Refugee Solutions Now! Erin Antalis HPA 430 April 7, 2009

1. Refugee Solutions Now!Erin AntalisHPA 430April 7, 2009

2. Outline • Background definitions • Presentation of data • Presentation of the Issue • Case specific presentation: Tanzania • Policy Related Research • Current Policy • Policy Action Plan • Stakeholders • Endorsers

3. What is a refugee? “A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him/herself of the protection of that country” UNHCR 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

4. United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) “…ensures the basic human rights of vulnerable persons and that refugees will not be returned involuntarily to a country where they face persecution” “By assisting refugees to return to their own country or to settle permanently in another country, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight” Human rights defined in the UNHCR 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees • Freedom of movement • Freedom to wage employment • Freedom of residence www.unhcr.org

5. UNHCR- Persons of Concern • Internally Displaced People (IDP) • Stateless • Returned IDPs • Asylum-seekers • Returned Refugees • Various “other”

6. Scope of the issue (Data) 13.7 mil.-Internally Displaced People 11.4 mil.-Refugees 3 mil-Stateless 2 mil- Returned IDPs 760,800 -Asylum-seekers 729,100- Returned Refugees 63,400- Various “other” www.unhcr.org

7. Total population of concern to UNHCR by country of asylum-2005 www.unhcr.org

8. Total population of concern to UNHCR by country of asylum-2005 www.unhcr.org

9. Meet ‘Sarah’ http://www.thewe.cc/thewei/_/images_1/somalia/somalia_refugee_girls_yemen.jpe

10. Refugee Cycle Urban migration within the host country ??? Refugee camp: processing and recognition Resettlement Naturalization Repatriation Warehousing Flight ????? Migration outside of the host country

11. What is Warehousing? • Prolonged Refugee Situation • 25,000 or more refugees in exile in a single host county for over 5 years • 6.2 million (2007) • denial of human rights • right to earn a livelihood • freedom of movement • confined to camps or segregated settlements • dependent on humanitarian assistance.  • Denied rights… • to work • to own property UNHCR 1951 Refugee Convention

12. Barriers to Durable Solutions • Repatriation • 731,000 (2007) • Current Government not welcoming • Environment of persecution continues • Loss of family and property • Resettlement • Limited capacity • Est. 75,300 (2007) • Less than 1% of total refugee population • Naturalization • Est. 15,400 (2007) • Highly restrictive • Possibility of repatriation • Patriotism • Feeling of discrimination from host country • Hope of resettlement

13. More Barriers… Conflicting State / UNHCR policies • Movement restricted • Residence restricted • Wage employment restricted • Refoulement • Detention • Deportation Ex: Tanzania “[R]egistered refugees from camps move spontaneously into towns and villages and reside among local populations, … usually without authorization, and may be considered as unlawful by the authorities.  In these situations, the “registered” status of the refugees when residing inside camps may no longer be recognized by the authorities” (UNHCR issued a new draft Policy on Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Urban Areas, June 13, 2008)

14. Case Specific-Tanzania • Hosted refugees for over 50 yrs • Largest refugee host in Africa • Tanzanian government looking for a “durable solution” • Repatriation • Resettlement • Naturalization

15. Case Specific-Tanzania 2000 2008 • 11 camps • 700,000 camp refugees • Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Somalia • 4 camps • 218,000 camp refugees • 90,000 repatriated to Burundi and DRC • 122,000 applying for ‘naturalization’ • Concern over mixed migrant flow • GNA reports increased threat from immigration authorities What happened to everybody else? www.unhcr.org

16. Why address this issue? • Number of refugees in the world increasing • Prolonged refugee status, “warehousing” • Ex: 1972 Burundi refugees • Aid dependency • Closing of refugee camps • ‘forced’ repatriation? • Opening of new refugee camps • Continuing state violence • Increasing financial burden on national and international levels

17. How does being a refugee impact health? Why this a PH issue? Immediate Impacts Long term impacts • Food Insecurity • Inadequate shelter • Access to potable water • Access to healthcare • Emotional Trauma • Deprived of… • Income • Healthcare • Sexual violence • Gender based violence and exploitation • Food insecurity • Reduced access to education • Stigmatized social status

18. Health impacts of Forced Migration • Migration outside of the camps • Economic instability • Food insecurity • Decreased educational opportunity • Stigma • Psychosocial stress • Informal sector work • Exposure to sexual violence • Economic exploitation missed immunizations Poor access to healthcare Possible reliance on survival sex (exposure to violence, STIs, unplanned pregnancy, etc) • Prolonged Refugee Situation: • Limited Healthcare • Sexual violence • Gender based violence and exploitation • Food insecurity • Reduced access to education • Stigmatized social status • Malnutrition • Flight: • Food Insecurity • Inadequate shelter • Access to potable water • Access to healthcare • Emotional Trauma Resettlement Naturalization Repatriation ?????

