Membership

Operating in an Age of Uncertainty: New Challenges in
Humanitarian and Development Work

Plenary Address by Mr. Ruud Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Washington, 17 May 2004

I am honoured to have been invited to speak at the opening of InterAction's annual Forum. This event is well-known in humanitarian and development circles for bringing together both field practitioners and policy makers and I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today. A special word of thanks to Mary McClymont and her team, as well as the many NGO members of InterAction, for organizing this meeting.

The theme of this Forum – "Operating in an Age of Uncertainty" – could hardly be more relevant to the times we live in. There are dark clouds all around us. But in a Dutch sky, even on a cloudy day, if you look carefully you can often find a small patch of blue somewhere in the sky. We must look for that. There is so much anti-Americanism in the world today. But that does not solve anything. It's as pointless as being anti-Islam. We must not play into the hands of those merchants of doom who would like to see Samuel Huntington's predictions about a "Clash of Civilizations" come true. We must not be too negative.

At the end of last year I described 2003 as a good year in bad times. It was a good year because millions of refugees and internally displaced persons were able to return to their homes. This trend seems to be continuing in 2004. In Afghanistan, more than three million displaced people have returned to their homes since the fall of the Taliban regime. We also continue to see major refugee returns to countries like Angola, Sierra Leone and even Burundi. This is the good news. But we also face some serious challenges.

Today I want to talk about three key challenges that I face as High Commissioner for Refugees. First, ensuring staff security and the challenge of terrorism. Second, the challenge of strengthening our partnerships in the pursuit of international peace, stability and human dignity. And third, the challenge of finding solutions for all those millions of people in the world today who remain uprooted, marginalised and voiceless.

Staff security

In a number of countries, ensuring the security of our staff has become one of our greatest operational challenges. This applies to both local and international staff. Over the last year, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somaliland and a number of other places, all of us – UN and NGOs alike – have had to confront the loss of colleagues, often in horrific circumstances that we still struggle to make sense of.

After the abominable attack on the UN in Baghdad last year, what lessons shall we draw? Clearly, the UN needs to review and improve its security management system. UNHCR is playing an active role in contributing to this effort.

For my part, I am determined to ensure that the UN does not react by trying to centralize all decision making in New York. A more unified security management system would be good; but whatever changes are made, I believe it is vital that the system allows for, and indeed encourages, a differentiated country-by-country approach. Managers should be supported in tailoring their security procedures according to the circumstances. Security Management Teams should be empowered to take decisions on the ground and the highest UN official in the country should have ultimate responsibility for the security of UN staff in that country.

The answer is not to out-source security management to the so-called "experts" but to ensure that all staff are trained to operate in a secure way. Managers must remain responsible and accountable for staff security. This should not be eroded by bureaucratization and centralization of our security management system. "Operate in a secure way" – this has been, and must continue to be, our leitmotif.

Then there is the problem of what I call "Iraqization". By this I mean the tendency to think that the whole world is like Iraq; the tendency to think that we now have to bunker down everywhere and seal ourselves off in heavily fortified compounds, no matter which country we are operating in.

Of course, the UN needs to respect minimum safety standards wherever it works and in some places it may be necessary to take additional safety measures; but I disagree with the idea that in every country in the world the UN should start operating in a radically different way on the basis that it is now a terrorist target everywhere. I believe this is a dangerous way for the UN to go. As has been stressed in one recent report, the ability of humanitarian agencies to operate in insecurity depends largely on the degree to which they are accepted by the local community. Our key job is still to be accepted by local populations. We in the United Nations cannot operate from fortresses. We cannot and we should not. If it comes to that, we should pack up and go home.

In the last few years, UNHCR has invested a lot in improving staff security. Our focus has been on providing better training – including through an interactive CD which is now compulsory for all staff, not only in UNHCR but throughout the UN system. We have also invested in providing our staff in the field with better communications equipment and in emphasizing the importance of maintaining good lines of communication with local people, local authorities and partners.

Good coordination with NGOs on security issues is vital. In Afghanistan, a recent review of the security management system conducted jointly by UNHCR and UNAMA found that the Afghan NGO Security Officer system ("ANSO" – as it is called) has proven to be highly effective. Having a single NGO focal point for security matters has helped to simplify and facilitate the relationship between the UN and NGO community. In Guinea, UNHCR and IRC have started a similar initiative. We need to learn more from positive experiences such as these and build on them.

Terrorism

Al Qaeda is a real problem. But we must avoid becoming paralysed by this monster. UNHCR – like ICRC and other humanitarian agencies – has been badly damaged by the demonization of others that we have seen. We've been damaged by the "axis of evil" – this Manichean vision of the world as split between the "good" and the "evil". Unfortunately, like others we are paying the price for this. For we have also come to be seen as part of a supposed Western "crusade" against the world of Islam.

