-
"Addressing Statelessness Worldwide: Towards a More Concerted Response" - Statement by António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at a Panel Discussion on "Nationality and Statelessness: Challenge and Progress Towards Citizenship for All," Foreign Press Center, New York, 8 November 2007
8 Nov 2007 There are a staggering 15 million people worldwide who lack a nationality
Some causes accidental, some intended:
1. Stateless children because mother cannot transmit her nationality (father either unknown or disappeared)
2. Deprivation of nationality because of persecution
3. Disappearance of States and creation of new ones (e.g. former Soviet Union)
4. In the future, possibly because of climate change (e.g. some island Pacific States)
5. Inherited statelessness
Consequences include no right to a name, to attend school or university, to work legally, to get married, to travel, to own property, to vote or to be elected.
Sometimes quite simple legislation can avoid it e.g. giving children born in a territory automatic citizenship (e.g. in Latin America)
Or by allowing women to transmit nationality to their children (e.g. Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Indonesia)
Also by signing up to 1961 Statelessness Convention
UNHCR works with partners on this, OHCHR, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP
NGOs also important (Refugees International, the Open Society Justice Initiative and Plan International mentioned) -
Remarks by Mr. António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to the European Union Humanitarian Affairs Committee (HAC), Lisbon, 30 October 2007
30 Oct 2007 Six challenges face in operating in situations of fragility:
1. security vs. operability: managing risk, especially to staff, example Baghdad after attack on UN office
2. security vs. impartiality: using armed forces to provide security seems obvious, but they are often not impartial actors themselves
3. responsibility to protect vs. national sovereignty: particularly acute in situations of internal displacement
4. sustainability of solutions, especially returns, example South Sudan, where after a year and a half the main road to Uganda is still in terrible shape
5. need for situational approach: country-wide plans often useless in the face of local conditions, examples DRC, Somalia
6. new challenges of forced displacement: example flight from Zimbabwe because people hungry -
Closing Statement by Mr. António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at the Fifty-eighth Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme (ExCom), Geneva, 5 October 2007
5 Oct 2007 ExCom
Ten commitments to guide action during year to come:
1. to our mandate: protecting, assisting and helping to find solutions
2. to our beneficiaries: UNHCR must be humanistic and rights-minded
3. to protection: all UNHCR staff must see themselves as protection officers
4. to solutions: with particular emphasis on protracted situations
5. to sustainability: UNHCR must be a catalyst to bring together development community
6. to reform: voluntary separation programme already successful, needs continued funding
7. to UN reform
8. to partnership: with UN family, Red Cross/Crescent movement, NGOs
9. to security and welfare of staff
10. to enhanced dialogue and cooperation with Member States -
Opening Statement by Mr. António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at the Fifty-eighth Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme (ExCom), Geneva, 1 October 2007
1 Oct 2007 ExCom
Importance of being able to detect refugees in mixed migration flows
Reasons for flight: poverty, environmental degradation, climate change, conflict and persecution
Causes now ever more related (examples: is a flight in a desert area because of attack or water shortage? Can you send people back who have left because they are hungry and cannot find the means to support their families)
With their response to Iraqi influx, Syria and Jordan have joined Pakistan, Iran, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Chad, Guinea, Zambia and Ecuador as notably generous host countries
UNHCR reversed staff costs trend for first time in 2007 (more spent on operations than staff)
More reforms coming:
- outposting: several administrative functions to go to Budapest
- decentralization and regionalization: different models being evaluated
- Comprehensive Field Review: what can be done better by partners, ratio of international to national staff
- improved resource management: more responsibility to field to respond quicker
- new budget structure to comprise 4 pillars: a) refugees b) stateless c) internal displacement d) reintegration
- human resources: review of training, career management, leadership preparation, performance and competency systems, assessment and feedback processes
Full support for UN's "Delivering As One" initiative
Internal debate on strategies and standards of protection
Focus on most vulnerable (e.g. with "Women Leading for Livelihoods" initiative)
Strengthening Protection Capacity Project: framework to increase reach of protection in internal displacement and statelessness
Commends governments of Nepal and Bangladesh for work on reducing statelessness
In 2006:
- 734,000 refugees repatriated voluntarily, half with direct assistance from UNHCR
- Internal displacement returns estimated at 1,9 million
- 54,000 individuals of 70 nationalities submitted to 26 resettlement countries
Partnerships with Red Cross, Red Crescent and NGOs to be strengthened
Costa Rica and Estonia welcomed as new ExCom members -
Statement by Mr. António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Debate on Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in South East Europe, Strasbourg, 27 June 2007
29 Jun 2007 Example of return to South Sudan: return contingent upon conditions in return country
Numbers of concern to UNHCR in Western Balkans now down to 500,000 (was 2 million at height of Bosnian crisis)
This down to both return and local integration (200,000 from Croatia and Bosnia now naturalised in Serbia)
Difficulty is that the remaining displaced are the most difficult to find solutions for
Also concern for the 250,000 refugees and internally displaced in Kosovo
Solution depends on political, not humanitarian, resolution
Specific concerns for UNHCR in the region:
- Need for protection of minorities in Kosovo
- Guarantees of rights for Kosovar refugees in Serbia
- Lack of documentation for displaced Roma -
Statement by Mr. António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on the occasion of World Refugee Day, 20 June 2007
20 Jun 2007 World Refugee Day
Refugees did not leave home by choice -
Remarks of Mr. António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at the European Foundation Centre Conference, Madrid, 1 June 2007
1 Jun 2007 21st century is the century of people on the move
Three main causes:
1. Poverty: globalisation has increased the gap between rich and poor
2. Climate change and environmental degradation: talks about but no real strategy emerging
3. Conflict and persecution: prevention requires wisdom, political effort, investment in eliminating root causes
A complication is that in our increasingly multiethnic society, intolerance is on the rise -
Chairman's Summary by Mr. António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at the International Conference on Addressing the Humanitarian Needs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons inside Iraq and in Neighbouring Countries, Geneva, 18 April 2007
18 Apr 2007 Iraq Conference
Urgency of addressing humanitarian needs of 1,9 million internally displaced and 2 million refugee Iraqis
Deep concern about situation inside Iraq, need for durable solution based on national reconciliation
Praise for Iraqi government commitment on funding, assistance, help for host countries, documentation
Support for UN's Strategic Framework for Humanitarian Action in Iraq
Recognition of burden borne by Jordan and Syria, praise for their unstinting hospitality
Concern for refugee groups inside Iraq, especially Palestinians
Calls for host countries to continue providing protection until conditions inside Iraq allow safe return
Tribute to organisations and individuals working inside Iraq, often at great personal risk -
Statement by Mr. António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to the Conference on Addressing the Humanitarian Needs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons inside Iraq and in Neighbouring Countries, Geneva, 17 April 2007
17 Apr 2007 Iraq Conference
Figures on Iraqi displacement
Syria and Jordan bearing the greatest burden
Other countries commended: Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Turkey
More important than terminology (does the country call them 'refugees' or not), is the concrete protection offered
Because return is the only truly viable option, important that Iraqis retain links with their country
Only a political solution involving all actors will create the necessary environment for return