| United Nations | A/50/12 |
General Assembly
Distr. GENERAL
[14 September 1995]
ORIGINAL:
ARABIC
A/50/12 Report of the High Commissioner for Refugees Official Records T Fiftieth Session Supplement No.12 (A/50/12) A/50/12 NOTE
Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters
combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a
ISSN 0251 8023
--[Original: English]
CONTENTS
Chapter Paragraphs Page
I. INTRODUCTION ........................................ 1 -101
II. INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION ............................ 11 -373
A. Introduction .................................... 11 - 123
B. Protection in its current context: asylum,
solutions and prevention ........................ 13 - 263
C. Securing the rights of refugees ................. 27 - 296
D. Promotional activities .......................... 30 - 376
III. ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES ............................... 38 -1989
A. Major trends in assistance ...................... 38 - 619
1. General and Special Programmes .............. 38 - 419
2. Types of assistance ......................... 42 - 619
(a) Emergency preparedness, response and
assistance ............................. 42 - 489
(b) Care and maintenance ................... 49 - 5011
(c) Voluntary repatriation ................. 51 - 5211
(d) Local settlement ....................... 53 - 5511
(e) Resettlement ........................... 56 - 6112
B. Programme themes and priorities ................. 62 - 7913
1. Refugee women ............................... 64 - 6713
2. Refugee children ............................ 68 - 7014
3. Environment ................................. 71 - 7414
4. Refugee/returnee aid and development ........ 75 - 7915
C. Programme management and implementation ......... 80 - 8816
1. General ..................................... 80 - 8216
CONTENTS (continued)
Chapter Paragraphs Page
2. Military support to UNHCR activities ........ 83 - 8416
3. Evaluation .................................. 85 - 8817
D. Regional developments in Africa ................. 89 - 11717
1. West Africa ................................. 89 - 9417
2. Great Lakes Region .......................... 95 - 10318
3. Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa ....... 104 - 108 19
4. Southern Africa ............................. 109 - 11720
E. Regional developments in the Americas and the
Caribbean ....................................... 118 - 12922
1. Central America and Mexico .................. 118 - 12422
2. South America and Caribbean ................. 125 - 12923
F. Regional developments in Asia and Oceania ....... 130 - 15023
1. South Asia .................................. 130 - 13623
2. East Asia ................................... 137 - 15025
G. Regional developments in Europe ................. 151 - 17126
1. Western Europe .............................. 151 - 15426
2. Central and Eastern Europe .................. 155 - 16627
3. Former Yugoslavia ........................... 167 - 17129
H. Regional developments in South-West Asia, North
Africa and the Middle East ...................... 172 - 19830
1. South-West Asia ............................. 172 - 18030
2. Central Asian Republics ..................... 181 - 18632
3. North Africa ................................ 187 - 19033
4. Middle East ................................. 191 - 19833
IV. FINANCING OF MATERIAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES ......... 199 -20235
V. RELATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS .................. 203 -21536
A. Cooperation between UNHCR and other members of
the United Nations system ....................... 203 - 20836
CONTENTS (continued)
Chapter Paragraphs Page
B. Relations with other intergovernmental
organizations .................................. 20937
C. Relations with non-governmental organizations .. 210 - 21537
Tables
1. UNHCR expenditure in 1994 by regional bureau/country and main
types of assistance activities ...................................39
2. Contributions to UNHCR assistance programmes .....................43
--CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1. During 1994 and the first quarter of 1995, the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continued its efforts to
bring protection and assistance to refugees and returnees and to the
increasing numbers of internally displaced persons and other affected
populations it had been called upon to assist. The massive new exodus of
over 2 million refugees from Rwanda cast a deep shadow over the period
under review. A number of other regions, including the former Yugoslavia,
the Transcaucasus, the Horn of Africa and parts of western Africa,
continued to suffer from massive population displacements, while a major
new crisis erupted in the northern Caucasus. These tragic events were
offset by new or continued repatriation movements as possibilities for
solutions, albeit sometimes fragile, presented themselves in various parts
of the world.
2. World wide, the refugee population had decreased to under 15 million by
the end of 1994. That decrease was offset, however, by an increase in the
total number of persons considered to be of concern to UNHCR, which rose to
some 28 million, including over 5 million internally displaced persons, 3.4
million others of humanitarian concern, predominantly populations affected
by conflict, and, more positively, some 4 million returnees requiring
assistance to re-establish sustainable reintegration in their countries of
origin. Those figures were reflected in a strengthened focus by the Office
on work in countries of origin.
3. In providing protection and assistance during 1994 and the first
quarter of 1995, UNHCR continued to implement its strategy of preparedness,
prevention and solutions. It has aimed to assure a level of preparedness
so as to respond rapidly to emergencies; to provide assistance and
protection in such a way as to avert, where possible, the occurrence of new
refugee flows; and to promote concerted efforts to achieve durable
solutions to refugee problems, notably through voluntary repatriation. The
challenge of this strategy is to combine the traditional activities of
protection and assistance with more innovative approaches to refugee
problems.
4. In the pursuit of this threefold strategy, UNHCR has been guided by the
concerns of the Economic and Social Council to ensure the effectiveness of
interventions and the durability of results by making sure that its
activities, especially in complex emergency situations, are coordinated
with those of the rest of the United Nations system. As the High
Commissioner has frequently stated, a strategy of prevention, preparedness
and solutions can only succeed to the extent that UNHCR draws in
Governments, United Nations agencies, and intergovernmental and non-
governmental organizations.
5. Throughout the period under review, UNHCR continued to consolidate its
capacity to respond to emergencies both through internal arrangements and
external stand-by mechanisms. Faced, however, in the Great Lakes region of
Africa, with the most severe refugee crisis in its history, the Office was
again challenged to innovate. It appealed to donor Governments to go
beyond their normal role of providing financial support and to assume
operational responsibility for various critical assistance sectors through
the deployment of resources drawn largely from their military and civil
defence establishments. The positive impact of that new approach has led
UNHCR into a process of consultation with Governments in order to determine
how such self-contained "service packages" can best be used to further
enhance response to large-scale emergencies.
6. In 1994 and the first quarter of 1995, solutions were found for large
numbers of refugees. Over 1.7 million refugees returned to their countries
of origin, most notably to Mozambique, Afghanistan and Myanmar. Solutions
continued to be consolidated in a number of other regions, especially in
Central America, where the process launched by the International Conference
on Central American Refugees was brought formally to a close in June 1994,
and in South-East Asia with the agreement of the Steering Committee of the
International Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees to aim for the completion
of activities under the Comprehensive Plan of Action by the end of 1995.
7. Solutions to complex, refugee-producing emergencies require concerted
efforts in which humanitarian activities are complemented by both political
initiatives to resolve conflict and development efforts to ensure a
sustainable livelihood for the most severely affected areas and people.
The Office has continued to reinforce its community-based approach to
reintegration assistance and has pursued discussions with other departments
and agencies, particularly the Department of Humanitarian Affairs of the
United Nations Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), on how institutional gaps can be bridged so as to ensure a
meaningful "continuum from relief to development". It has also sought to
strengthen its relationship with the financial institutions, notably the
World Bank. Different mandates, institutional cultures, and funding
structures and procedures are among the obstacles that continue to hamper
optimal collaboration in this area.
8. The Office has also continued to advocate strategies which could pre-
empt refugee-producing situations. It has strengthened its institution-
building activities in various parts of the world and, at the request of
the Secretary-General, has continued or expanded its involvement in
assisting and seeking solutions for groups of internally displaced persons.
In 1994, the Office launched a process to develop a comprehensive approach
to the problems of refugees, returnees, displaced persons and migrants in
the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and relevant
neighbouring States.
9. In elaborating its protection and assistance programmes, UNHCR has
continued to give special emphasis to policy issues identified as priority
areas by the Executive Committee and by the Economic and Social Council.
Special attention has been paid to ways of strengthening the ability of the
Office to respond to the particular needs of refugee women and children.
In addition, increased attention has been given to the environmental impact
of the largescale presence of refugees in countries of asylum.
10. In 1994, UNHCR received a total of $1.07 billion in voluntary
contributions towards its General and Special Programmes. By 31 March
1995, a total of $281 million had been received against General and Special
Programmes requirements amounting to $1.29 billion.
CHAPTER II
INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION
A. Introduction
11. The core functions of UNHCR remain those assigned by its 1950 Statute:
providing international protection to refugees and seeking permanent
solutions to their problems by assisting Governments to facilitate their
voluntary repatriation or their integration into local communities. The
Statute of the Office, contained in the annex to General Assembly
resolution 428 (V) of 14 December 1950, provides the legal basis for its
functions. In the 45 years since adoption of the Statute, the day-to-day
work of the Office has also been reinforced and guided by conclusions and
decisions of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme.
12. The most basic need of refugees remains access to safety. Recognizing
that the Office of the High Commissioner cannot act alone in ensuring
refugee protection, the Statute calls on Governments to cooperate with the
Office in taking steps to protect refugees; granting them admission is
cited by the Statute as a basic step in extending such protection. The
granting of asylum and the principle of non-refoulement, or not returning
refugees to danger, remain both the legal and the moral foundations of
international protection. A total of 128 States are now parties to the
1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, its 1967 Protocol, or
both; 42 States are parties to the 1969 Organization of African Unity
Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa;
and the majority of Latin American States adhere to the principles of the
1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees.
B. Protection in its current context: asylum,
solutions and prevention
13. The sheer scale of recent humanitarian crises and their brutal nature,
which have provoked the deep concern of the international community, have
also attracted renewed attention to refugee protection needs. In
particular, the challenges of refugee protection in the context of internal
strife of a persecutory character, the militarization of refugee camps,
pressures for repatriation under conditions which do not promote
sustainability, and the compelling needs of internally displaced persons
have come to the fore.
14. Those challenges have underscored the need to preserve and strengthen
international commitment to asylum, while also prompting the exploration of
different models of protection and solutions. Such concerns were clearly
reflected in the deliberations of the Executive Committee of the High
Commissioner's Programme at its forty-fifth session, held at Geneva from 3
to 7 October 1994.
15. The Note on International Protection presented to that session 1/
examined the fundamental concept of international protection and
underscored meeting that need as the guiding principle for the action of
the High Commissioner and of the international community on behalf of
refugees. It reviewed the foundations of refugee protection in human
rights principles and the international legal framework which provides the
basic tools of protection, and considered ways of meeting the needs of
persons of concern to the Office, including those outside the scope of the
1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol. In so doing, it gave particular
consideration to temporary protection as a pragmatic tool for meeting
urgent protection needs in situations of mass influx.
16. The Executive Committee expressed its deep concern and preoccupation
with the immense human suffering and loss of life in recent crises and the
scale and complexity of current refugee problems, and deplored the
incidence of armed attack and of murder, rape and other violations of
fundamental rights, as well as refoulement and denial of access to safety.
It called on States to uphold and strengthen asylum as an indispensable
instrument for the international protection of refugees, and stressed the
importance of international solidarity and burden-sharing in assisting
countries, in particular those with limited resources, that receive and
care for large numbers of refugees and asylumseekers.
17. The Executive Committee noted that a large number of persons in need
of international protection had been forced to flee or to remain outside
their countries of origin as a result of danger to their life or freedom
brought about by situations of conflict. It recognized the desirability of
exploring further measures to ensure international protection to all who
need it, encouraged the High Commissioner to promote international
cooperation in that regard and noted the value of temporary protection in
providing a pragmatic and flexible response to mass influx.
18. The granting of asylum is the basis of temporary protection. The
fundamental elements of temporary protection remain those of international
protection generally, namely, admission to safety, respect for the basic
rights of refugees, and their non-refoulement.
19. One premise upon which temporary protection is based is the
expectation of resolving, within a reasonable period of time, the
underlying cause of the outflow. UNHCR has indicated that temporary
protection must not be unduly protracted before more permanent status is
granted to the victims, in situations in which the grounds for flight have
not been resolved. In addition, UNHCR has emphasized that the
beneficiaries of temporary protection are, in many cases, refugees within
the meaning of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
Persecution, and a lack of effective protection against persecution, can
take place during a civil war, in international armed conflict, or in
peacetime. Many beneficiaries of temporary protection have fled their
countries because of well-founded fear of persecution for reasons set forth
in the Convention, which may have found expression in military action
targeting particular ethnic or religious groups.
20. As requested by the Executive Committee, UNHCR continues to explore
further this form of protection and to take the lead in providing guidance
on its application.
21. In addition to its efforts to ensure that asylum is granted to all
those who need it, UNHCR seeks the strongest support of the international
community and international, intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations for the promotion of conditions which would make voluntary
repatriation of refugees possible and sustainable, and it continues to
advocate strategies which could pre-empt refugee-producing situations. The
range of actors who must cooperate in such comprehensive approaches, the
degree of political commitment needed, and the relative absence of media
and public interest in situations which have not yet engendered significant
outflows remain obstacles to concerted efforts at prevention.
22. Nevertheless, UNHCR continues to promote, wherever possible,
strategies which may contribute to stabilizing fragile situations and
attenuating the underlying causes of refugee flows. These activities are
consistent with the general conclusions of the Executive Committee at its
forty-fourth session 2/ calling on UNHCR to consider, in cooperation with
other concerned bodies, further activities in the context of comprehensive
approaches to displacement.
