UNHCR Begins Annual Meeting in Geneva

Refugee Rights News
Volume 2, Issue 3
September 2005

Representatives of NGOs and governments from around the world are gathering in Geneva for the 56th session of UNHCR’s Executive Committee (ExCom). ExCom is the annual meeting of the governing body of UNHCR. Dedicated to a review of the work of the past year, it is the time when new priorities are set for the agency, budgets agreed, and guidelines elaborating international consensus on aspects of international refugee law and policy and the operation of the High Commissioner’s mandate, are adopted. Alongside states, NGOs also have the opportunity to respond on each agenda item through a coordinated statement and take part in discussions.

For refugee advocates, one of the most important debates follows the presentation of the Note on International Protection. The Note sets out UNHCR’s progress in ensuring the rights of those who are in need of international protection in the previous year, highlights key trends, and gives an overview of UNHCR’s efforts in response to the challenges identified.

This year one of the hopeful elements of the Note is news of a large increase in the number of refugee returns—for millions of refugees the dream of return home has finally become a reality after many years in exile. The result has been the lowest number of refugees since 1988.

At the same time, the overall picture presents little cause for celebration. Although the numbers of refugees requiring protection have reduced, the number of persons of concern to UNHCR continues to rise. This is due to the growth of internal displacement – a phenomenon around which international response is often severely circumscribed by hostile governments and political cowardice.

The challenges faced in responding to the particular needs and suffering of IDPs are immense and UNHCR is increasingly taking responsibility for assisting and protecting the internally displaced (most recently in West Darfur). This is despite the fact that UNHCRs original mandate was restricted to those who had crossed international borers. That the first panel discussion of the first day of the ExCom session will focus on internal displacement, is a significant recognition of the changing face of those who suffer forced displacement in the new global context.

Among the proposals on the table for adoption formally by ExCom this year are the creation of a new post of Assistant High Commissioner for protection “entirely focused on the delivery of international protection” and conclusions on the subjects of complementary forms of protection and local integration. Conclusions provide authoritative guidance for states on developing issues. These conclusions (which are only available in draft form at the time of writing) promise to be important tools for advocates.

We look forward to updating advocates on the outcomes of ExCom in the next newsletter.