MANY TO MANY 64 A HUMANITARIAN AGENDA

A HUMANITARIAN AGENDA

The estimated 35 civil wars and communal conflicts raging in the world today are driving more people than ever before from their homes, but increasingly with nowhere to run. Life has never been tougher for the 22 million refugees and people protected by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

According to the UNHCR Report "The State of the World's Refugees: A Humanitarian Agenda", peoples in many parts of the world who have taken refuge in another country have been harassed, attacked and even forced to go home against their will. In certain regions refugees are frequently being pushed from country to country, fleeing from the fighting or from being attacked; and safety during asylum is under greater threat than ever, with more assaults on refugee camps, rape of refugee women and forced recruitment of men and boys.

While the number of refugees are declining, the number of internally displaced is on the increase and is now between 25 and 30 million people. Within the border of their own country, these people have been forced to abandon their homes because of persecution, armed conflict and violence. The Report points out that the mere fact that the displaced have not crossed a border can mean that their needs are being completely ignored. The displaced are not protected by international refugee law and therefore have often no access to international assistance.

Rich and poor countries alike are increasingly reluctant to open their doors to refugees, regarding them as "political, social or economic threats". Compounding this situation is the plight of millions of people who are stateless or whose nationality is disputed. It is estimated that 3 million Palestinians have been stateless for decades after being displaced by war, and due to the redrawing of borders or the introduction of new citizenship laws, people in their millions have lost their nationality.

"The international regime of refugee protection", says Ms Sadako Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, "painstakingly developed since the beginning of the 20th century, is now under unprecedented pressure." While the international community is increasingly expecting aid agencies to provide solutions to these complex humanitarian problems, such agencies cannot "bring civil wars to an end, oblige states to respect the human rights of their citizens or bring a halt to the deliberate displacement of civilian populations."

Among the suggestions made in the report which are seen as essential for countering displacement are: urgent steps to eradicate poverty; the promotion of human rights and democracy, and the strengthening of peacebuilding operations in wartorn societies. Furthermore, those who are responsible for forcing millions of peoples from their homes should be brought to account. "Unless people feel secure in their homes", says the High Commissioner for Refugees, "the security of states will continue to be threatened."

For a copy of the report, contact:
Oxford University Press, Walton Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, U.K.

Anthony Brooke and Gita Brooke, co-founders
Te Rangi, 4 Allison Street, Wanganui 5001, New Zealand
phone/fax: +64-6-345-5714 ~ e-mail: Many to Many
under the aegis of
Operation Peace Through Unity
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