23. In this connection, and further to General Assembly resolution 49/173
of 23 December 1994, UNHCR is engaged in preparations for a conference to
address the problems of refugees, returnees and displaced persons in the
countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and relevant
neighbouring States.
24. Both within this conference process and more generally, in relation to
other regions, the Office is devoting greater attention to the problem of
statelessness. If effective national protection of stateless persons is
not ensured, they, too, may join the ranks of the displaced. The denial of
rights and expulsion of minorities is a recurrent theme in displacement,
and the prevention and reduction of statelessness is a significant aspect
of securing minority rights. The Executive Committee, at its forty-fifth
session, called on UNHCR to strengthen its efforts in this domain.
25. Collaboration with the human rights initiatives and mechanisms of the
United Nations system is an increasingly important component of both
preventive and solution-oriented efforts. Addressing the fifty-first
session of the Commission on Human Rights, held at Geneva from 30 January
to 10 March 1995, the High Commissioner underlined the close link between
human rights abuses and the causes of refugee movements. She drew
particular attention to international efforts to establish a more effective
operational capacity of the United Nations in human rights through
intensified field operations in several areas, and also to the
establishment of international tribunals to prosecute the perpetrators of
grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law. The High
Commissioner pointed out that UNHCR's actions on behalf of refugees,
returnees, and, increasingly, internally displaced persons also contribute
to the advancement of human rights.
26. An important aspect of the current challenge to provide protection to
all who need it and to prevent and resolve refugee flows relates to UNHCR's
increasing level of involvement with internally displaced persons. The
Executive Committee, at its forty-fifth session, adopted a conclusion on
internally displaced persons, 3/ which, recognizing that the plight of such
persons is a matter of grave humanitarian concern, noted that the many and
varied underlying causes of involuntary internal displacement and of
refugee movements are often similar and may call for similar measures with
respect to prevention, protection, humanitarian assistance and solutions.
The Executive Committee, emphasizing that the primary responsibility for
the welfare and protection of internally displaced persons lies with the
State concerned, called on Governments to ensure safe and timely
humanitarian access to persons in need of protection and assistance,
including internally displaced persons and victims of armed conflict, as
well as refugees within their territories. The Executive Committee further
emphasized that activities on behalf of internally displaced persons must
not undermine the institution of asylum, including the right to seek and
enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. The continued
appropriateness of General Assembly resolution 48/116 of 20 December 1993
as a framework for the High Commissioner's involvement in respect of
internally displaced persons was recognized.
C. Securing the rights of refugees
27. UNHCR remains concerned about actions in various regions which might
undermine the right to seek and enjoy asylum and the principle of non-
refoulement. While the overwhelming majority of countries continue
generously to receive persons in need of international protection, many in
spite of difficult domestic conditions, both legal and practical obstacles
continue to inhibit access for asylum-seekers. These include the
imposition of carrier sanctions and visa requirements; restrictive
interpretations of refugee criteria which serve to exclude some of the most
deserving cases from recognition; xenophobic attitudes and actions which
undermine the protection implicit in the granting of asylum, and pressures
to hasten the repatriation of refugees, notwithstanding inadequate security
and poor prospects for both the safety and sustainability of return. UNHCR
continues to intervene with the authorities in cases in which refugees are
denied the protection they require, and to lend its expertise, where
required, in support of related doctrinal and legal questions.
28. The Office remains committed to elaborating more detailed guidelines
on the provision of temporary protection in cases of mass influx. At the
same time, however, the complexity of certain situations has raised basic
questions regarding the interpretation of the refugee definition in the
1951 Convention. It seems clear from the travaux preparatoires and from the
historical context that the Convention's provisions were intended to be
given an interpretation consistent with the generous spirit in which they
were conceived. The refugee definition was meant to have an inclusive,
rather than a restrictive meaning, in accordance with the fundamental
objective of providing international protection to those lacking effective
national protection, through the recognition of their refugee status.
29. UNHCR has also continued its efforts to ensure the physical security
of refugees. Following the emphasis placed by the Executive Committee and
the High Commissioner on the need to ensure the personal security of
refugees and, in particular, the conclusion adopted by the Executive
Committee at its fortyfourth session on refugee protection and sexual
violence, 4/ which called on the High Commissioner to monitor, prevent and
redress violations in this regard, UNHCR issued, on 8 March 1995, a
publication entitled "Sexual violence against refugees: guidelines on
prevention and response". Through these means, UNHCR seeks to highlight a
global and massive form of violation of the human rights of refugee men,
women and children. In doing so, UNHCR also hopes to dispel the view that
such forms of violence can be tolerated as an inevitable by-product of war
or ignored as a personal matter for the refugee alone to handle.
D. Promotional activities
30. During the period under review, the Solomon Islands acceded to the
1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and Dominica acceded
and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia succeeded to both the 1951
Convention and its 1967 Protocol, bringing the number of States Parties to
one or both instruments to 128.
31. UNHCR's promotional activities sought to strengthen knowledge and
understanding of refugee issues, as well as to foster the effective
implementation of international legal standards on behalf of refugees,
returnees and other persons of concern to UNHCR, including through their
incorporation into national legislation and administrative procedures. To
this end, the Office organized courses on refugee law and protection for
government officials, implementing partners and other non-governmental
organizations in all regions of the world. UNHCR's operational involvement
in new types of situations has resulted in an increase in the number of
training activities organized jointly with regional bodies, other
international organizations and non-governmental partners, as well as a
widening of the scope of those courses to include international
humanitarian and human rights law.
32. At the regional level, two important events in the field of promotion
took place at the end of 1994. The commemorations of the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the adoption of the Organization of African Unity Convention
Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and the tenth
anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees included the convening
of a symposium for the former and a colloquium for the latter, both of
which were well attended and allowed for in-depth discussion on a wide
range of issues related to refugee protection.
33. The protection responsibilities of UNHCR include protecting the human
rights of refugees, returnees and other displaced persons of concern to the
Office. UNHCR is therefore closely following developments in the field of
human rights within the United Nations system and is cooperating with its
human rights mechanisms. The crucial link between the human rights system
and the protection of refugees serves a dual purpose. On the one hand, it
assists the Office in raising awareness of the relationship between refugee
issues and broader human rights concerns, particularly those related to the
right to seek and enjoy asylum and the right to freedom of movement, which
includes "the right to return" and "the right to remain". Other rights of
special interest to the Office are related to protection of women and
children. On the other hand, strengthening collaboration between UNHCR and
the human rights bodies enhances the ability of the United Nations as a
whole to address complex humanitarian problems in a more comprehensive
manner. In addition, international human rights instruments constitute
helpful terms of reference to strengthen the protection of refugees in
accordance with the protection mandate of UNHCR.
34. During 1994, UNHCR was increasingly involved in the work of the human
rights treaty bodies and other human rights mechanisms, through sharing of
information, exchange of views and promotion of human rights standards.
UNHCR established an active collaboration with the High Commissioner for
Human Rights, especially at the level of field operations. In addition,
UNHCR actively contributed to the work of the Subcommission on Prevention
of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and the fifty-first session
of the Commission on Human Rights. Ongoing contacts with human rights
working groups, rapporteurs, experts and monitors are also an integral part
of the approach of UNHCR to bridge human rights concerns with the
protection of refugees.
35. In fulfilling its responsibility to provide international protection
to refugees, UNHCR must have access to credible and trustworthy information
on countries that are the sources of population displacements.
Authoritative information supports decision and policy-making processes and
ensures that the actions taken by the Office are both readily defensible
and oriented to effective solutions.
36. The Centre for Documentation on Refugees (CDR) acts as the information
resource arm of the Division of International Protection. It provides
users with a broad and relevant collection of refugee literature, legal and
country of origin information. Its acquisitions policy reflects, in the
main, literature and documentation on refugees and durable solutions for
refugees; human rights violations; advocacy and remedies; minorities and
displaced persons; and law, practice and opinion.
37. In order to ensure access to information on refugees, the CDR began
over ten years ago to develop a refugee literature database. There are
currently 14 databases, known collectively as REFWORLD, which include
country reports and United Nations documentation in full text, case law,
instruments, legislation, media and an on-line thesaurus. REFWORLD was
scheduled to be available over the INTERNET in April 1995 and to appear as
a CD-ROM.
CHAPTER III
ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
A. Major trends in assistance
1. General and Special Programmes
38. UNHCR divides its assistance programmes into two broad categories:
General Programmes (including a Programme Reserve, a General Allocation for
Voluntary Repatriation and an Emergency Fund) and Special Programmes. In
the context of the preparation of the United Nations Medium-Term Plan 1998-
2001, UNHCR is seeking to assure consistency in the way its programmes are
presented to the Executive Committee and in the Medium-Term Plan.
39. Expenditure in 1994 amounted to $390.7 million under General
Programmes and $776.1 million under Special Programmes. Some 31.5 per cent
of the Special Programmes pertained to UNHCR's programme of humanitarian
assistance in the former Yugoslavia and a further 31 per cent to the
Burundi/Rwanda emergency operation. Other important expenditures concerned
the Mozambique repatriation programme and the Comprehensive Plan of Action
for Indo-Chinese Refugees.
40. Total voluntary funds expenditures related to 1994 activities amounted
to $1,166.8 million. In addition, expenditures relating to a portion of
administrative support costs at headquarters and amounting to $23.6 million
were covered by the United Nations Regular Budget contribution to UNHCR.
Detailed information on expenditure levels for each country or area
programme is given in table 1.
41. The initial 1995 General Programmes target approved by the Executive
Committee in October 1994 was $415.4 million. That amount was subsequently
increased by the Executive Committee at its meeting of 17 January 1995 to
$428.7 million, which includes $14 million as a Programme Reserve, $20
million for the General Allocation for Voluntary Repatriation and $25
million for the Emergency Fund. Projections for 1995 under Special
Programmes amounted to $866 million, of which some $290 million pertained
to the Burundi/Rwanda emergency and some $191 million to the former
Yugoslavia.
2. Types of assistance
(a) Emergency preparedness, response and assistance
42. As a result of UNHCR's efforts since 1991, its stand-by capacity to
meet emergencies has reached a high level. Thus, during the period under
review, the emphasis was on maintaining and improving established stand-by
arrangements rather than increasing their number.
43. During 1994 and the first quarter of 1995, UNHCR's emergency response
teams were deployed to 17 operations. The five senior Emergency
Preparedness and Response Officers (EPROs), who are on stand-by at all
times to lead emergency teams or to undertake specific emergency
assignments, were deployed for 737 workdays; the 11 emergency
administrative staff were deployed for 2,345 workdays. They were
complemented by over 20 staff drawn from UNHCR's internal emergency roster,
who were normally deployed for two-month periods during the initial phase
of emergency operations. United Nations Volunteers has emerged as the
largest supplier of seconded staff to UNHCR's emergency teams, with 77
Volunteers being deployed to nine countries. Another staffing arrangement
which has worked very well is with Radda Barnen International (Sweden),
which seconded eight community services officers to UNHCR's emergency teams
during the period under review. That arrangement, inter alia, has made it
possible for UNHCR to ensure that the needs of women, children and other
vulnerable groups are given attention from the initial phase of an
emergency. Other agencies with stand-by arrangements for staff secondment,
such as the Danish and Norwegian refugee councils, the Centers for Disease
Control (United States) and Red R (United Kingdom), were also used
extensively; a new stand-by arrangement with Red R (Australia) was being
negotiated.
44. UNHCR's central emergency stockpile was used heavily during the period
under review. Additions were made to the stock level of items such as
vehicles, plastic sheeting and blankets. Thanks to the emergency
stockpile, UNHCR was able, for example, to deliver within a 10-day period
sufficient non-food items for some 250,000 refugees at the onset of the
influx into Goma, Zaire. The stockpile of staff support equipment was also
found to be indispensable in the various locations where emergency
operations were established, given the often poor facilities in those
places. UNHCR gave the Commission on Human Rights access to its stock of
field survival kits for the Commission's human rights monitors assigned to
Rwanda. At the height of the emergency operation in Ngara, the United
Republic of Tanzania, UNHCR also called on its stand-by arrangements with
the Swedish Rescue Services Board to assist with the construction of office
accommodation. Also under a stand-by arrangement, a fleet of 30 trucks
with drivers from the Russian governmental agency EMERCOM was deployed to
the Ngara operation.
45. UNHCR continued to provide regional emergency training to non-
governmental organization partners, government counterparts and UNHCR
staff. In 1994, emergency management training programmes were conducted in
Botswana, Turkey and Thailand for some 110 participants. The training
course for UNHCR internal staff on stand-by for emergency deployment was
further improved; of the 50 staff who received training, most were
eventually deployed to emergency operations. Further attention is being
given to sharpening the management and leadership skills of the EPROs who
lead the emergency teams during the initial phase of an emergency.
46. In spite of these arrangements, UNHCR's response capacity was fully
taxed by the unprecedentedly large refugee movements in the Great Lakes
region of Africa. Major emergency resources were deployed to the United
Republic of Tanzania, Zaire, Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda. However, given
the extent of the needs and the fact that substantial resources had already
been depleted by preceding emergencies, UNHCR found it necessary to appeal
to Governments for assistance beyond its traditional resources in order to
meet the initial critical needs of the more than 1 million Rwandese
refugees who fled their country in July 1994.
