The vast majority of claimants seeking asylum in Kenya are from the horn of Africa and Great Lakes region and speak a variety of languages. UNHCR Eligibility Officials, who conduct Refugee Status Determination (hereafter 'RSD') interviews, are limited in the…
On 6 November 2003, the Indonesian government announced that the existing state of emergency and the massive military offensive in Aceh were to be extended for a further six months. Meanwhile, international media and humanitarian organisations remain virtually barred from…
Over the past 20 years, a voluminous literature - much of it somewhat critical in tone - has been published on the policies, programmes and activities of UNHCR. During the same period, the concept of 'organisational culture' has gained wide…
The 2003 Pre-ExCom, held on 24-26 September, marked another step forward in enhancing the partnership between the refugee agency and NGOs. The 228 participants from 160 NGOs in 65 countries discussed a broad range of issues and country/regional situations. Three…
Uganda is currently facing an internal displacement crisis of catastrophic proportions but one that is little known to the outside world. The most recent estimates suggest that approximately 1.3 million people are displaced inside the country. In August 2003, I…
As both emergency outflows and dramatic repatriations have decreased in recent years, over three million African refugees (predominantly Sahrawis, Burundians, Liberians, Eritreans, Somalis and southern Sudanese) find themselves in protracted situations. Protracted refugee situations - exemplified by the iconic refugee…
Discussions of refugee issues tend to downplay third country resettlement, because it is the rarest of UNHCR's three durable solutions and is seen to affect such a small minority of refugees. Third country resettlement, however, has material and cultural impacts…
Developed in 1998, the Guiding Principles consolidate in one document the legal standards relevant for protecting and assisting people forcibly displaced within their own country. These Principles are widely accepted internationally but there is a long way to go until…
While over 250,000 people in Burundi have died as a result of conflict since 1993, HIV/AIDS has become the country's primary cause of adult deaths and an important cause of infant mortality. In this small country of seven million, though…
The example of one particular refugee settlement, Achol-Pii, in Pader district, reveals some of the specific problems that are created when refugees are forced to live in settlements in the midst of armed conflict. Conflict and flight The majority of…