UNHCR Global Appeal 1999 - The Trust Fund for Refugee Children and Adolescents

Generous contributions to UNHCR's Trust Fund for Refugee Children and Adolescents enabled the Office to establish Regional Policy Officers for Children posts, develop the Action for the Rights of Children (ARC) Programme, and develop the Education for Peace Initiative. Given current financial constraints, the Office was not able to project an extension of these initiatives under its own 1999 funding. Additional support is needed to maintain the process and progress of mainstreaming child and adolescent concerns into UNHCR and NGO field operations. UNHCR plans to mainstream these efforts in the year 2000.

ARC Programme

1998 marked the first year of ARC regional activity. Four field-based ARC capacity-building workshops were conducted; and important programming and protection initiatives to address high-priority problems facing refugee children and adolescents were identified. Resource teams composed of UNHCR and NGO staff have been established to expand the ARC programme.

Activities for ARC in 1999 include:

• at least four workshops in each region (the Horn of Africa, West Africa, Central Asia, and the Commonwealth of Independent States); one workshop in both the Great Lakes region of Africa and the former Yugoslavia; a training-of-trainers workshop programme; and other training programmes in each region;

• the development of new modules on critical topics raised in 1998 workshops, such as the impact of statelessness on children;

• the development of regional case material, and translations thereof, to support ARC's flexible and evolving approach to identifying critical issues and training;

• electronic production of ARC materials to make them more widely available; and

• publication of ARC materials into a "trainer-friendly" manual.

The peace education programme

The Peace Education Programme began in 1998 with the development of Peace Education training materials for refugee community groups and schools. These materials were based on extensive dialogues with community groups, community leaders and educators in the refugee camps of Kenya, which host refugees from East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes countries. Numerous camp workshops and training-of-trainers sessions were held in Kenya camps in 1998.

Activities for the Peace Education Programme in 1999 will include:

• expansion of the programme in camps in Kenya, with additional training of refugee educators and revision of Teacher Guides as appropriate. Steps will be taken to mainstream the programme as part of regular education and community empowerment efforts;

• familiarization workshops for implementing partner staff managing education and community-outreach programmes, development of adapted materials, and training of national and refugee facilitators and teachers. Priority will be given to refugee programmes that have already shown a commitment to this issue; and

• dissemination of classroom materials among other agencies working in similar circumstances.

Expansion of the Peace Education Programme in 1999 will require development of additional peace-building materials, camp-based training and activities, regional NGO workshops, and employment of national and refugee staff, expert consultants and United Nations Volunteers.

Regional Policy Officers for refugee children

In April 1998, UNHCR established Regional Policy Officers for Refugee Children posts in West Africa, the Horn of Africa, Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. These officers promote UNHCR protection and programming activities for refugee children and adolescents in their respective regions by developing the ARC Programme, supporting NGO partnerships, and building capacities with other United Nations agencies. Additional support is needed by March 1999 to continue these mainstreaming efforts.

Budget US$