47. The innovative form in which this assistance was sought came to be
known as "service packages". UNHCR proposed eight service packages to
Governments: airport services, logistics base services, road servicing and
road security, site preparation, provision of domestic fuel, sanitation
facilities, water management, and airhead management. These packages were
provided by various Governments by rapidly mobilizing military or civil
defence capacities to complement UNHCR's own resources. As a result of
this generally positive experience, and at the request of the Executive
Committee, UNHCR undertook a study to define and develop further the
modalities for deployment of such self-contained assistance packages in
future major emergencies. An informal consultation convened by UNHCR
considered this study on 3 April 1995 and an informal process has been
launched to consider further the broader questions relating to preparedness
for emergencies. UNHCR is coordinating closely with and participating in
related initiatives sponsored by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs of
the United Nations Secretariat.
48. Emergency assistance provided by UNHCR in 1994 amounted to $273.4
million, representing some 23 per cent of UNHCR expenditure under all
sources of funds. In the provision of such assistance, UNHCR was anxious to
assure a smooth transition from relief to development. Ways to assure such
a transition are under consideration in inter-agency discussions on the
continuum from relief to development.
(b) Care and maintenance
49. After the emergency phase of a refugee operation, the basic needs of
the refugee population are covered by activities described as care and
maintenance. During 1994, $536.8 million, or 45 per cent of UNHCR's
expenditureunderallsourcesof funds,werespentoncareandmaintenanceactivities.
50. The largest programme related to the former Yugoslavia ($222.7
million). In Africa, sizeable programmes continued in Kenya ($30.5
million), Guinea ($15.3 million) and Malawi ($14.2 million). Other large
programmes were in Pakistan ($19.4 million), Bangladesh ($15.8 million),
Hong Kong ($12.3 million) and Thailand ($12 million).
(c) Voluntary repatriation
51. Negotiations and events under way in many areas provide continued
grounds for hope that voluntary repatriation, the preferred durable
solution, can soon become a reality for a large number of the world's
refugees. During 1994, $173 million were spent on voluntary repatriation
under all sources of funds. The bulk of this expenditure was under Special
Programmes. Of the modest expenditure ($21.3 million) under General
Programmes, some $16.1 million were incurred under the General Allocation
for Voluntary Repatriation; this General Allocation has proven to be a
valuable funding mechanism for addressing, under certain conditions and in
an expeditious manner, opportunities for voluntary repatriation.
52. Of the 1.7 million refugees who returned, most notably to Mozambique,
Afghanistan, Togo and Myanmar, some 670,000 were assisted directly by
UNHCR. Initiatives to ensure the durability of voluntary repatriations are
described below (paras. 75-79).
(d) Local settlement
53. In situations in which voluntary repatriation is not an option in the
foreseeable future, local settlement of refugees within the host country
may be a viable possibility. Pending their repatriation, refugees are,
where possible, assisted through specific projects aimed at promoting their
socio-economic self-reliance and local integration, thus enabling UNHCR to
phase out its assistance on a progressive and sustainable basis. Such
projects fall, for the most part, into two broad categories - agricultural
and non-agricultural.
54. Local settlements may be organized or spontaneous. In rural areas,
organized schemes are being developed in countries such as the Central
African Republic, China, Ethiopia, Mexico, the United Republic of Tanzania
and Zaire. Spontaneous settlements in local host villages are supported in
Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Senegal. Assistance to urban
refugees is provided in many countries, including Brazil, Kenya, Senegal
and some European countries. In view of the degree of self-sufficiency
achieved, it was planned to phase down local settlement assistance in a
number of countries in 1995.
55. Expenditures in 1994 for local settlement, under all sources of funds,
amounted to some $111.3 million.
(e) Resettlement
56. In 1994, UNHCR sought resettlement for some 58,860 persons, with an
additional 20,000 places offered for temporary protection and resettlement
for refugees from former Yugoslavia. Resettlement places were identified
for 34,640 refugees, representing a 41 per cent shortfall against forecast
needs, as compared to the 1993 shortfall of 39 per cent.
57. From the beginning of the operation in June 1991 until 28 February
1995, 12,629 Iraqis in Saudi Arabia, out of an initial 31,828, were
resettled, mainly in the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. A
further 1,136 had been accepted for resettlement and were in the process of
being transferred to their respective receiving countries.
58. Resettlement requirements for refugees from the Middle East exceeded
those of other regions, with some 22,500 places required for 1995. Over
2,143 Iranian and Iraqi refugees were resettled from Turkey in 1994;
requirements for 1995 were estimated at 1,300. UNHCR continues to promote
burden-sharing for this caseload.
59. In former Yugoslavia, from the beginning of the emergency operation in
October 1992 to the end of 1994, 26,304 persons, mainly from Bosnia and
Herzegovina, were enabled through UNHCR programmes to move to third
countries for resettlement or temporary protection. In addition to ex-
detainees and their dependants, the operation included victims or witnesses
of violence/torture, those with medical problems and persons in acute need
of protection. The initial international response to the High
Commissioner's appeal was positive, with 26 Governments offering places for
temporary protection or resettlement. In recent months, however, more
restrictive trends have become apparent.
60. Major resettlement efforts in Africa focused on refugees from and
located in the Horn of Africa, notably Somalis. In West Africa, Liberian
refugees continued to receive resettlement assistance, mainly for family
reunification. In 1994, a total of 6,964 Africans were resettled, mostly in
Nordic countries, and in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Extraregional resettlement efforts for African refugees aim primarily at
reuniting families. A smaller number of resettlement places is required,
predominantly for selected individuals whose physical security is
threatened, or for vulnerable refugees for whom resettlement remains the
only suitable, durable and humane solution. UNHCR projected a need for some
8,650 third-country resettlement places for African refugees in 1995.
61. The resettlement of Vietnamese and Lao refugees under the
Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indo-Chinese Refugees was scheduled to be
completed by early 1995. A total of 7,018 Vietnamese and 6,187 Lao were
resettled under the programme during 1994. Although a target date for
final resettlement offers was set for the end of December 1994, there were
still 1,088 Vietnamese without firm resettlement acceptances by then.
Despite the participation of many Governments in this camp clearance
exercise, broader participation and increased flexibility on the part of
the countries of resettlement are needed to successfully complete this
operation.
B. Programme themes and priorities
62. In all the phases of its assistance cycle, UNHCR continues to
institutionalize its particular concerns with regard to refugee women and
children and to the environment, and to integrate these special needs into
its programme planning and implementation. The three areas have been
singled out by the Executive Committee as programmatic priorities. In
1994, the Executive Committee, through an informal Working Group on Refugee
Women and Refugee Children, looked into the diversity and persistent
character of certain obstacles hampering the protection of refugee women
and children. The Executive Committee endorsed the special initiatives
called for in the report of the Working Group. The Office also continues
to explore ways to address the environmental impact of refugee movements.
63. In addition, in its efforts to ensure the durability of voluntary
return movements, UNHCR continues to seek to interest Governments,
development agencies and financial institutions in improving the
infrastructure in areas of return often devastated by war. The theme of
the continuum from relief to development was the subject of a number of
deliberations in the Subcommittee on Administrative and Financial Matters
during the period under review.
1. Refugee women
64. The Working Group on Refugee Women and Refugee Children recommended,
inter alia, that staff members or consultants with specific expertise
should be systematically engaged to ensure that the particular problems
affecting refugee women are addressed within overall programme planning.
It has thus been decided to create four new posts of Regional Adviser on
Refugee Women; these will provide significant reinforcement to present
activities aimed at improving programmes for refugee women.
65. The same report underlined the need for expanded People-oriented
Planning (POP), UNHCR's training programme covering gender issues. In this
context, substantial efforts have been undertaken to coordinate and
reinforce training efforts with particular indigenous training
organizations so that they can replicate and ensure the expansion of POP
training. Furthermore, to respond to a growing demand for practical
applications of the POP approach to actual field situations, new guidelines
to assist in programming have been prepared. In addition, training
materials were translated into Arabic and Russian and new case-studies on
reproductive health were being prepared. A trainer's manual has also been
developed to assist trainers in giving the UNHCR course to any requesting
organization.
66. Particular care has been taken to assure coordination with other
United Nations initiatives. Cooperation with the Special Rapporteur of the
Commission on Human Rights on violence against women resulted in extensive
coverage of refugee women's issues in her first report. Work initiated in
UNHCR's Subcommittee of the Whole on International Protection related to
aspects of sexual violence culminated in the release of guidelines to
enable field staff to deal with this pervasive problem. Concerns related
to reproductive health and its particular relevance to the situation of
refugee women have been highlighted in the planning of an inter-agency
symposium proposed by UNHCR and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA);
it was hoped that the symposium would contribute to a guidance manual which
would ensure that future refugee health programmes integrate these
concerns.
67. UNHCR participated actively in all the preparatory conferences for the
Fourth World Conference on Women; as a result, every regional Platform of
Action included issues that have been identified through a field
consultation process as of concern to refugee women.
2. Refugee children
68. The revised Guidelines on Refugee Children, which was issued in May
1994 and which also contains UNHCR's Policy on Refugee Children, has been
extensively promoted, with 12,000 copies distributed to UNHCR staff and
implementing partners working with refugee children. A new manual
entitled, "Working with unaccompanied minors in the community - a family-
based approach" gives further guidance.
69. The quality of UNHCR's response to the needs of refugee children in
emergencies has been greatly enhanced by the deployment of trained
community workers as part of emergency teams at the outset of a refugee
problem. In the context of a community approach, the needs of children,
especially unaccompanied children, are assessed and addressed. For
example, community workers were deployed in 1994 and early 1995 in all the
countries of asylum affected by the Rwanda and the Chechnya emergencies and
in Guinea for the new influx of refugees from Sierra Leone. In addition, a
regional support unit for refugee children with three staff members was
deployed in the Rwanda emergency. This pilot project has the following
objectives: to ensure that field offices are sufficiently equipped to meet
children's needs; to organize training and workshops for the staff of UNHCR
and non-governmental organizations; to guide and support field staff in how
to respond to concrete problems; and to coordinate policy and activities
with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and local authorities.
70. UNHCR continues to pursue its objectives with regard to refugee
children in close coordination with the rest of the United Nations system
and other interested bodies; for example, a joint statement on evacuation
of unaccompanied children from Rwanda was issued in June 1994 together with
UNICEF, ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies. UNHCR is actively supporting the United Nations study on the
impact of armed conflict on children, undertaken by an expert appointed
pursuant to General Assembly resolution 48/157 of 20 December 1993.
Together with UNICEF, UNHCR has, inter alia, prepared and participated in a
field mission with the expert and her team to review the Rwanda emergency
operation.
3. Environment
71. The environmental dimension of the refugee situations is gaining
increased attention from host countries, the media and the international
community at large. The majority of refugee populations are to be found in
the world's ecologically fragile areas such as arid and semi-arid regions
and tropical rain forest areas.
72. In July 1994, UNHCR adopted "Interim guidelines for environment-
sensitive management of refugee programmes", which focus on preventive and
proactive approaches to alleviate environmental problems, such as
deforestation, associated with refugee camps, and are aimed to respond to
General Assembly resolution 47/191 of 22 December 1992, on follow-up of the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held at Rio de
Janeiro in 1992.
73. As an example, UNHCR's response to the Burundi/Rwanda emergency has
sought to address environmental issues. In the United Republic of
Tanzania, an action plan focusing on the environment was drawn up by UNHCR;
with donor support, and in conjunction with the Government and the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), its effective
implementation has been ensured. The impact of Rwandese refugees on a
national park in eastern Zaire is also being addressed through broad
collaborative action by the Government, UNHCR, UNDP, UNESCO and
conservation organizations.
74. Further implementation of the Guidelines, in particular the promotion
of refugee-related environmental projects through active participation of
government authorities, donors, non-governmental organizations and refugees
themselves, was to be a key activity for UNHCR in 1995.
4. Refugee/returnee aid and development
75. The mandate of the High Commissioner to promote durable solutions to
refugee problems logically implies that the activities of UNHCR should be
linked to programmes aimed at long-term development. By building mutually
supportive linkages between humanitarian and developmental activities,
dependency on relief can be reduced, solutions to refugee problems better
guaranteed and the best investment in preventing them can be made.
76. In the period under review, UNHCR participated in discussions with
Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations on
assuring, particularly in crisis and post-crisis situations, a better
interface between humanitarian interventions and development with the aim
of ensuring the sustainability of solutions. Among such discussions was
that of the Subcommittee on Rural Development of the Administrative
Committee on Coordination, held at Rome in May 1994, on returnee aid and
development.
77. In UNHCR's experience, implementation of the concept of a "continuum
from relief to development" should, on the one hand, enable humanitarian
assistance to facilitate viable reintegration of displaced persons into a
process of social and economic recovery and, on the other, bring
development endeavours closer to people-centred concerns and aspirations.
Without this reinforcing link, solutions to humanitarian crises may regress
into new, divisive communal problems.
