crises their goal. It is ours too, and when physical infrastructure; created by various conflicts the last person under our care has ● guarantees of safety and non- around the worlds in the recent found a place to call home, we’ll discrimination; past. And there are also a dozen willingly take down the UNHCR ● freedom from persecution -- background articles on UNHCR, sign, turn out the lights, and lock having to flee again for the its mandates, its initiatives and the door. same reasons; agendas, its mission, its statis- ● adequate food, water, sani- tics, and a glossary. All may be Of course we know that happy tation and medical services; quoted or reproduced freely, and day, if it ever arrives, will be a long guarantees of legal status and further information can be time coming. So in the meantime ● provision of proper docu- obtained by contacting local we stay very much in business, mentation; UNHCR offices or visiting continuing to pursue our three ● freedom of movement; www.unhcr.org. main missions: providing imme- ● removal of mines and un- diate relief in crisis situations; exploded ordnance; seeking ways to resolve differ- ● opportunities for work and ences before they affect civilian potential for self sufficiency; populations; and helping refugees ● language and skills education. AGENDA FOR PROTECTION New impetus to the search for asylum-seekers and refugees, and Around 20 million refugees under durable solutions make it easier to implement the UNHCR care around the world are 1951 Convention and its 1967 desperately in need of timely and The year 2001 was the 50th Protocol. durable solutions; these depend anniversary of the founding largely on resolute and sustained instrument of international refugee The Agenda for Protection sets six international cooperation to resolve protection – the UN Convention important overall goals: refugee situations, some of which relating to the Status of Refugees. 1 Strengthen implementation of the have been allowed to drag on for Convention and its Protocol decades, and on support for the Rather than seeing it as cause for 2 Protect refugees within broader three durable solutions: voluntary celebration, some States had begun migration movements repatriation; local integration; and to criticize the 1951 Convention and 3 Improve the sharing of the resettlement. its Protocol of 1967 for not being responsibilities and burdens of adapted to a number of vexing protecting refugees among states Of the three solutions, it is generally challenges which had emerged over 4 Address security-related concerns recognized that voluntary repatriation the years, such as misuse of asylum more effectively in conditions of safety and dignity systems, the problems of "mixed" 5 Redouble the search for remains the preferred solution for movements of migrants and durable solutions for refugees refugees. Local integration is also refugees, the growth of human 6 Meet the protection needs of instrumental in resolving the plight of smuggling and trafficking, and a mix refugee women and children many refugees or groups of of "asylum fatigue" on the part of refugees; and resettlement is a some states hosting refugees and While all six goals are important to durable solution and a vital tool for "donor fatigue" on the part of others. the protection of refugees, the protection, while also serving as an search for durable solutions is of instrument of international solidarity Confident that a wide-ranging and particular concern, which is why it is and burden-sharing. participatory dialogue with all parties under the spotlight in this 2004 would clarify the issues and point the World Refugee Day. way forward, in December 2000 UNHCR set in motion the Global Consultations on International Protection. The aim was to revitalize the 1951 Convention framework, while better equipping countries to address the challenges in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation. As part of the Global Consultations process, UNHCR organized the first ministerial-level gathering of countries party to the Convention and/or its Protocol in five decades. The 2001 Declaration of States Parties adopted there reaffirmed the Convention’s central role in assuring the protection of refugees and its enduring importance as the primary refugee protection treaty. The Agenda for Protection is the program of action resulting from the the Global Consultations. It reflects a wide cross section of concerns and contains the concrete recommend- ations of states, intergovernmental ©UNHCR/H.Kralj/12.1995 organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as Bosnian refugees in Croatia refugees themselves on activities to strengthen international protection of Redoubling the search for durable solutions: 8 key objectives 1. Realization of comprehensive durable solutions strategies, become naturalized citizens of the country of asylum, for refugees especially for protracted refugee situations who have already attained a considerable degree of socio- ● Review of all protracted refugee situations to explore the feasibility economic integration. of comprehensive plans of action (CPAs), considering each of the ● Contribute to local integration through burden-sharing to ensure three available durable solutions, to be implemented together with that the necessary resources are available to underpin self-reliance countries of origin, host countries, resettlement countries and and local integration. refugees themselves. 5. Expand resettlement opportunities 2. Improved conditions for voluntary repatriation ● Expand the number of countries offering resettlement. ● Countries of origin to commit themselves to respecting the right to ● Encourage states that do not yet offer resettlement opportunities return and to receiving back their refugees within an acceptable actively to consider making some resettlement places available. framework of physical, legal and material safety. ● Develop capacity-building programmes with new resettlement ● Countries of origin to foster reconciliation and dialogue, particularly countries. with refugee communities, and to ensure respect for the rule of law. ● States that offer resettlement opportunities to consider increasing ● States to provide support to countries of origin, to assist them in their resettlement quotas, diversifying their intake of refugee meeting their7responsibility to ensure the legal, physical and groups, and introducing more flexible resettlement criteria. material security of refugees. ● Ensure that resettlement runs in tandem with a more vigorous ● Facilitate the participation of refugees, including women, in peace integration policy, aimed at enabling refugees having durable and reconciliation processes to ensure the right to return, and to to residence status to enjoy equality of rights and opportunities in the encourage repatriation, reintegration and reconciliation. social, economic and cultural life of the country.