Addressing the problems of refugees, IDPs, migrants and other population movements
Statement delivered by Chris Lamb, Head of Humanitarian Advocacy Department, International Federation, to the UNHCR Executive Committee 52nd Session, Geneva
03 October 2001



The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies takes the floor in this debate at an important time in the evolution of the work of the international community on the entire issue of the handling of the population movement crisis now confronting the world. We are well-positioned to address these issues, for the International Federation and its member National Societies represent, combined, the largest operational partner of the UNHCR. We and our members are also, in many countries, the largest operational partner of governments engaged in their own work on these issues. Together, the International Federation and its member Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are also the most significant, by far, of the dialogue partners of governments as they wrestle with the problems of refugee flow, internal displacement, migration and other forms of population movement.

In this context it is also important that we speak today, in the midst of a crisis that brings together not just the potential for a massive population dislocation, but also threatens the cohesion of communities in countries far from the centres of that dislocation. The International Federation and its member National Societies is currently launching a fresh appeal for contributions to the work that must be done to cope with populations moving in the region around Afghanistan, and at the same time is preparing a separate but unhappily related appeal for assistance in coping with problems of discrimination and associated violence in other countries.

It is particularly sad to be making these remarks today. This is, after all, the fiftieth anniversary year of the 1951 Convention, the instrument that was designed to lay the basis for the protection and then resettlement of people fleeing from persecution and tyranny. The instrument does this not just by laying down fundamental provisions relating to resettlement, but also by describing state obligations to protect and care for refugees once they have resettled. Both aspects of the Convention are under challenge today, and the International Federation believes it is time for a recommitment by Governments to the principles which stood so high in 1951.

This commitment was, in fact, delivered by Governments and National Societies together when they met together with the ICRC and the International Federation at the 27th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 1999. In the Plan of Action they adopted at that Session, the commitment was far-reaching. It extended to protection, and also clearly to the elimination of violence and hatred in their communities. We now see, regrettably, that there is much that still needs to be done. Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in all countries, will be seeking dialogue with their governments on measures that need to be considered at national and local levels, and will be working with the private sector and the non-governmental community as well to build the momentum that will be needed if the issue is to be addressed.

In Afghanistan and the surrounding countries, where much of the world's attention is now focussed, the International Federation and its member Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have a different task. It is well known to member states of the United Nations and the Executive Committee of UNHCR, but what is not so well known is the way the International Federation works.

In partnership with ICRC, which has its own responsibilities related to the prospect of conflict, the International Federation and its members from the affected countries - principally the Red Crescent Societies of Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - is seeking to address the prospect of people moving from Afghanistan to neighbouring countries. It is the vulnerability of these people, not their formal status, that motivates our response. In the International Federation's view it is not possible to attach labels to human beings in vulnerability and distress. The humanitarian response must be to care for them, to help them rebuild their own futures, and to return to them their human dignity.

The International Federation also considers that this work is best done by those with the closest understanding of the needs of the people themselves. When we work in situations like that now unfolding in Afghanistan and the surrounding countries, we do so through the partnership offered by the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on the spot. That is why a large group of National Societies which wish to provide assistance in this situation met on 1 October in Geneva, with the ICRC also present, at the International Federation's headquarters, to update themselves on the actions each proposed to take, to consolidate their resources, and to pledge to work in a coordinated fashion using the expertise and talent available from the Red Crescent Societies of the region.

The International Federation is also working closely with the United Nations family agencies, including UNHCR, that are active in the area. In our view the response required in this situation must be well-coordinated, there must be a close understanding of real human needs, and there must be close attention paid to the building of capacity in the region to maintain the attention these vulnerable people will need long after the issue moves out of the media headlines.

All this is taking place during a period of significant change, for other reasons, within the UNHCR. It is difficult to concentrate on these issues at this time of crisis, but it is important that they are addressed. It was useful to hear from Mr Lubbers what he, as High Commissioner, sees as the best business approach in what he described as the "crowded space" created by the modern international political context. Mr Lubbers stated a clear need when he spoke of the need to re-examine the way UNHCR carries out its mandate to ensure the protection of refugees and durable solutions.

This emphasis on the core mandate is in line with the message that all humanitarian organisations get from their owners and donors, and is a welcome reminder to us all of the need to concentrate on the specific work we have been created to carry out, and to avoid spreading our attention and resources too thinly. The International Federation has been through a similar process of examination of its core mandate, and it is our hope that this work by all organisations will lead to a better focussed, less duplicatory set of actions from the main international organisation players. The International Federation values the discussions it has had with Mr Lubbers and UNHCR staff during this process, and looks forward to fruitful cooperation in the years ahead towards our common humanitarian goals.

Refocussing work, however, implies that some activities thought to be traditional will be given less priority and resources, or even abandoned altogether. This makes sense when the issues are examined in individual agencies, but not necessarily from the point of view of actual or potential beneficiaries, or when the whole landscape of humanitarian actors is considered.