78. In its implementation of the "continuum concept", UNHCR is addressing
humanitarian needs and concerns in a community context rather than
individually. This approach, effected primarily through area-based
strategies and so-called quick impact projects (QIPs), aims at supporting
reconciliation and rehabilitation in post-conflict societies by placing
humanitarian concerns in a development perspective. A policy and
methodological framework to this effect has been developed and programme
management modalities are being refined to better meet new situations and
needs. In these efforts provisions are made to link UNHCR's operations
closer with UNDP and other United Nations agencies, as well as with
bilateral actors.
79. UNHCR, at times in conjunction with UNDP, continued to review
significant reintegration experiences in order to benefit from lessons that
have been learned. Recent evaluations covered Cambodia, Afghanistan,
Mozambique, Somalia, Tajikistan and the seven countries participating in
the International Conference on Central American Refugees (CIREFCA).
Evaluations were also scheduled of the joint UNHCR/World Bank income-
generating projects for refugee areas in Pakistan and the joint UNHCR/IFAD
south Khorasan rangeland rehabilitation and refugee income-generating
project in the Islamic Republic of Iran; both projects were scheduled to
conclude in 1995.
C. Programme management and implementation
1. General
80. Throughout the period under review, UNHCR continued to implement the
recommendations of its working group on programme management and
operational capacity, whose recommendations were endorsed by the High
Commissioner in July 1993. One of the main recommendations, which has been
fully implemented, concerned UNHCR's programming cycle and procedures.
Under new procedures, there has been a reduction in the level of programme
detail reviewed at headquarters; representatives have also been given
greater flexibility in reallocating budget lines within operational
projects. Such changes have led not only to more expeditious approval of
operational budgets, but also to greater flexibility in the management of
programmes. Similar delegation of authority has been institutionalized for
administrative budgets at both headquarters and in the field.
81. The field version of the computer software of the Financial and
Management Information System was further enhanced during 1994 and other
improvements were planned for 1995.
82. A draft programme and project management handbook for UNHCR
implementing partners was being finalized. Simultaneously, UNHCR's
programme management training course has been revised. More emphasis was
being placed in such training on country-specific courses, and it was
planned to adapt this type of training to, and make it available for,
UNHCR's implementing partners.
2. Military support to UNHCR activities
83. Two types of relationships between UNHCR and the military have
evolved. The first results from situations in which the military has been
charged to assist humanitarian operations in a security role, and thus
normally involves a relationship between UNHCR and United Nations peace-
keepers. In view of the increasing use of United Nations peace-keeping
operations in support of humanitarian activities, the High Commissioner
recognized the need for improved understanding, new doctrines and
operational procedures, and new mutually advantageous systems for
coordination between UNHCR and the military. This led to the appointment
in 1993 at headquarters of a special adviser on military and logistic
issues. In addition, UNHCR has given support to the Department of Peace-
keeping Operations of the United Nations Secretariat in developing the
humanitarian activities section of the new training curriculum for United
Nations peace-keepers. Drawing on experience in former Yugoslavia, UNHCR
published in January 1995 the first edition of a handbook for the military
in humanitarian operations and a complementary internal staff training
module entitled "Working with the military".
84. A second form of relationship between UNHCR and the military concerns
situations in which unique or timely military skills or assets can be an
essential addition to UNHCR's emergency relief activities or in which
certain unique military skills are seconded by Governments to support
ongoing programmes. One aspect of this type of interface with the military
has been touched on above in the discussion of service packages (para. 47).
On a smaller but no less important scale, Governments have also responded
to UNHCR requests for the secondment of skilled military personnel to
support emergency or ongoing humanitarian operations. The best known case
is the Sarajevo airlift; it has involved seconded military personnel in the
air operations cell at UNHCR headquarters, as well as in Zagreb and Split
in Croatia, Ancona in Italy, and in the case of air drops to besieged
communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Rheinmain airbase in Frankfurt,
Germany.
3. Evaluation
85. The theme of durable solutions has been a major focus of UNHCR's
evaluation activities during the period under review. These activities
have included a comprehensive review of resettlement policy and practice, a
study of returnee aid and development, and a review of UNHCR's Kenya-
Somalia cross-border operation. An evaluation of the Mozambique
repatriation operation was initiated in the first quarter of 1995, to be
followed at year-end by an examination of the associated reintegration
programme.
86. UNHCR's activities in the former Soviet Union provided a new focus for
the Central Evaluation Section in the past year. Two studies have been
undertaken: one seeks to derive lessons from the Office's operations in the
Caucasus, and the other examines UNHCR's role in Tajikistan.
87. A comprehensive evaluation of UNHCR's policy and practice with regard
to urban refugees was initiated in December 1994. The first stage of this
review examines the organization's approach from a global perspective.
This will be followed by a number of case studies of UNHCR's work with
urban refugees in selected field locations.
88. On 1 March 1995, the Central Evaluation Section was incorporated into
UNHCR's new Inspection and Evaluation Service. It was anticipated that
this restructuring would significantly strengthen UNHCR's internal
oversight capacity and its ability to conduct independent and comprehensive
reviews of operational effectiveness and efficiency.
D. Regional developments in Africa
1. West Africa
89. During 1994, all efforts to bring peace to Liberia failed and, at the
close of the period under review, the situation remained fragile.
Hostilities, which resumed in September 1994, forced 56,000 Liberians to
flee into Guinea and 118,000 into Cote d'Ivoire. An emergency programme
was launched to respond to the urgent needs. While general insecurity
precluded large-scale repatriation, 6,700 returnees were none the less
assisted by UNHCR in 1994 and, subsequently, approximately 60,000 Sierra
Leonean refugees in Monrovia and its environs.
90. In Sierra Leone, security declined at the end of 1994 and fighting
moved closer to the capital, Freetown. Fearful of the worsened
circumstances, 924 Liberian refugees repatriated by sea in February 1995,
leaving some 6,000 mostly Liberian refugees in Freetown assisted under
UNHCR's care and maintenance programme. However, the provision of
assistance to some 10,000 returnees was very limited owing to the eastern
region's inaccessibility.
91. Some 45,000 Sierra Leoneans fled Guinea after an incident on 24
January 1995 in Kambia, a border town in Sierra Leone. UNHCR launched an
emergency assistance programme in February and established a field office
in Forecariah, Guinea. Guinea is currently hosting more than 600,000
refugees.
92. The appointment of a new Government in Togo led to some improvement in
the security situation and the economy. A household survey of the refugee
population in both Benin and Ghana revealed that the number had decreased
by some 121,400; it was believed that much of this decrease could be
accounted for by Togolese refugees repatriating spontaneously. With the
adoption of a general amnesty on 15 December 1994, it was hoped that more
refugees would opt for voluntary repatriation in 1995.
93. At the end of January 1994, violence between Konkombas and Nanumbas in
northern Ghana displaced approximately 180,000 nationals. In pursuance of
its strategy of prevention, and at the request of the Ghanaian authorities,
UNHCR made $500,000 available from the Emergency Fund to meet the affected
population's immediate needs. While the displaced persons were returning
to their places of origin, reports indicated that the conflict had begun
afresh, jeopardizing security in the region.
94. About 40,000 Malian Tuaregs sought asylum in Burkina Faso in the first
part of 1994 to escape adverse security conditions in northern Mali. Two
UNHCR field offices have been established to provide protection and
material assistance. The Government of Niger and the Tuareg movement
reached a new peace agreement in October 1994.
2. Great Lakes region
95. The April 1994 war provoked a massive exodus of Rwandese into
neighbouring countries. By March 1995, an estimated 2,202,130 refugees had
sought refuge in the United Republic of Tanzania, Zaire and Burundi.
However, the presence of military and political elements from the former
regime among the refugees engendered a high level of violence in the
refugee camps, particularly in Zaire and the United Republic of Tanzania,
and refugees were prevented from freely expressing their desire to return
and from benefiting from international assistance to do so.
96. In consultation with the Secretary-General, UNHCR undertook a number
of initiatives to establish, at the camp level, a security mechanism to
permit refugees to live in the camps in relative safety and security, to
have unhindered access to assistance and to decide freely about possible
future return.
97. In the United Republic of Tanzania UNHCR supported the Government by
increasing from 310 to 400 a police contingent to tackle security problems
in the refugee camps.
98. In Zaire, on 27 January 1995, an aide-memoire was signed between UNHCR
and the Zairian Government to have the Contingent zairois de securite dans
les camps (CZSC) present in the Kivu area monitored by an international
Security Liaison Group, with a mandate to: improve law and order in the
Rwandese refugee camps; prevent intimidation and violence against
candidates for voluntary repatriation; protect installations and
humanitarian personnel; and provide escorts to convoys for voluntary
repatriation from refugee camps to the border.
99. The regional conference on assistance to refugees, returnees and
displaced persons in the Great Lakes region, held at Bujumbura from 15 to
17 February 1995, raised expectations in the international community of a
gradual increase in the rate of voluntary repatriation to Rwanda. The plan
of action adopted by the conference was translated by UNHCR into a work
plan to facilitate voluntary repatriation as well as to support the
voluntary and safe return home of internally displaced persons remaining in
south-western Rwanda. During the first two months of 1995, some 60,900
refugees returned to Rwanda. Of these, approximately 45,300 were refugees
who left in the late 1950s and early 1960s and who have been returning
spontaneously with their offspring. The arrival of the CZSC has helped to
improve security before and during return movements from the camps to the
Rwandese border. Since their arrival in mid-February 1995, some 5,000
refugees from the 1994 caseload have been repatriated.
100. In Burundi, a pilot project was initiated at the end of 1994 to
facilitate voluntary repatriation to Rwanda; some 1,300 refugees have
returned since 10 January 1995.
101. Since the beginning of March 1995, however, voluntary repatriation
movements which had gained momentum as a result of the initiatives
described above again slowed down. Significant factors in this development
were the increase in security incidents in Rwanda, the high number of
arrests of alleged participants in the 1994 genocide and the absence of a
credible judicial system.
102. Meanwhile, further complications emerged in countries of asylum as
food shortages increased tensions in refugee camps. In addition, new
refugees have fled violence in Burundi.
103. Despite setbacks, UNHCR was continuing to prepare for repatriation.
In various parts of Rwanda, the capacity of transit and reception centres
was being expanded. Community rehabilitation projects continued in the
major areas of return. In addition, institutional assistance was being
provided to the Government, mainly through the Ministry of Rehabilitation.
3. Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa
104. UNHCR activities in the Horn of Africa during the period under review
focused on attaining durable solutions, with particular emphasis on
voluntary repatriation. Planned repatriation movements which had either
been stalled or put on hold for various reasons - including political,
security and funding considerations - again gained momentum. Thus, the
long-awaited repatriation of Eritrean refugees in Sudan began in November
1994 under a pilot project to repatriate 25,000 persons. By the end of
February 1995, 15,000 had repatriated with the expectation that the pilot
phase would be completed by the end of March 1995. It was estimated that
some 100,000 of the 500,000 Eritrean refugees in Sudan had already returned
spontaneously between 1992 and 1994. The next phase of the repatriation
operation would involve some 135,000 persons expected to return during
1995. Limited donor funding for the rehabilitation component in Eritrea
resulted in inadequate preparation of settlement sites as well as
insufficient infrastructure and services to guarantee a durable
repatriation and reintegration operation. An estimated $15.5 million was
budgeted for the repatriation and reintegration operation in 1995.
105. Ethiopia, meanwhile, experienced an increase in the refugee
population from 272,630 at the beginning of 1994 to 348,080 in early 1995,
with a cumulative influx of over 76,000 Somalis from north-west Somalia and
over 7,000 Sudanese from southern Sudan as a result of renewed and ongoing
conflict, respectively. The estimated number of Djiboutian (18,000) and
Kenyan (8,188) refugees remained unchanged.
106. Plans for the repatriation of Somali refugees from the camps in
eastern Ethiopia during the course of 1994 were suspended when the renewed
conflict in north-west Somalia discharged a fresh influx of refugees into
eastern Ethiopia. With relative safety returning to north-west Somalia,
plans were being revived to pursue the voluntary repatriation of Somalis
during 1995. Similarly, arrangements for the repatriation of up to 60,000
Ethiopians from Sudan in 1995 were finalized, with movements expected to
start in April. Overall programme implementation in Ethiopia was
constrained by security and difficult access to programme areas, especially
in eastern Ethiopia, during 1994. The improved situation prevailing since
the beginning of 1995 contributed considerably to the renewed impetus for
the various repatriation operations to and from Ethiopia.
107. Other significant organized repatriation movements to Somalia were
achieved in 1994 with some 60,000 persons having repatriated from Kenya
within the framework of the UNHCR-initiated cross-border operation from
Kenya into Somalia. A further 13,000 Somalis had repatriated by March 1995,
with the operation continuing for a planned total of 75,000 Somalis to be
repatriated and assisted to reintegrate in their places of origin. In
spite of generally poor security in southern Somalia, over 114,000 Somalis
returned from Kenya with UNHCR assistance to safe areas of origin between
January 1992 and December 1994.
