“Refugee Problems and their Solutions” - Address of Dr. Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart

 

“Refugee Problems and their Solutions” - Address of Dr. Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at Oslo on 12 December 1955

Essence of the refugee problem: find a home

2,200,000 refugees now under UNHCR mandate, over half in Europe

But this mandate still excludes many more (e.g. Palestinians, East Germans in West, Europeans in China, Indian Moslems in Pakistan, Pakistani Hindus in India)

Difference is that UNHCR mandate refugees are aliens in their country of asylum

Convention now ratified by 15 parliaments

Protection starts with the eligibility process

Within Europe the demand for repatriation following WWII has now subsided

9 million returned home 1945-7, only 70,000 1947-51

Most remaining refugees dream of a new life overseas

But in reality there are limited places, and they tend to go to the fittest and brightest

So assimilation becomes the most likely solution for most refugees, like it or not

UNHCR not an operational agency (voluntary agencies do this)

This keeps costs and staff requirements down (currently 123 at headquarters and branch offices)

Main battle for UNHCR has been to persuade governments that the refugee issue not solved

Turning point 1: authorisation to establish a Refugee Emergency Fund for neediest

Turning point 2: thanks to a Ford Foundation donation, longer-term integration projects possible and seen as workable

Turning point 3: General Assembly approves a 4-year programme

Unfortunately, raising the funds for the programme has proved troublesome

The existence of so many refugees in Europe in wretched conditions shames us all