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United Nations High Commission for Refugees Briefing Report

United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) held a general briefing on the refugee crisis. The event, organized by the City College of New York NGO, aimed to further an understanding of the issues the UNHCR deals with: providing the students with an educational opportunity.

Mr. Firas Kayal, a Senior Policy Advisor to the UNHCR, began the briefing explaining the structure of the UN and how different branches are connected. According to him, the UN is divided into two parts, the political arm that writes mandates and policies, and the humanitarian arm that is responsible for implementing these policies. The political side is comprised of the Security Council, the General Assembly, and the Secretariat. The humanitarian side encompasses UN-affiliated agencies such as the World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Food Programme, and the UNHCR.

According to Mr. Kayal, the world’s biggest problem at this moment is the refugee crisis, for it is the most substantial crisis since World War II. We are living in unprecedented times as there are more than 66 million people displaced worldwide, the highest level of global displacement on record. More than 70% of the refugees are women and children.

There are two reasons for such a high number of refugees around the world. The first is the lack of ability of the international community to solve conflicts that have been continuing the last thirty years. The many conflicts in Africa displace people on a daily basis. For example, Somalia has been in turmoil for two decades due to a civil war, producing a massive displacement of people. The conflicts in Afghanistan displace people within the country and in the neighboring countries. Because these old conflicts cannot be resolved by the international community, there is more destruction, devastation, and displacement. The second is the rise of new conflicts around the world. The international community has not been able to prevent them. The conflicts in Yemen started in 2015, and they are responsible for displacing more than 2.5 million people; at least 85% of the population has been displaced since the beginning of the conflict. South Sudanese clashes displaced over 2 million people to the neighboring countries. Last but not least, the Myanmar crisis, the Rohingya refugees. More than 600,000 people fled the country since August, on top of the 400,000 who are already in Bangladesh. The international community has been unable to resolve old conflicts or prevent new conflicts. Due to these facts, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who worked as the High Commissioner of Refugees for ten years and understands the causes of displacements around the world, made it a priority to implement a culture of prevention. Hence, all the UN reports, forums, seminars, meetings, and briefings highlight the word “prevention.” Mr. Guterres wants UN member states and international actors to perceive that preventing conflicts is much better than dealing with the aftermath. Preventive measures are easier and save resources and energy while also minimizing human suffering.

One myth of the refugee crisis is the belief that the West bears the burden of the refugees. 85% of the world’s displaced people are hosted by small and middle-income countries. The Syrian war generated the largest displacement in history. Today, five million Syrian refugees are being hosted in neighboring countries while 6 million have been displaced internally. The Syrian population numbers roughly 18.5 million people, meaning more than half of the country is displaced. Syria’s neighbors are hosting the clear majority of the Syrian refugees while Western nations are hosting less than 15% of them. The refugees from South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Yemen are also displaced to neighboring states. Mr. Kayal pointed out the example of Lebanon, a middle-income nation with a population of five million; its population has increased by 25% in the last three years. Today one in five people in Lebanon is Syrian. Lebanon, a small country with limited resources, must support a disproportionally large influx of refugees without aid from other countries. Such support includes shelter, schooling, health facilities, and jobs for the more than 1 million Syrians. If one were to compare the United States to Syria, it would be as if the U.S. had absorbed 65 million refugees over the past three years. Europe received only one million refugees who crossed the Mediterranean Sea in 2015. These figures show the impression that the West has accommodated the preponderance of refugees is a myth. Instead, low- and middle-income countries are the ones making a difference to the refugee crisis. On top of that, Europe did not act in a unified way: while countries such as Sweden and Germany took a humanitarian approach, other states such as Hungary and Poland closed their borders or fired tear gas at migrants and refugees.

The UNHCR urges the world to share the burden equally. This can be done through welcoming refugees and supporting UNHCR financially. Although the UNHCR has received historic donations in the recent years, the funds are not enough. The organization is working on a shoestring budget that provides less than 50% of what is needed to help all refugees. Consequently, the agency is unable to handle the long-term refugee crisis. To illustrate how UNHCR is unable to alleviate the pain and suffering that refugees face, Mr. Kayal used the analogy of treating a cancer patient with aspirin. Mr. Kayal stressed that humanitarian aid cannot end conflicts; However, it can ease the consequences of conflicts. Typically, UNHCR offers shelter to refugees, which the most basic service needed for survival. He urged international cooperation among UN member states in finding political solutions and stability for the countries in conflict. At the same time, he urged international community to assist with preventing new conflicts around the world. He reminded member states that the world needs political decisions to solve the refugee crisis. Mr. Kayal suggested that such political solution rests with the United Nations member states.

Patricia Zanini Graca is a first-year graduate student at the Seton Hall School of Diplomacy and International Relations. Patricia holds an MBA in Business and Marketing. Patricia is a media associate at the Journal of Diplomacy, and an associate at the Graduate Diplomacy Council. She specializes in International Organizations and Global Negotiations & Conflict Management. 

2 Comments

  1. Hugh Dugan Hugh Dugan

    Very thorough and well-written reporting. Thank you for bringing this important information to everyone’s attention. Well done.

  2. Aicha Cherif Aicha Cherif

    Thank you for this brilliant summary. It was definitely an important topic and hope in the future we’re going to have a similar briefing.

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