108. The implementation of community-based quick impact projects (QIPs)
with the active participation of the local people, including returnees
themselves, continued to serve as the main instrument for bringing
assistance and hence stability to areas of return in Somalia. A similar
approach was being pursued in north-west Somalia in order to enhance
communal infrastructure and services for the absorption of returnees in
their areas of origin. An estimated $26.8 million was budgeted for 1995 to
include the cross-border operation from Kenya and reintegration assistance
in north-west Somalia. Increased inputs from development agencies and
donors were expected to ensure the sustainability of the repatriates'
reintegration.
4. Southern Africa
109. In Angola, between January 1994 and the signing of the Lusaka
Protocol on 21 November 1994, UNHCR continued to assist 112,000 returnees
and internally displaced persons living mostly in the provinces of Zaire,
Uige, Moxico and Lunda Sul. The continued efforts of the Secretary-
General's special envoy enabled agencies to gain access for assistance
purposes throughout the country during most of 1994. However, an
escalation of military activity a few days prior to the signing of the
Lusaka Protocol prevented access by United Nations agencies, and it was not
until January 1995 that UNHCR was again able to obtain access. UNHCR also
participated in a mission that prepared the 1995 United Nations
consolidated inter-agency appeal for Angola, which was launched on 21
February 1995.
110. During early 1995, the cease-fire was holding, although there were
reports of violations from both the Angolan Government and the National
Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). While the
implementation of the peace process is slow, most of the country is now
accessible, thus improving the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
111. UNHCR is updating its 1992 plan of operation for the voluntary
repatriation of Angolans. During most of 1995, emphasis was to be placed
on the pre-positioning of food and non-food items in areas of major return,
thus supporting spontaneous movements back to Angola. At the same time,
assistance would be provided to enhance activities in the water, health and
education sectors. UNHCR-organized transport should start in 1996.
112. The political situation in Mozambique remained stable in 1994, as
illustrated by the successful demobilization of combatants and the free and
fair elections held in October under the auspices of the United Nations
Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ).
113. By the end of 1994, some 1.6 million persons had returned to
Mozambique since the signing of the General Peace Agreement in 1992.
During 1994 alone, and in the context of UNHCR's efforts to accelerate the
repatriation process, some 271,000 persons were transported back from six
countries of asylum. An additional 600,000 refugees returned spontaneously
during the year.
114. At the same time, reintegration activities in major returnee areas
were intensified through the implementation of 486 QIPs in the health,
education, water and road sectors, the distribution of over 180,000 seed
and tool kits, and the continuation of mine-awareness activities.
115. An estimated 100,000 remaining refugees were expected to return from
Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa in 1995, mostly through organized
transport. The first movements had started and were expected to increase
after the April rainy season. A more intensified and targeted programme of
some 1,000 QIPs was to be implemented in 1995, focusing on major returnee
areas. These projects are aimed concurrently at building the capacity of
local communities and local government structures.
116. In Mozambique, UNHCR's reintegration strategy, endorsed by the
Government and major donors, aims at establishing linkages to longer-term
development programmes. Discussions have been initiated on joint
programmes with various organizations such as UNDP and the European Union.
It is foreseen that established linkages with other programmes will
contribute to the sustainability of activities and enable UNHCR to scale
down its programme and its presence in the field by June 1996. UNHCR
intended to phase out its involvement in food logistics as early as June
1995 through the absorption of returnees in the category of affected
population. The process of phasing out food logistics and other assistance
programmes could be hampered by adverse climatic conditions such as
drought, a lack of funding, or the absence or slow take-off of longer-term
development programmes supporting the Government's institutional capacity.
117. In 1994, total expenditure in Africa amounted to $506.1 million, of
which $167.4 was expended under General Programmes and $338.7 million under
Special Programmes.
E. Regional developments in the Americas and the Caribbean
1. Central America and Mexico
118. The process launched by the International Conference on Central
American Refugees (CIREFCA) was formally concluded on 29 June 1994 at the
Third International Meeting of the Follow-up Committee, held at Mexico
City. The seven participating countries - Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua - created a framework to
coordinate action in the post-CIREFCA period and adopted a Declaration of
Commitments to consolidate durable solutions in the region.
119. The international colloquium held at San Jose to commemorate the
tenth anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration, organized by UNHCR and the
Inter-American Institute of Human Rights under the auspices of the
Government of Costa Rica, adopted the San Jose Declaration on Refugees and
Displaced Persons in December 1994. The Declaration addresses the key
issue of harmonizing legal criteria and procedures to consolidate durable
solutions of voluntary repatriation and local integration in Central
America, Mexico and Belize and continuing the voluntary repatriation of
Guatemalan refugees from Mexico.
120. Through the regional peace process, durable solutions have been found
for the majority of Central American refugees. During the period under
review, UNHCR activities in Central America, though to a lesser degree in
Guatemala, emphasized legal issues and international protection. The
Office attempted to strengthen the capacity of Governments to deal with
refugee-related matters by assisting them to formulate national legislation
on asylum and refugees, encouraging the fruition of national commitments
made at the meeting of the CIREFCA Follow-up Committee, and supporting
Governments in implementing the guidelines of the San Jose Declaration.
121. Meanwhile, durable solutions continued to be consolidated. In
Belize, quick impact projects (QIPs) were to continue through 1995 at a
reduced level, aimed at facilitating the socio-economic integration of
10,600 refugees and undocumented persons in refugee-like situations. In El
Salvador, the QIP programme, which helped the integration of approximately
31,500 Salvadoran returnees, was to be completed by April 1995. In
addition, UNHCR has continued with voluntary repatriation of individual
cases and with the integration of refugees who chose to remain in their
country of asylum.
122. The voluntary repatriation of Guatemalan refugees from Mexico and
their reintegration and rehabilitation remained the region's outstanding
challenge. A total of 6,000 Guatemalan refugees repatriated from Mexico
during 1994 despite continuing security problems, the scarcity of land
available to returnees and the absence of a peace agreement. This brought
the total number of Guatemalan returnees assisted by UNHCR since January
1993, through QIPs and other assistance, to more than 11,000.
123. While the human rights accord between the Government of Guatemala and
the armed opposition Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union failed to
improve the security situation in the country, it was expected that the
finalization of the peace agreements, with United Nations mediation, would
give some 10,000 refugees the possibility of repatriating during 1995.
124. Improvements to the Campeche and Quintana Roo refugee settlements in
Mexico should be completed by the end of 1995, enabling UNHCR to begin the
gradual transfer of responsibilities for infrastructure and services to the
Mexican authorities. The phasing down of UNHCR assistance, expected to
begin in 1996, could be delayed by the turbulent political and economic
situation in Mexico. Several difficult legal issues remained to be
resolved, including the status of the refugees and the tenure of the land
they occupy.
2. South America and the Caribbean
125. The return of President Aristide to Haiti on 15 October 1994 led to a
reduction in violence and political instability and paved the way for
voluntary repatriation of Haitian refugees who had found asylum in the
Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries since late 1991. Some
1,209 Haitian returnees were assisted by UNHCR during 1994. Despite the
still fragile political situation in Haiti, voluntary repatriation of small
groups under UNHCR auspices continued without interruption. By the end of
1995, about 1,000 refugees should have been repatriated from the Dominican
Republic, Cuba and other countries in the region. An additional 1,400
Haitians may return spontaneously during the year.
126. UNHCR's plans to assist returnees and returnee-affected areas through
reintegration, material assistance and training were hindered by the
international community's lack of response to the United Nations inter-
agency appeal for Haiti. Unless adequate international support is
provided, the country's extreme poverty and the present democratic
Government's uncertain future could lead to further outflows.
127. Asylum-seekers from outside the region continued to arrive in Latin
America, particularly in South America. However, the flow of asylum-
seekers from Africa to Brazil decreased. Local integration was promoted as
the durable solution for refugees in the region.
128. As in Central America, UNHCR activities focused on international
protection. UNHCR concentrated on promoting and disseminating refugee law
and actively participated, together with Governments, in organizing and
delivering specialized courses on the protection of refugees/returnees to
military personnel who participate in United Nations peace-keeping
operations.
129. In 1994, total expenditure in the Americas and the Caribbean amounted
to $39.7 million, of which $20.8 million was expended under General
Programmes and $18.9 million under Special Programmes.
F. Regional developments in Asia and Oceania
1. South Asia
130. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the
Government of Myanmar and UNHCR in November 1993, UNHCR opened a liaison
office in Yangon in February 1994, and by year end had deployed 13 staff in
Rakhine State.
131. Between 30 April 1994, when UNHCR involvement began, and 28 March
1995, 126,471 Muslim residents repatriated voluntarily from the camps in
Bangladesh to Rakhine State, Myanmar, despite serious damage to the
repatriation facilities caused by a cyclone in May and a three-week
suspension of movements in October to contain the spread of plague. In
total, over 129,000 persons have returned. In Bangladesh, 8 camps have been
closed and the remaining 68,000 refugees are in 10 camps. Few protection
cases have been reported from the Bangladesh camps, and UNHCR staff have
unhindered access to all returnees in Rakhine State. In January and
February 1995, UNHCR visited all 30 returnees detained in prison in Sittwe,
Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships.
132. Returnees have been provided with a repatriation kit, individual cash
and family housing grants, and two month's food rations. In addition, to
improve the livelihood of the population at large in the returnee receiving
areas of Rakhine State, over 120 small-scale reintegration projects were
being implemented. The start-up of the reintegration programme was
hampered by the lack of an implementing capacity and logistical problems
related to the absence of infrastructure in this remote area. The problem
was resolved when the authorities granted certain non-governmental
organizations permission to operate. Health, water, sanitation and rural
infrastructure are priority sectors. The World Food Programme (WFP) has
made considerable progress in a food-for-work scheme to provide employment
opportunities through small-scale projects involving the repair of access
roads and the digging of ponds.
133. Approximately 17,800 Sri Lankan refugees returned to Sri Lanka from
Tamil Nadu during the period under review, leaving 53,000 refugees in camps
in India. The cessation of hostilities between the Sri Lankan Government
and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in January 1995 favourably
affected repatriation movements. From 27 February to 20 March 1995,
approximately 10,000 persons returned to Sri Lanka. At least another
10,000 persons were expected to repatriate during the next movements,
scheduled for August 1995.
134. The urban refugee caseload in Delhi decreased marginally. Some
23,000 persons, mainly Afghans, were registered with UNHCR, although only
50 per cent were receiving financial assistance. An ongoing caseload
survey identified families with potential entrepreneurial skills; they have
been provided with a one-time grant to replace monthly assistance. The
survey also made it possible to identify refugees not in need of
international material assistance, for whom the Office is now providing
only legal protection.
135. No durable solutions were found for 86,000 Bhutanese asylum-seekers
and refugees in Nepal despite two rounds of talks between the concerned
Governments, in June 1994 and February/March 1995. Further talks were
scheduled. An eventual solution to the problem would probably involve
voluntary repatriation and local integration.
136. Emphasis shifted from relief activities, such as construction of
shelters, development of water systems and the provision of adequate
sanitation facilities, to activities which improve the quality of life,
such as education, income-generating activities and vocational training.
Greater refugee involvement, particularly the participation of women in
camp management, has been given priority.
2. East Asia
137. UNHCR continued to maintain a presence in Cambodia in light of the
worsening security situation, especially in the north-western provinces.
The reintegration needs of vulnerable returnees were addressed. UNHCR
monitored the situation and sought durable solutions for some 4,000 ethnic
Vietnamese stranded at Chrey Thom on the border between Viet Nam and
Cambodia. The Office also assisted Cambodian refugees returning from
various countries.
138. At the start of 1995, the total refugee population in China was
287,086. The majority (285,500) were Indo-Chinese refugees of Vietnamese
origin; 1,511 were of Lao and 30 of Cambodian origin. A total of 408 Lao
repatriated in 1994. Although the voluntary repatriation programme for Lao
refugees was officially concluded in 1994, the possibility of voluntary
return remained open for residual cases.
139. In 1994, in an agreement with the Chinese Government, UNHCR
endeavoured to reorient its local assistance programme for the country's
Vietnamese refugees by targeting the poorest settlements in order to
promote long-term selfsufficiency. Implementation of the programme began
in 1995.
140. The influx of Vietnamese asylum-seekers into Japan continued for an
extended period in 1994, although at a reduced level. In 1994, 108 persons
arrived. At the end of 1994, the total caseload in Japan was 481 persons;
by the end of February 1995, voluntary repatriation had brought the number
down to 386.
141. In 1994 and the first two months of 1995, 672 Vietnamese in Japan
returned under the voluntary repatriation programme. In 1995, UNHCR will
continue its efforts, in cooperation with the Government, to seek durable
solutions for the remaining Vietnamese asylum-seekers and refugees in
Japan.
Comprehensive Plan of Action
142. Voluntary repatriation of Vietnamese non-refugees from camps in the
region decreased in 1994, with only 12,551 voluntary returns compared to
19,233 in 1993. During the first quarter of 1995, 2,743 persons returned.
As of March 1995, 43,815 Vietnamese remained in camps in countries of first
asylum in Asia. Of this total, 40,700 were screened-out cases expected to
return to Viet Nam. In 1994, the determination of first-instance refugee
status for all Vietnamese asylum-seekers was concluded successfully under
the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indo-Chinese Refugees (CPA).