To be more specific, if UNHCR concentrates more of its efforts on the core mandate task of protection, a natural consequence might be that there would be a corresponding reduction in UNHCR's ability to deliver assistance programmes to people outside the core mandate. But this does not mean that those people are any less entitled to receive forms of assistance, and the International Federation is anxious to continue its work on these needs with other agencies, as well as governments and NGOs.

In a similar vein, a renewed focus on "refugees" in the meaning of persons offered protection under the 1951 Convention may lead to operational arrangements which give these priority, and less to individuals and communities, including host communities, which as a result of their vulnerabilities are at the centre of the activities of the interventions and activities of the International Federation. Again, we believe that the way forward is through strengthened dialogue and co-operation between agencies and their partners. We are pleased to be able to say, in this regard, that the UNHCR and the International Federation are already consulting one another on how this can be achieved. Similarly, the International Federation together with the ICRC is engaged in discussions with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on the best ways of bringing their thinking to the attention of governments and the NGO community.

We have already mentioned the focus of the International Federation on the "most vulnerable", as opposed to categories of persons defined in legal terms. In this context, there are two inter-related issues which merit careful attention.

One of these is our increasing concern over the protection offered - or rather not offered - by the international community to individuals belonging to categories not covered by the 1951 Convention, but who are in need of legal safeguards. These individuals are, generally speaking, people who for one reason or another unable or unwilling to stay at home: particularly internally displaced persons and migrants.

The absence of human rights safeguards for these groups may cause them to be more vulnerable than other groups in that they have less access to health and social services, they are open to exploitation by employers or the victims of ruthless trafficking in people. It is also, unhappily, true that many countries which have adequate laws on their statute books have allowed those laws to diminish in relevance. There has been insufficient attention, in too many countries, to the need for education programmes and a wide range of social policies to implant tolerance in their communities. The result is evident today - a rash of violence and harrassment directed against groups of people simply because ignorance and intolerance remain alive and strong in the communities to which they have moved.

Linked to this is the second issue. Migration. The International Federation recognises that migration is a highly sensitive issue in many countries, and that there are many good reasons for not opening this issue to examination in a body like the UNHCR Excom. It is, however, important to note that experience shows that people who consider that they have no future in their homeland will move, and will use every door they can find to facilitate that move. If the migration door is closed, many will try to use the asylum route instead. These are all issues which will be opened for discussion, we trust, when the United Nations General Assembly begins consideration of Migration and Development during its 56th Session, later this year.

The International Federation believes that it is now more necessary than ever before for governments to acknowledge that the closure of migration doors has the natural effect of increasing the pressure on asylum doors. This, in turn, undermines the efficacy of asylum systems and produces a reaction by governments, and communities, with highly negative consequences for people who move. Even for those who move legally. For this reason, the International Federation believes that migration policies - or the lack thereof - have (perhaps unwittingly) contributed to the heightened vulnerability of all migrant, refugee and displaced person populations. It is important that work start quickly to address this issue, and the International Federation is prepared to play its part, particularly by addressing the problem of increased vulnerability.

In this context, the International Federation and its individual member National Societies - in line with the decisions in 1999 of the 27th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent - will continue to offer their services on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers and to seek co-operation with UNHCR to do so. This includes supporting States in fulfilling their obligations to assist and protect refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced. One concrete step taken in this direction is the "Reachout" project, designed with and for a number of organisations to provide basic training to humanitarian workers on the nature of refugee protection and the role of humanitarian workers in that.

"Reachout" is a project undertaken by the International Federation and a number of NGOs with the support of UNHCR and the ICRC. It has received generous program support from several governments, including the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. It has been so successful, has filled such a clear need, that training sessions are now oversubscribed and consideration will need to be given to expanding the program. As "Reachout" continues, it should provide many countries with a core of trained and qualified humanitarian workers involved in the provision of services to refugees and migrants.

The International Federation looks forward to these and the other issues outlined in this debate being considered during the Ministerial Meeting scheduled for December 2001. Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies will hold their major biennial meetings in November, and the issue of a redefined Red Cross Red Crescent Movement policy on refugees and internally displaced persons will be considered there. This should lead to opportunities for States and National Societies to work further on the issues together, including potentially at the next International Red Cross Red Crescent Conference, scheduled for 2003.

The International Federation, the ICRC and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies hope that their debates will contribute to debates among Ministers when they meet in December. We believe, and trust that governments share this hope, and recognize that solutions to the dilemma now confronting policy-makers in this field can only be found through the widest consultation between governments and civil society, in an atmosphere free of prejudice and intolerance. The International Federation calls on governments to work to build that atmosphere, and work to create conditions for a debate on these important issues which starts from those principles of humanity that underpinned the 1951 Convention.