Protracted refugee situations: the search for …

1 Protracted refugeesituations: the searchfor practical solutionsThe majority of today s refugees have lived in exile for far too long, restricted to campsor eking out a meagre existence in urban centres throughout the developing subsist in a state of limbo, and are often dependent on others to find solutions totheir plight. Their predicament is similar to that of the tens of thousands of refugeeswho stagnated in camps in Western Europe in the 1950s and 1960s. The HighCommissioner for Refugees at the time, Gerrit van Heuven Goedhart, called thosecamps black spots on the map of Europe that should burn holes in the consciencesof all those privileged to live in better conditions.

2 1If the situation persisted, he said,the problems of refugees would fester and his office would be reduced to simplyadministering human misery .2 The issue of displaced persons in Europe was finallysettled some 20 years after the end of the Second World War; today s protractedrefugee crises, however, show no signs of being resolved in the near the early 1990s, the international community has focused largely on refugeeemergencies. It has delivered humanitarian assistance to war-affected populationsand supported large-scale repatriation programmes in high-profile areas such as theBalkans, the Great Lakes region of Africa and, more recently, Darfur (Sudan) andChad.

3 Yet more than 60 per cent of today s refugees are trapped in situations far fromthe international spotlight. Often characterized by long periods of exile stretching todecades for some groups these situations occur on most continents in a range ofenvironments including camps, rural settlements and urban centres. The vast majorityare to be found in the world s poorest and most unstable regions, and are frequentlythe result of neglect by regional and international trapped in these forgotten situations often face significant restrictions ontheir rights.

4 At the same time, their presence raises political and security concernsamong host governments and other states in the region. As such, Protracted refugeesituations represent a significant challenge both to human rights and security. Theconsequences of having so many human beings in a static state, argues UNHCR, include wasted lives, squandered resources and increased threats to security .3 Takenindependently, each of these challenges is of mounting concern. Taken collectively,and given the interaction between security, human rights and development, the fullsignificance of Protracted refugee situations becomes more refugees from Myanmar in the Tham Hin camp, Ratchaburi Province, Thailand.

5 Many of the ethnic Karenrefugees in this camp fled their homeland in 1997.(UNHCR/K. Singhaseni/1997) Protracted refugeesituations: the searchfor practical solutions5 Karen refugees from Myanmar in the Tham Hin camp, Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. Many of the ethnic Karenrefugees in this camp fled their homeland in 1997.(UNHCR/K. Singhaseni/1997) :\Lavori\UNHCR\World s_Refugees\ February 2006 17:18:20l 3f8pppBlack 150 lpi at 45 :\Lavori\UNHCR\World s_Refugees\ February 2006 17:18:20lf8pppPANTONE 1535 CV 150 lpi at 45 degreesDespite the gravity of the problem, Protracted refugee situations have yet to featureprominently on the international political agenda.

6 In the vacuum, humanitarianagencies such as UNHCR try to care for forgotten populations and mitigate thenegative effects of prolonged exile. These efforts are not enough, however. In the past,similar crises in Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America were resolved throughcomprehensive plans of action involving humanitarian agencies as well as political,security and development actors. Such an integrated approach is also needed and scope of the problemThe difficulty of defining Protracted refugee situations has arguably frustrated effortsto formulate effective policy responses, and a more detailed understanding of theglobal scope and importance of the problem is clearly necessary.

7 UNHCR defines aprotracted refugee situation as one in which refugees find themselves in along-lasting and intractable state of limbo. Their lives may not be at risk, but theirbasic rights and essential economic, social and psychological needs remain unfulfilledafter years in exile. A refugee in this situation is often unable to break free fromenforced reliance on external assistance .4In identifying the major Protracted refugee situations in the world in 2004, UNHCR used the crude measure of refugee populations of 25,000 persons or more who havebeen in exile for five or more years in developing countries.

8 5 The study excludedPalestinian refugees, who fall under the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agencyfor Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and represent the world s oldestand largest Protracted refugee definition above accurately describes the condition of many refugees inprotracted situations. What it does not reflect is that many of these refugees areactively engaged in seeking solutions for themselves, either through political andmilitary activities in their countries of origin or through onward migration to the , evidence from Africa and Asia demonstrates that while populationnumbers in a particular Protracted situation may remain relatively stable over time.

9 Thecomposition of a population often definition of Protracted refugee situations should therefore include not only thehumanitarian elements of the phenomenon but also its political and strategic addition, a definition must recognize that countries of origin, host countries and theinternational community are all implicated in the causes of Protracted Protracted situations, refugee populations have moved beyond the emergencyphase where the focus is on life-saving protection and assistance but cannotexpect durable solutions in the foreseeable future.

10 These populations are typically, butnot necessarily, concentrated in a specific geographic area, and may includecamp-based and urban- refugee populations. The nature of a Protracted situation willbe the result of conditions in the refugees country of origin, the responses of and106 The State of the World's RefugeesNature and scope of the problemThe State of the World's :\Lavori\UNHCR\World s_Refugees\ February 2006 17:18:20lf8pppBlack 150 lpi at 45 :\Lavori\UNHCR\World s_Refugees\ February 2006 17:18:21l 6f8pppPANTONE 1535 CV 150 lpi at 45 degrees107 Protracted refugee situations: the search for practical solutionsProtracted refugee situations.