143. Agreements between Viet Nam, the host country and UNHCR on the
modalities for return of the remaining Vietnamese non-refugees in the camps
were concluded with Malaysia on 24 January 1995 and with the Philippines on
5 February 1995, complementing a similar agreement reached with Indonesia
in 1993. In early 1995, arrangements were discussed to simplify procedures
for the return of all Vietnamese found not to qualify for refugee status;
this should lead to an accelerated rate of return.
144. UNHCR continued its monitoring of returnees to ensure that they are
received and reintegrated in safety and dignity. All allegations of
persecution have been investigated by UNHCR and have been found to be
unsubstantiated.
145. As of 31 March 1995, there were 8,610 Lao in UNHCR-assisted camps in
Thailand for whom durable solutions continued to be pursued within the
framework of the CPA. Voluntary repatriation was promoted for some 7,400
of this group, while the resettlement processing for some 1,200 was being
finalized. No new arrivals were registered during the period under review.
146. At the seventh tripartite meeting among the Governments of Thailand,
the Lao People's Democratic Republic and UNHCR, held at Pattaya, Thailand,
from 26 to 28 July 1994, it was agreed to intensify efforts to identify
suitable settlement sites in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and to
introduce a third reintegration option, namely, return in small groups to
existing villages. To this end, tripartite working meetings were held in
November 1994 and March 1995 in which the positive repatriation results of
1994 were acknowledged - 5,593 Lao returned in 1994 and 1,250 during the
first three months of 1995 - and discussions focused on efforts to finalize
the repatriation of Lao.
147. The Ban Nasaad settlement site in Khammouan province, Lao People's
Democratic Republic, where a first group of 613 refugees successfully
returned in February 1995, was chosen to take on an initial 3,000 returnees
opting for that form of reintegration. The project at Bokeo, financed by
the European Union, also began receiving returnees in 1994 and was being
expanded.
148. The Steering Committee of the International Conference on Indo-
Chinese Refugees met at Geneva on 16 March 1995 and agreed by consensus on
the end of 1995 as a target date for completing all activities under CPA in
first-asylum countries. It was agreed that this target would be met soon
thereafter in Hong Kong, given the large number of camp residents there.
The Steering Committee noted with concern that large numbers of Vietnamese
who do not qualify for refugee status have refused voluntary repatriation.
It recognized the significance of the simplified procedures and the monthly
target of at least 3,600 persons agreed upon for the return of the
remaining non-refugees in the camps to Viet Nam, and also the
appropriateness of the timely implementation of the orderly return
programmes.
149. The Steering Committee acknowledged that the results of the voluntary
repatriation of 5,172 Lao from Thailand in 1994 had been particularly
encouraging: it was the highest yearly figure since the programme's
inception in 1980.
150. In 1994, total expenditure in Asia and Oceania amounted to $119.7
million, of which $49.8 million was expended under General Programmes and
$69.9 million under Special Programmes.
G. Regional developments in Europe
1. Western Europe
151. With the admission of Austria, Finland and Sweden to the European
Union on 1 January 1995, the European Union and its institutions have
gained further importance to UNHCR as partners in terms of both political
and material support. The High Commissioner and the President of the
European Commission underlined their mutual desire to strengthen existing
cooperation. Cooperation with the Council of Europe and the Organization
for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) was also intensified.
152. Discussions between UNHCR and the Presidency of the European Union on
harmonizing asylum policy concentrated on minimum guarantees for asylum
procedures, the refugee definition and, of particular importance for
Central European countries, the use of readmission agreements and "safe
third countries" in asylum procedures. The Office continued its
consultations with Governments on the concept of temporary protection and
its implementation in connection with the former Yugoslavia.
153. Provisional figures showed that some 340,000 persons applied for
asylum in Western European countries in 1994, 40 per cent less than the
1993 figure of 560,000. A downward trend was evident in Belgium, Denmark,
Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. In other countries, such
as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, however, the number of new
asylum requests increased dramatically. Some 47,000 persons were granted
refugee status, compared to 48,000 in 1993. Approximately 58,000 persons
were allowed to stay on humanitarian or similar grounds, compared to 59,000
in 1993. Provisional figures indicated that some 380,000 asylum
applications were rejected, compared to 515,000 in 1993.
154. UNHCR advised Governments on the implementation of the 1951
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, particularly within the
context of current refugee flows. The Office has urged Governments to
continue allowing those in need of protection access to fair asylum
procedures, notwithstanding general immigration control measures. It
reiterated its plea for the development of comprehensive policies to
address refugee and migratory issues, while maintaining a clear distinction
between refugees and migrants.
2. Central and Eastern Europe
155. UNHCR's activities in Central and Eastern Europe continued to focus
on protection, refugee law promotion, institution-building, training, and
limited assistance programmes for asylum-seekers where national structures
do not exist for that purpose. Efforts centred on establishing fair and
effective eligibility procedures to which asylum-seekers can have access.
While the number of recognized refugees remained limited in Central Europe,
most countries provide temporary protection to significant numbers of
persons fleeing conflict areas in former Yugoslavia. Those countries were
also affected by transit migration movements, which often blur the
distinction between migrants and genuine asylum-seekers. To stem irregular
movements of people, border controls were intensified. UNHCR also stepped
up border missions to sensitize officials to the rights of refugees.
156. While all Central European States have become signatories to the 1951
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, only
two have adopted national legislation implementing the provisions of those
instruments. UNHCR is providing assistance to those countries whose
legislation remains at the drafting stage. Meanwhile, a large number of
readmission agreements have been concluded both between the European Union
and Central European countries and among Central European countries.
Enacting refugee legislation in Central European countries assumes
additional importance in order to afford asylum-seekers access to
eligibility procedures. UNHCR continued to support the nascent non-
governmental organizations movement, notably in cooperation with the
European Consultation on Refugees and Exiles.
157. UNHCR continued to assist the Russian Federal Migration Service in
establishing a fair and effective eligibility procedure. Meanwhile, UNHCR
provided assistance to some 5,000 destitute and vulnerable asylum-seekers.
In order to create public awareness of the plight of refugees, UNHCR
launched a mass information campaign that has gathered considerable
momentum.
158. Following the request of the Russian Government and the concurrence
of the Secretary-General, UNHCR was assisting some 210,000 persons
displaced as a result of the events in Chechnya to the neighbouring
Republics of Ingushetia, Dagestan and North Ossetia. UNHCR's programme is
part of a broader inter-agency effort reflected in the United Nations
consolidated appeal launched on 23 March 1995. The programme is based on
an elaborate division of work between United Nations agencies and close
cooperation with the ICRC. It has a six-month implementation time-frame,
ending on 30 June 1995. UNHCR has deployed two emergency response teams
and has offices in Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia), Nazran (Ingushetia) and
Makhachkala (Dagestan).
159. UNHCR's programmes in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, initiated in
late 1992, continued during the period under review. Population
displacement remains a principal concern of this region, with some 900,000
internally displaced persons and refugees in Azerbaijan and some 420,000 in
Armenia and an estimated 280,000 internally displaced persons in Georgia.
While the needs are considerable, particularly for shelter, financial
constraints compelled UNHCR to concentrate its assistance on the most
vulnerable groups only.
160. In Georgia, UNHCR's assistance programme provided limited care and
maintenance to internally displaced persons from Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. A quadripartite agreement, signed on 4 April 1994, for the
repatriation of some 250,000 internally displaced persons to Abkhazia also
entrusted UNHCR with the chairmanship of the quadripartite commission set
up to oversee the process. Organized repatriation began in October 1994 but
came to a halt after the return of 311 persons. Despite considerable
attention devoted to the problem in the United Nations-sponsored proximity
talks, in which UNHCR actively participated, repatriation could not resume.
However, large numbers of people were reported to have returned
spontaneously. The overall situation remained volatile.
161. Despite several Security Council resolutions calling for the removal
of obstacles to repatriation, a consensus could not be reached on a
meaningful timetable, although UNHCR continued to maintain a presence in
Abkhazia. The deadlock also affected the design of UNHCR's programme,
which focuses on the most immediate needs of displaced persons rather than
voluntary repatriation. Regarding South Ossetia and a possible repatriation
from North Ossetia to Georgia, UNHCR has been invited to participate in the
work of the joint control commission dealing with the settlement of this
particular conflict.
162. In Azerbaijan, where one out of every eight people is displaced, the
emergency phase has been contained thanks to a major effort from the United
Nations and non-governmental organizations and the provision of bilateral
humanitarian aid. Nevertheless, most of the internally displaced persons
are still living in makeshift shelters, railroad carriages and dugouts.
Shelter is the priority sector in UNHCR's assistance programme, which also
covers health, water and sanitation, as well as self-reliance activities.
Out of an estimated 900,000 affected people, UNHCR's assistance focuses on
the 300,000 internally displaced persons who are the neediest.
163. In Armenia, UNHCR's programme covers the neediest 150,000 of the
country's estimated 420,000 refugees and internally displaced persons.
Shelter also figures prominently under this programme, which aims to foster
skill development and self-sufficiency activities in an environment
favourable to local integration.
164. UNHCR provided information and gave advice on the citizenship and
refugee legislations of Armenia and Azerbaijan, both of which acceded to
the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol in 1993. Training of officials
in refugee matters was also gathering momentum.
165. Considerable emphasis has been placed on developing regular working
relationships with the OSCE. As evinced in Georgia, UNHCR and the OSCE
cooperate closely on the solution to the Abkhazia and South Ossetia
conflicts, with UNHCR assuming an increasingly prominent role in the
humanitarian dimension of conflict resolution. Similar collaboration is
taking place in Nagorny Karabakh and Chechnya. That cooperation will gain
further momentum as problems relating to displacement and migration assume
prominence on the OSCE's agenda.
166. In the course of 1994, UNHCR launched a process to develop a
comprehensive approach to the problems of refugees, returnees, displaced
persons and migrants in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) and relevant neighbouring States. The process should lead to
a conference which would establish a programme of action for the region.
Its primary objective is to provide a broad forum for the international
community, and affected countries in particular, to acknowledge, analyse
and discuss problems related to disorderly mass population movements in the
CIS and the neighbouring region within a humanitarian and non-political
framework. The programme of action would include measures to prevent
unnecessary movements and address the consequences of past, present and
future displacements. Such a programme would flow from a declaration based
on existing principles of international law. Three informal meetings with
Governments and international organizations have been held in Geneva, and a
series of regional consultations have taken place in Ukraine, Belarus and
the Republic of Moldova, and in Kyrgyzstan for the five Central Asian
Republics.
3. Former Yugoslavia
167. At the beginning of 1994, more than 4 million refugees, displaced
persons and war-affected persons were receiving humanitarian assistance.
As a result of developments mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly
improved conditions in central Bosnia, the overall planning figure has been
reduced since August 1994 and, as of January 1995, totalled 2.2 million
beneficiaries located in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1.4 million), Croatia
(490,000), the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (18,000), Slovenia
(34,000) and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (302,400). In the latter
part of 1994, 1.4 million refugees were receiving food assistance, although
a wider distribution continued to be made for non-food items.
168. While the establishment of a federation between the Bosnian
Government and Bosnian Croat parties led to improved access for
humanitarian assistance in central Bosnia, other areas, such as the
enclaves of Bihac, Sarajevo and eastern Bosnia, suffered from irregular
deliveries. Continued conflict in the Bihac pocket and northern Bosnia
fuelled further outflows of refugees into the United Nations Protected
Areas (UNPAs) and other parts of Croatia. In the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, the situation remained relatively stable. While the country
was still affected by United Nations sanctions, humanitarian aid for
refugees was delivered. In the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slovenia
and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia the number of refugees
declined.
169. In the latter part of 1994, UNHCR and WFP jointly decided to reduce
food distribution throughout former Yugoslavia while maintaining full
provisions for vulnerable groups. UNHCR provided food items to complement
the WFP programme and logistical support to air and land routes for the
delivery of food and non-food items, including contributions from other
agencies. UNHCR non-food items included domestic and hygienic supplies,
shelter and winterization materials. Throughout 1994 and in the first part
of 1995, UNHCR provided services such as shelter, health, water and
sanitation projects, community services, education, and legal assistance
inputs. An important component was the spring and autumn seed programmes
in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the first part of 1995, efforts were being
made to transfer more responsibility for assistance programmes to local
authorities and non-governmental organizations.
170. UNHCR continued its protection functions throughout the region. A
limited number of persons obtained temporary protection or resettlement in
countries outside former Yugoslavia. The absence of a peaceful settlement
in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the UNPAs prevented a repatriation programme
from being implemented. While a few refugees have returned home
spontaneously, continuing ethnic tensions, problems of property rights, and
insecurity were incompatible with a dignified and peaceful return for the
vast majority of internally displaced persons and refugees.
171. In 1994, total expenditure in Europe amounted to $281.6 million, of
which $35.5 million was expended under General Programmes and $246 million
under Special Programmes.
H. Regional developments in South-West Asia, North Africa
and the Middle East
1. South-West Asia
172. Factional fighting which broke out in Kabul, Afghanistan, on 1
January 1994, continued throughout the year, causing renewed displacement
and imposing a heavy burden on rural communities recovering from 15 years
of war. In all, it is estimated that as many as one million people have
been displaced within Afghanistan, mostly from Kabul, since the fall of the
Najibullah Government in April 1992. Nearly 300,000 internally displaced
persons have been settled temporarily in camps in Jalalabad, Mazar-i-
Sharif, Herat and Kandahar. An additional 250,000 persons are living in
private homes and public buildings in the Jalalabad area. Entry into
Pakistan for Afghans during 1994 was officially restricted to those with
valid travel documents or those allowed in on humanitarian grounds. Over
76,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan since January 1994.
