International aid as we know it today was borne of the violence of World War II (Ali & Zeb). Humanitarian aid began in earnest with the Marshall Plan to aid Europe in its reconstruction, and it was solidified as the fourth point in Harry Truman’s Four Point inaugural address: "we must embark on a bold new program for making the benefits of our scientific advances and industrial progress available for the improvement and growth of underdeveloped areas” (Truman). Established agencies immediately jumped to address the issues of which Truman spoke-- World Bank and its regional branches, for example-- whereas newly formed groups like the United Nations began to dedicate more resources to aid. The latter category includes groups that have grown
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Among these challenges becoming ever more prevalent in the face of wars and ecological disasters is that of forced migration: the flows of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people. At the end of 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported 65.3 million forced migrants, of whom 21.3 million people are refugees (UNHCR 2016). While many of these refugee crises are immediate emergency situations resolved within a few months or years, a growing number of refugee influxes are “protracted refugee situations”, or long term exile for the affected nationals. At the end of 2015, 6.7 million people in 27 host countries make up 32 protracted refugee situations. Such situations are most often caused by long term political instability, as in much of the Middle East today (UNHCR). The UNHCR parameters for an official protracted refugee situation require that it must affect over 25,000 people for a minimum of five years (UNHCR) and the UNHCR has described protracted refugee situations as “one in which refugees find themselves in a long-lasting and intractable state of limbo. Their lives may not be at risk, but their basic rights and essential economic, social and psychological needs remain unfulfilled after years in exile” …show more content…
710).
Given its power over the refugees themselves, its weight in policy decisions and its role in the international aid arena, the UNHCR wields significant influence. Its strategies and decisions should be scrutinized given their potential influence and power in international aid and regional policy alike.
The UNHCR has been working to develop and improve strategies for refugee situations since its establishment in 1950. Although the group has acknowledged that given the heterogeneity of refugee populations and the vast difference between refugee circumstances, there can be no “one size fits all” solution, the group has still put forth some basic principles that extend to all refugee populations (UNHCR 2008). The primary requirement of any refugee situation is that the human rights of the affected people are protected insofar as they can be-- freedom of movement, for example, must sometimes be limited to protect the refugees from a hostile environment outside the camp, but freedom of speech is more easily maintained. The UNHCR also puts emphasis on non-refoulement, or refusal to send the refugees back to the country from which they fled while there still remains a threat to their well-being. The organization is, however, limited in what it can do as a non-political organization, meaning that it does not get involved in the political aspect of the situations in which it operates (UNHCR 2008). However,
Among these challenges becoming ever more prevalent in the face of wars and ecological disasters is that of forced migration: the flows of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people. At the end of 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported 65.3 million forced migrants, of whom 21.3 million people are refugees (UNHCR 2016). While many of these refugee crises are immediate emergency situations resolved within a few months or years, a growing number of refugee influxes are “protracted refugee situations”, or long term exile for the affected nationals. At the end of 2015, 6.7 million people in 27 host countries make up 32 protracted refugee situations. Such situations are most often caused by long term political instability, as in much of the Middle East today (UNHCR). The UNHCR parameters for an official protracted refugee situation require that it must affect over 25,000 people for a minimum of five years (UNHCR) and the UNHCR has described protracted refugee situations as “one in which refugees find themselves in a long-lasting and intractable state of limbo. Their lives may not be at risk, but their basic rights and essential economic, social and psychological needs remain unfulfilled after years in exile” …show more content…
710).
Given its power over the refugees themselves, its weight in policy decisions and its role in the international aid arena, the UNHCR wields significant influence. Its strategies and decisions should be scrutinized given their potential influence and power in international aid and regional policy alike.
The UNHCR has been working to develop and improve strategies for refugee situations since its establishment in 1950. Although the group has acknowledged that given the heterogeneity of refugee populations and the vast difference between refugee circumstances, there can be no “one size fits all” solution, the group has still put forth some basic principles that extend to all refugee populations (UNHCR 2008). The primary requirement of any refugee situation is that the human rights of the affected people are protected insofar as they can be-- freedom of movement, for example, must sometimes be limited to protect the refugees from a hostile environment outside the camp, but freedom of speech is more easily maintained. The UNHCR also puts emphasis on non-refoulement, or refusal to send the refugees back to the country from which they fled while there still remains a threat to their well-being. The organization is, however, limited in what it can do as a non-political organization, meaning that it does not get involved in the political aspect of the situations in which it operates (UNHCR 2008). However,