19. Policy-Related Research UNHCR Global Needs Assessment “…to comprehensively map the real state of the world's refugees and people of concern under its mandate.” “The aim is to outline the total needs, the costs of meeting them and the consequences of any gaps. The GNA will be a blueprint for planning, decision-making and action with governments, partners, refugees and people of concern.” Pilot study in 2008 • substantial and disturbing gaps in protection • shelter, health, education, food security, sanitation • measures to prevent sexual violence • 30 % of needs unmet 2008 Recommendations • improve and ensure access to asylum systems • better reception facilities and procedures, registration, documentation and border monitoring • increase the capacity of governments to adequately respond to people of concern • Improve prevention and response measures for sexual abuse and violence • Adapt legal and administrative frameworks to respond to mixed asylum seekers

20. Key findings of the GNA pilot survey, 2008 To support justice mechanisms Decrease sexual violence / gender based violence Improved and ensured access to asylum procedures Decrease political persecution Documentation Increase access to social services Increase political protection Increase access to justice mechanisms

21. “Sarah’s” Story continued http://pro.corbis.com/images/AL027568.jpg?size=67&uid=%7B22EF1761-5BB5-467B-AACC-F643AFDE8AFB%7D

22. Current Policy • 1951 UNHCR Refugee Convention • Key document defining who is a refugee, their rights and the legal obligations of states. • 1967 UNHCR Protocol • Expands jurisdiction of UNHCR • 1998 Tanzania Refugee Act • Section 17- 5a: Requirement to reside in a designated area • Section 32 • 2008 UNHCR High Commissioner's Initiative on Protracted Refugee Situations

23. New Draft Policy on Refugees in Urban Areas (www.refugees.org) • “In an urban setting, it is particularly important that the protection of and assistance to asylum-seekers and refugees be integrated into national systems, and parallel structures be avoided.” • “Durable solutions should be pursued without discrimination between camp and urban refugees” • “There is no basis for a punitive approach toward those who move from camps to urban areas.  There may in fact be protection reasons existing in the camps which give rise to the movement to urban areas.  Therefore, no punitive measures should be implemented on refugees who move to urban areas from camps. ”

24. Proposed Action • Repeal section 17 from the 1998 Refugee Act • Amend section 32 • allow for freedom of movement, residence and work • Why? • Allow those living outside of designated refugee camps avoid forced repatriation • Ensure the freedom to work • Freedom of movement and self-reliance • Be afforded the UNHCR protection afforded to refugees

25. Proposed action • UNHCR sponsored international visas • Why? • Article 26: Freedom of movement • Right to choose one’s place of residence • Right to move freely within the host country.  • Article 28: UNHCR provision of Travel Documents • Dependant on destination countries granting visas and honoring other Convention rights • UNHCR protection would be portable

26. Stakeholders • UNHCR • US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) • Host country governments • Resettlement country governments • Country of origin governments • Refugees • Host country citizens • Resettlement country citizens • County of Origin citizens • NGOs • Amnesty Int’l, IOM

27. Legislators/ Endorsers • KhotiKamanga • Director of the Centre for Forced Migration • Ambassador Susan Rice • US representative to the UN • Senator Brownback • Senator Joe Lieberman • Senator Ted Kennedy • Introduced and passed Amendment 1248 to the 2006 Foreign Operations funding bill sponsoring a pilot project to end warehousing • Dalai Lama • Desmond Tutu • Angelina Jolie • UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador

28. www.refugees.org

29. “Count every refugee because every refugee counts” Count Every Refugee. Every Refugee Counts

30. Count Every Refugee Every Refugee Counts

31. SOLUTIONS FOR ALL FREEDOM FOR ALL

32. UTATUZI KWA KILA MTU UHURU KWA KILA MTU

33. ‘Sarah’s’ Finale

34. Works Cited • Feller, Erika; Turk, Volker; Nicholson, Frances (eds) .2003. Refugee protection in International Law: UNHCR’s Global Consultations on International Protection. Caimbridge University Press • Refugees Act, 1998 [United Republic of Tanzania]. 9. 15 April 1999, available online in UNHCR Refworld at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6b50bf.html  [accessed 2 April 2009] • Slaughter, Amy. 2009. A Surrogate State? The role of UNHCR in protracted refugee situations. Policy Development and Evaluation Service, UNHCR . Research paper No.168. • Smith, Merril (2004) Warehousing Refugees: A denial of Rights, a waste of humanity. World Refugee Survey. http://www.refugees.org/data/wrs/04/pdf/38-56.pdf . retrieved 28 Feb. 2009 • U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). New Draft policy on Refugees in Urban Areas. http://www.refugees.org/article.aspx?id=1122&rid=1179&subm=33&ssm=78&area=About%20Refugees#new_draft. Retrieved 31 Marc h 2009 • United Nation High Commission for Refugees (2008) • UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Protracted Refugee Situations. High Commissioner's Initiative, December 2008. Online. UNHCR Refworld, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/496f041d2.html  [accessed 4 April 2009] • UN General Assembly, Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, 30 January 1967. United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 606, p. 267. Online. UNHCR Refworld, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6b3ae4.html  [accessed 4 April 2009] • UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Chairman's Summary, 11 December 2008 (High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges (10-11 December 2008), Theme: Protracted Refugee Situations, January 2009. Online. UNHCR Refworld, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/496711472.html  [accessed 2 April 2009] • Global Needs Assessment. 2009. http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/GNA. retrieved 28 Feb. 2009 • Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. 1951. http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/3b66c2aa10.pdf. retrieved 28 Feb. 2009 • UNCHR 2007 Statistical Yearbook. http://www.unhcr.org/statistics/STATISTICS/4981b19d2.html. retrieved 28 Feb. 2009