173. Repatriation of Afghan refugees during 1994 confirmed earlier
projections that return and rehabilitation would continue in areas
unaffected by the conflict. A total of 329,327 persons returned to
Afghanistan in 1994, somewhat below the original planning figure of
400,000. Monitors in Pakistan observed 102,658 individuals crossing into
Afghanistan, including 32,043 who were assisted by UNHCR. From the Islamic
Republic of Iran, 121,402 were provided assistance by UNHCR at the border
exit points and 105,267 returned spontaneously. Since the commencement of
a programme for repatriation to Afghanistan, a total of over 2.8 million
refugees have returned from Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran. At
the end of 1994, approximately 1.6 million refugees remained in the Islamic
Republic of Iran and 1.2 million in Pakistan.
174. Assistance projects in Afghanistan continued to be structured around
quick impact projects (QIPs). Reintegration activities focused on the
survival and immediate needs of those living in provinces receiving
refugees and internally displaced persons. Projects centred on increasing
the rural drinking-water supply in the eastern provinces and improving the
irrigation supply in the south-east. Income-generating projects for women,
widows and the disabled were begun. In cooperation with WFP, UNHCR
provided 10,000 families in the western provinces with food and with tools
to reconstruct their homes.
175. To ensure the voluntary character of return, UNHCR maintained a
presence at border crossings and along routes of return. The Governments
of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, in cooperation
with UNHCR, established two tripartite commissions on voluntary
repatriation to facilitate the return and successful reintegration of
Afghans from neighbouring countries.
176. Following the 1994 repatriation movements, the number of Afghan
refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran decreased to 1.6 million, nearly
all of them living in urban areas throughout the country. Much of the
return from the Islamic Republic of Iran was to the western provinces of
Afghanistan, which have remained relatively unaffected by the ongoing
conflict in Kabul. Confronted with reduced subsidies for health and
education, as well as high unemployment, the Iranian authorities in
numerous instances pressured refugees to return. At one point, temporary
and permanent cardholders had their documents confiscated by provincial
authorities with instructions to either repatriate or relocate in a camp
established by the Government. Following interventions by UNHCR, the
practice was stopped after one month.
177. At the end of 1994, 107,272 refugees of Iraqi origin lived in the
Islamic Republic of Iran; of these 59,000 were Iraqi Kurds and 48,272 were
Iraqi Shiites. A new case-load of 5,500 Iraqi Marsh Arabs was transferred
from settlements in the border area to camps in the interior during the
first quarter of 1995. During the year, 2,290 Iraqis voluntarily
repatriated from the Islamic Republic of Iran with UNHCR assistance.
178. During 1994, the registered Afghan refugee population figure in
Pakistan was adjusted to 1,212,000 to take into account repatriation and
migration from refugee villages of families who have attained self-
sufficiency. Since January 1994, out of a total influx of 76,000 new
Afghans entering Pakistan, some 30,000 have been provided with emergency
assistance.
179. In consultation with the Government of Pakistan, UNHCR has begun
scaling down the care and maintenance programme. Activities continued to
focus on improving the ability of refugees to support themselves and to
assume responsibility for basic services through community participation.
Future assistance will be targeted at vulnerable refugees. In line with
the findings of the 1994 WFP/UNHCR food assessment mission, food rations
were reduced by 50 per cent beginning in January 1995. It was proposed to
phase out the campbased food assistance programme by the end of September
1995 and replace it with food-for-work projects and feeding programmes for
vulnerable groups. The Government has expressed concern that this
reduction would affect both the refugee and the local population.
180. UNHCR continued to support the environmental rehabilitation of areas
in Pakistan which have suffered from the long-term presence of Afghan
refugees. In this connection, the third and last phase of the UNHCR/World
Bank incomegeneration project in refugee areas, involving refugee and local
labour in flood protection, afforestation, road improvement and
environmental education, was scheduled to end by December 1995. UNHCR will
continue to act as a catalyst in mobilizing interest and support in the
international community for such rehabilitation programmes.
2. Central Asian Republics
181. The civil war which erupted in Tajikistan in May 1992 resulted in the
displacement of approximately 500,000 persons, of whom 60,000 sought refuge
in northern Afghanistan. The conflict also led to the migration of more
than 300,000 persons, mainly ethnic Russians, to other countries of the
Commonwealth of Independent States, particularly the Russian Federation.
182. As of March 1995, it was estimated that 15,000 people remained
internally displaced, primarily in the province of Gorny Badakhshan, and
some 18,000 Tajiks remained in northern Afghanistan. In conjunction with
the ICRC and the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan, UNHCR
will continue to facilitate as far as possible the repatriation and
reintegration of the Tajiks remaining in Afghanistan and the internally
displaced persons who choose to return to their areas of origin. Of the
18,000 Tajiks remaining on Afghan soil, 5,000 stayed at a camp near Mazar-
i-Sharif, where they received assistance, and another 13,000 were located
in neighbouring Kunduz province. UNHCR expected a sizeable number to
return home by mid-1995. One-time local settlement assistance will be
considered to support the integration of those wishing to stay in
Afghanistan.
183. One of UNHCR's main functions in Tajikistan is to assist the local
authorities in protecting returnees, both former refugees and internally
displaced persons. By supporting the process of conflict resolution and
mitigation in the area of return, UNHCR has assisted in minimizing the risk
of incidents degenerating into larger ethnic conflicts, which could hinder
further reintegration or perhaps result in new displacements. A UNHCR
staff presence in the areas of return has led to a measure of
normalization.
184. With a target of 17,000 homes, UNHCR was scheduled to finalize its
shelter programme in Tajikistan by mid-1995. By the end of 1994 materials
had already been provided to assist in the reconstruction of over 14,000
homes. UNHCR has also initiated a programme of QIPs in economically
depressed regions. The QIPs are designed to assist communities that
receive returnees by establishing viable and sustainable enterprises, which
in turn support the process of reintegration. After the phasing down of
UNHCR, further implementing and operational responsibilities will be
undertaken by development agencies and non-governmental organizations.
185. UNHCR continues to coordinate its activities with other United
Nations agencies and international organizations as part of an integrated
approach involving the peacemaking, peace-keeping and humanitarian elements
of the United Nations system. In this context and on the basis of an
agreement with the Department of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations
Secretariat, UNHCR's chief of mission in Tajikistan also acts as the
humanitarian coordinator.
186. UNHCR chaired a subregional meeting on issues concerning refugees,
internally displaced persons and migration held at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on
2 and 3 March 1995. The meeting, which was attended by representatives of
all the Central Asian States, was part of the preparatory process leading
to the conference of the Commonwealth of Independent States scheduled for
late 1995.
3. North Africa
187. In Algeria, the assistance programme for an estimated 50,000
nationals of Mali (29,000) and Niger (21,000) who sought refuge in southern
Algeria was being continued in 1995. The Algerian authorities planned to
regroup them in four centres located in the three provinces of Adrar,
Tamanrasset and Illizi. The prevailing situation in Algeria has so far
only marginally affected the implementation of the assistance programmes.
188. For Malians in Algeria, a repatriation operation was envisaged in
1994, and an agreement was signed by Algeria, Mali, IFAD and UNHCR at
Bamako, Mali, on 23 August 1994. The situation in northern Mali, however,
delayed its implementation until 1995.
189. Despite the signing at Bamako on 6 April 1994 of a tripartite
agreement for the repatriation of Malian refugees from Mauritania, the
situation in northern Mali prevented a repatriation operation from being
organized. During March 1995, the population of Fassala camp was
transferred to a new location at M'beira, some 40 kilometres further from
the border. Concurrently, a census carried out with the assistance of the
local authorities established the refugee population of the three camps at
some 4,000 in April 1995.
190. On 28 August 1994, the Identification Commission of the United
Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara began identifying and
registering potential voters for the referendum in Western Sahara. In
February 1995, following the Secretary-General's report of 14 December 1994
and Security Council resolution 973 (1995) of 13 January 1995, a UNHCR
technical team visited various sites and potential repatriation locations
in the territory, as well as the Tindouf camps, to collect technical
information for updating the 1991 UNHCR repatriation plan. A revised draft
budget was being prepared for the repatriation of an estimated 105,000
persons. Pending confirmation of progress achieved in implementing the
United Nations Settlement Plan, UNHCR will continue with the required
preparation that can be undertaken at this stage.
4. Middle East
191. In 1994, some 8,000 Iraqi Kurds were assisted by UNHCR to return to
their homeland, notably from the Islamic Republic of Iran. The project
initiated by UNHCR to cover their needs upon arrival included
transportation, food and shelter, and a package aimed at fostering their
economic integration.
192. Following the arrival in April 1994 of Turkish Kurds in northern
Iraq, UNHCR initiated an assistance programme to provide them with food and
relief items in towns and villages a few kilometres away from the Turkish
border, where they were initially accommodated. To better ensure their
safety, UNHCR decided to relocate them in two camps in Dohuk governorate.
As of January 1995, their number was estimated at some 9,000 persons in
Atroush A and B, while some 5,000 persons were still in Zakhu and the
nearby area pending their transfer to the Atroush camps in early spring
1995. There were plans to expand and improve facilities in the camps in
the course of 1995 to provide for a total of 15,000 persons, including new
persons arriving as a result of recent developments in northern Iraq.
193. In addition, UNHCR continued to carry out its traditional activities
in Iraq for persons under its mandate, namely 3,800 Iranian refugees in the
three northern governorates, 20,690 Iranian refugees in Al-Tash refugee
camp in Al-Anbar governorate, 20,000 Iranian Ahwazi refugees in Wasit and
Misan governorates, and some 1,200 urban refugees of various nationalities,
mainly Eritreans. UNHCR is also pursuing its efforts to facilitate the
voluntary repatriation of Iranian refugees in Al-Tash camp as well as the
resettlement of cases considered to be eligible under current resettlement
criteria.
194. In 1994, Saudi Arabia continued to extend its assistance to Iraqi
refugees living in Rafha camp. UNHCR made special efforts to ensure their
protection and to help process for resettlement those refugees meeting the
selection requirements. During the period under review, some 6,000 persons
were accepted for resettlement in over 12 countries, 1,136 of whom were in
the process of being transferred to their respective receiving countries.
A total of 245 persons who formally requested transfer to their country of
origin repatriated. As of 28 February 1995, there were 17,965 Iraqi
refugees in Saudi Arabia.
195. At the end of February 1995, the refugee population in the Syrian
Arab Republic was estimated at 37,000, comprising 35,350 Iraqis, 1,200
Somalis, 250 Eritreans, and 200 nationals of other countries. UNHCR
continued to assist 3,500 persons accommodated in El-Hol refugee camp and
800 needy urban refugees in Damascus. During the period under review, 100
Iraqi refugees were resettled, and 100 persons of various origins were
either transferred to their country of first asylum or assisted to return
voluntarily to their homeland through third countries.
196. The Al Koud camp, located in the Abyan governorate in southern Yemen,
was demolished as a result of the civil disturbances which affected Yemen
from May to July 1994. Out of 9,093 refugees registered in southern Yemen
since the end of the hostilities, 5,235 Somalis and 441 Ethiopians have
been relocated temporarily in Al Gahin camp in the Abyan governorate, and
3,417 other Somali refugees were living in Aden suburbs. UNHCR, with CARE-
Australia, is rehabilitating the former Al Koud camp, which is to serve as
a transit centre for refugees who have already registered for repatriation
and whose departures have been suspended because of the deteriorating
situation in Somalia. Activities will also be developed to render self-
reliant those refugees who cannot be repatriated while they await a durable
solution to their predicament.
197. The number of Somali refugees in Sana'a, northern Yemen, reported to
be 3,000 in December 1994, was estimated to have increased to 4,500 by the
end of February 1995 as the result of a recent influx. The refugees
receive medical assistance and, when needed, a financial allocation.
198. In 1994, total expenditure in South-West Asia, North Africa and the
Middle East amounted to $103.3 million, of which $59.8 million was expended
under General Programmes and $43.5 million under Special Programmes.
--CHAPTER IV
FINANCING OF MATERIAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
199. In 1994, UNHCR's final budget was some $1.2 billion, a figure
comparable to 1993. Donors provided some $1.07 billion in both cash and
kind, compared to total contributions of $1.1 billion in 1993. Japan, the
Netherlands, the Nordic countries, the United Kingdom and the United States
maintained their excellent funding levels, while the European Union
substantially increased its contribution. Donations from both private
donors and non-governmental sources continued at levels comparable to 1993.
200. In 1994, the funding of General Programmes remained a top priority.
Those programmes represent core activities for refugees and provide the
High Commissioner with considerable flexibility to deal with emergencies
and voluntary repatriations. In 1994, the downward trend in the funding of
General Programmes was reversed. As at 31 December 1994, UNHCR had
received $329 million towards General Programmes as compared with the
previous year's figure of $311 million. Secondary income, in the form of
cancellations of prior years' obligations, interest earnings and various
transfers, allowed UNHCR to carry over $56 million into 1995. This carry-
over helped cover expenditure in early 1995, in advance of confirmation by
donors of $154 million announced at the pledging conference in New York in
November 1994.
201. In 1994 special operations again amounted to some two thirds of
UNHCR's operational activities. Appeals were launched, in conjunction with
the Department of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat,
for operations in former Yugoslavia, the Afghan repatriation programme and
the Rwanda-Burundi emergency as well as programmes in the Horn of Africa
and the republics of the former Soviet Union. UNHCR issued its own appeals
for Central America, the Mozambican repatriation and the repatriation to
Myanmar and for a number of emergency operations. The Rwanda refugee
crisis, the most sudden and acute emergency the Office has ever faced, led
UNHCR for the first time to call on donor Governments to provide services
and personnel directly in a massive international humanitarian operation.
During 1994, the Office raised over $700 million for special operations,
repatriations and emergencies, in addition to the amounts under General
Programmes.
202. UNHCR entered a fifth consecutive year of exceptional expenditure,
the fourth in which expenditure and budgets exceed the $1 billion level. A
1995 General Programmes target of $428.7 million has been set, the largest
ever. For Special Programmes, the Office requires some $860 million.
Requirements for the Rwanda-Burundi operation, as well as repatriations in
Africa and Asia, remain urgent priorities, as do programmes in former
Yugoslavia, the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the
Baltic States.
CHAPTER V
RELATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
A. Cooperation between UNHCR and other members of
the United Nations system
203. During the period under review, UNHCR continued to strengthen its
collaboration with departments of the United Nations Secretariat,
particularly the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, the Department of
Political Affairs and the Department of Humanitarian Affairs. With regard
to the last, UNHCR participated actively in all meetings of the Inter-
Agency Standing Committee, as well as in the task forces and working groups
established by the that Committee. During the period under review, UNHCR
both loaned and seconded staff to the Department of Humanitarian Affairs
and assisted in the strengthening of field coordination, inter alia, by
releasing staff to act as humanitarian coordinators.
204. UNHCR continued to strengthen bilateral collaboration arrangements
with other agencies of the United Nations system, in particular with WFP,
UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA, notably in the context of humanitarian emergencies,
such as in UNHCR operations in the former Yugoslavia, the Great Lakes area
of central Africa, West Africa, the Central Asian Republics and the Horn of
Africa.
205. UNHCR collaborated with non-governmental organizations and,
increasingly, with agencies and programmes of the United Nations system in
activities such as food aid, immunization and health care, water supply and
sanitation, mother and child medical care, family planning, and education.
206. Apart from cooperating closely with UNDP in development-related
activities, UNHCR has also participated actively in various forums,
particularly in the context of the work of the Administrative Committee on
Coordination and the Consultative Committee on Programme and Operational
Questions, where system-wide guidelines have been drawn up for practical
work within the continuum from emergency relief to development. The
launching of quick impact projects (QIPs) in various operations world wide,
to assist in consolidating repatriation programmes, has resulted in the
signing of country-specific inter-agency agreements, thus advancing inter-
agency cooperation. In order to highlight issues and challenges, and to
arrive at common solutions, UNHCR staff continued to take part in field
coordination workshops for senior United Nations system representatives,
which have proven a useful tool in furthering inter-agency collaboration
and understanding.
207. With a view to streamlining inter-agency cooperation, UNHCR continued
in 1994 to analyse its formal cooperation with other United Nations
agencies and programmes with an emphasis on regional commissions and banks.
The signing of country-specific memoranda of understanding with UNDP and
WFP in Mozambique signified concrete results which have emerged from those
activities. Similar agreements were expected to be signed during 1995 upon
the conclusion of the indepth assessment of all aspects of UNHCR's
cooperation with other United Nations agencies.
208. In conjunction with other United Nations organizations, UNHCR has
participated in preparatory work for United Nations-sponsored world-wide
conferences and events and has actively taken part in the events. The work
has mainly concentrated on the International Year of the Family (1994), the
United Nations Year for Tolerance (1995), the International Conference on
Population and Development (1994), the World Summit for Social Development
(1995), the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995) and the United Nations
Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (1996).
B. Relations with other intergovernmental organizations
209. Apart from close collaboration with its traditional intergovernmental
partners, such as the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR
continued to enhance its cooperation with the OSCE, especially in the
Caucasus and other areas of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
and with various European Union organs, in particular the European
Community Humanitarian Office. During 1994, UNHCR collaborated with
intergovernmental organizations on the basis of ad hoc agreements; no
formal memoranda of understanding were concluded. In 1994, UNHCR and IOM
continued their fruitful collaboration in the execution of mass information
campaigns targeted in particular at potential migrants from the Russian
Federation and other CIS countries.
C. Relations with non-governmental organizations
210. The series of six regional Partnership in Action (PARINAC) meetings,
which involved the bringing together of some 450 non-governmental
organizations from all over the world, culminated in a four-day global
conference held at Oslo from 6 to 9 June 1994. The meeting synthesized the
proposals that had emerged from the regional conferences into a plan of
action for improved collaboration between UNHCR and non-governmental
organizations, which, together with the Oslo Declaration, was adopted by
the meeting.
211. During the latter part of 1994, UNHCR field offices were asked to
identify priority PARINAC recommendations for implementation in their
countries/regions. The recommendations were discussed with non-governmental
organization partners in order to identify proposals for follow-up
activities by PARINAC in 1995. Priority areas identified by field offices
included coordination activities, training, and capacity-building. The
field offices have also included PARINAC items in their monthly situation
reports to headquarters, and quarterly briefings are provided to the Senior
Management Committee by the non-governmental organizations coordinator.
212. The first regional PARINAC follow-up meeting for the southern African
region, held at Johannesburg on 19 and 20 January 1995, brought together
UNHCR and focal points of non-governmental organizations from all countries
in the region to review implementation of PARINAC proposals resulting from
consultations at the regional level, to identify proposals which have
regional implications, to share the successes and difficulties in the
initial stage of the process, and to establish a set of objectives for
PARINAC follow-up in 1995 and 1996. Further regional follow-up meetings
were planned during 1995.
213. The PARINAC process has strengthened UNHCR's dialogue with non-
governmental organizations and has renewed commitment to the common search
for solutions.
214. In 1994, in addition to the regular pre-Executive Committee meeting
of UNHCR and non-governmental organizations a consultation was organized
between non-governmental organization representatives and Executive
Committee members to discuss those aspects of the PARINAC recommendations
that have particular implications for Governments.
215. Three briefing sessions with non-governmental organizations on the
Rwanda emergency were held, in September and November 1994 and March 1995,
and one on protection matters, in December 1994. Quarterly meetings were
planned in order to continue the dialogue with non-governmental
organizations on UNHCR operations.
Notes
1/ A/AC.96/830.
2/ A/AC.96/821, para. 19.
3/ Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-ninth Session,
Supplement No. 12A (A/49/12/Add.1), para. 20.
4/ A/AC.96/821, para. 21.
-- Table 1. UNHCR expenditure in
1994 by regional bureau/country and
main types of assistance
activities
(All sources of funds)
(Thousands of United States dollars)
Regional bureau/country
or area
Type of assistanceTotal
Emergency assistance
Care and maintenance
Voluntary repatriation a/
Local settlement
Resettlement
Administrative support
1. Africa b/Angola7.55 094.559.92.2139.25 303.3Benin508.03
491.496.75.1172.04 273.2Burundi31 674.2656.17 300.0259.46.5196.640
092.8Cameroon161.143.8423.3103.6731.8Central African Republic2
349.514.5195.016.62 576.6Cote d'Ivoire1 000.0108.270.06 267.05.7283.17
734.0Djibouti2 522.0534.27.3145.83 209.3Eritrea446.83.03 183.92137.53
773.2Ethiopia9 781.31 426.93 757.1111.6770.815 847.7Ghana796.22
518.210.0117.20.2156.33 598.1Guinea15 317.2500.09.02.2296.016 124.4Kenya30
454.49 145.9744.1707.51 648.042 699.9Liberia170.41 565.82 614.255.8281.44
687.6Malawi14 205.95 925.62.0310.120 443.6Mozambique907.342 485.37.31
311.244 711.1Rwanda31 001.864.423.1351.331 440.6Senegal1 413.91
333.510.1390.13 147.6Sierra Leone849.9563.4215.51.534.41 664.7Somalia67.24
495.34 562.5Sudan2 838.42 497.38 526.5298.61 005.415 166.2Swaziland1
219.4154.2179.6111.11 664.3Uganda1 774.34 631.8852.710 699.93.3428.818
390.8United Republic of Tanzania70 083.9876.41 733.51 675.6286.974
656.3Zaire96 160.85 709.5748.82 501.127.1304.6105 451.9Zambia1 318.51
435.92 472.52.1295.75 524.7Zimbabwe2 937.07 887.516.70.6173.811 015.6West
Africa1 628.22 747.31 503.8248.314.9203.06 345.5Other countries in Africa
2 131.8
6 745.7
1 423.7
4.2
948.2
11 253.6
Subtotal235 244.6110 854.4106 966.941 310.81 212.710 501.5506 090.92.
Asia and OceaniaBangladesh25.015 751.12 271.90.23.9420.718
475.8Cambodia27.42 627.0107.32 761.7China25.0179.683.02 202.72.0209.92
702.2Hong Kong12 307.74 063.90.5421.7408.717 202.5Indonesia1
984.3799.71.039.12 824.1Malaysia3 324.8329.4213.5204.24 071.9Nepal6
275.3274.6242.66 792.5Philippines2 121.3520.10.34 359.9148.07
149.6Thailand12 036.21 326.349.0300.2610.514 322.2Viet Nam1 563.21 906.19
203.52.072.812 747.6Other countries in Asia25.013 423.113 078.7899.9467.91
668.829 563.4Australia and New Zealand
900.2
66.7
145.7
1 112.6
Subtotal75.069 894.227 009.112 697.45 772.14 278.3119 726.13.
EuropeArmenia4 293.3114.44 407.7Austria412.941.3749.80.8270.01
474.8Azerbaijan6 255.72.11.964.06 323.7Belgium14.21 069.5282.21
365.9France160.41 627.30.3132.71 920.7Georgia5 145.72.91 351.9148.86
649.3Germany147.90.72 040.8315.72 505.1Greece1 597.34.20.14.184.31
690.0Hungary2 963.69.2272.60.3166.43 412.1Italy1 428.95.21 567.139.9446.23
487.3Russian Federation500.07 848.667.8300.97.4410.09
134.7Spain714.0195.1909.1Turkey2 913.3380.08.1441.0438.84 181.2United
Kingdom27.7150.01 361.3145.71 684.7Former Yugoslavia222 714.84.2219.13
586.7226 524.8Central and Eastern countries1 725.015.1625.82.0295.22
663.1Western countries
595.3
7.9
2 167.3
9.7
479.0
3 259.2
Subtotal11 901.4246 673.62 214.012 504.6724.67 575.2281 593.44.
AmericasBelize2 641.9130.52 772.4Canada10.133.0851.183.5977.7Guatemala2.24
941.71 394.30.6281.86 620.6Mexico1 994.72 164.37 084.84.5758.412
006.7United States of America149.838.11 843.7353.02 384.6Northern South
American countries153.12 256.0986.4905.541.3374.54 716.8Central American
countries6.0229.64 446.91.3433.25 117.0Southern South American countries
2 258.6
405.2
2 066.6
24.1
358.4
5 112.9
Subtotal302.96 527.68 798.321 234.871.82 773.339 708.75. South-West
Asia, North Africa and
the Middle EastAfghanistan4 053.41 062.55 617.2186.210 919.3Algeria7
743.90.92.495.47 842.6Cyprus12 596.34.01.389.012 690.6Egypt1
954.519.6105.927.8249.42 357.2Iran (Islamic Republic of)440.85 797.69
533.3114.0529.316 415.0Iraq973.91 950.41 342.832.5270.34 569.9Mauritania6
402.90.51.30.3173.86 578.8Pakistan19 365.61 995.517.817.4834.022
230.3Yemen2 785.7337.581.65.6139.23 349.6Central Asian Republics7 579.21
500.08.6336.89 424.6Other countries in North Africa1 234.593.0142.850.61
520.9Other countries in Western Asia
3 938.4
93.1
813.0
102.1
465.2
5 411.8
Subtotal12 606.559 475.516 797.710 708.3303.43 419.2103 310.66.
Headquarters and other programmesGlobal and regional projects
13 259.6
43 354.5
11 236.1
12 792.9
63.7
59 250.3
139 957.1
Total
273 390.0
536 779.8
173 022.1
111 248.8
8 143.3
87 797.8
1 190 386.8
of which: General Programmes20 672.8239 741.521 335.275 892.84 584.828
470.3390 697.4 Special Programmes252 717.2297 038.3151 686.935
356.03 563.559 327.5 c/776 064.7 United Nations regular budget
23 624.7
23 624.7
a/ Including assistance to returnees in countries of origin.
b/ Excluding North Africa which is included in 5.
c/ Including expenditure for the Fund for International Field Staff
Housing and basic amenities.