Even in times of war and terrorism, we must act in accordance with the rule of law and with respect for human dignity. I will not dwell on Guantanamo with its prisoners of war, the treatment of Iraqi prisoners, or the double standards when it comes to the enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions in the Middle East conflict. The United States has an impressive array of NGOs who have spoken out on these issues, so no further lecturing from my side. But you do understand that Jakob Kellenberger of ICRC and Ruud Lubbers of UNHCR will not compromise in defending the just application of humanitarian law.

Of course, there is the other dimension of Islamic countries that have not found it easy to cope with the challenges of modernity. Young Muslims certainly need some inspired leaders to help their societies move forward. But we can be certain of one thing: there will be more change for the good in those countries when the injustices there cannot be blamed on the West.

As High Commissioner for Refugees, I am a UN person. One often hears it said that the UN is weak and ineffective. But this is not always the case. We should not forget that the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq (including Hans Blix and his team) were extremely successful; that although Saddam Hussein had the intentions of developing weapons of mass destruction and the capacity to do so, the UN weapons inspection process was highly effective in preventing this. By now we can say that this has been proven.

The UN has a vital role to play in today's world, not only in Iraq but everywhere. It should not be side-lined. On the contrary, if it was ever needed, it is needed now. It is needed to address problems of poverty, disease and particularly the spread of HIV/AIDS; to address problems of racial and religious intolerance, discrimination and xenophobia; to address the problem of weapons of mass destruction. Above all, it is needed to address the profound social injustices that often breed violence, extremism and terrorism in the first place.

What we need in the world today is less demonization of others, less anti-Americanism, and in its place a deep conviction of the merits of a multi-polar world, with full respect not only for the world of Islam, but also for China, India and countries everywhere.

UNHCR's partnership with NGOs

The second challenge for UNHCR that I want to speak about today is that of strengthening our partnerships. UNHCR has a long history of working with NGOs. In the last ten years we have channelled over 4.3 billion US dollars through our partners worldwide. Last year, we supported more than five hundred NGOs to assist and protect refugees – eighty percent of these being local NGOs.

But in spite of this, many of you know from your own presence in the field that we are still unable to meet all the needs of refugees and other persons of concern. There remain some glaring gaps. I have therefore set in motion various initiatives aimed at strengthening our relations with the NGO community and international organizations, drawing more on their expertise and capabilities and looking for further ways to enable them to provide input into our policy-making. I have also encouraged our staff to strengthen our cooperation with new partners.

In the past, much of UNHCR's budgeting and planning has been resource-driven. This is not good enough. We need to join forces with international NGOs to ensure a more needs-based approach. Last year I therefore called on all my representatives in the field to involve operational partners more in assessing needs and planning activities. I also asked them to focus on three key areas: first, making better use of services provided by partners in cases where they are able to carry out activities in a more cost effective manner than UNHCR; second, exploring opportunities for partners currently funded by UNHCR to continue the same activities with funding from other sources; and third, supporting – other than financially – projects aimed at meeting unmet refugee needs not included in the UNHCR budget. After our experiences of last year we will do this more consistently this year. When we have plans for 2005 we will share them with our partners.

We have already seen some encouraging results in countries like Kenya, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Sri Lanka. Major gaps still remain, however, because of lack of adequate funding. For example, in Kenya earlier this year a group of over 80 of UNHCR's stakeholders including Government authorities, NGOs, donors, and UN agencies engaged in a strategic planning exercise for 2005. The overall needs for some 200,000 refugees were budgeted at over 50 million US dollars. Although this is probably almost double the amount that UNHCR and NGOs can expect to receive, the exercise was certainly worthwhile. It has highlighted the gaps that still exist and the severe funding limitations that we face. The protection mandate for refugees is not being met sufficiently. The key is not in expanding UNHCR but in our partners. The World Bank made it clear that 50% of all conflicts are recurrent and involve displacement of people. Sustainable peace efforts also need to take into consideration the uprooted. Also, all development money should include funding for refugees.

NGOs are far more involved now in UNHCR's policy-making and in the overall governance of refugee issues than they were in the past. In my field visits to places like Afghanistan and Colombia, I have been pleased to see a high level of cooperation on protection issues. NGOs have made significant contributions to the development of our policies on refugee women, children, and a wide range of technical and operational issues.

NGOs also have a major impact on UNHCR's fund-raising efforts. I do not need to remind you that the United States is our single largest donor. Here, I would like to acknowledge and thank InterAction and many among you for your advocacy on behalf of refugees and for your efforts to support UNHCR.

The search for durable solutions

The third challenge I want to talk about is that of finding durable solutions for refugees and other persons of concern. Protracted refugee situations are unacceptable. The search for durable solutions must become more systematic and must begin at the outset of each new refugee crisis. After visiting so many camps to me the true tragedy is seeing youth in protracted situations. It is truly saddens me.

With this in mind, UNHCR has developed, in close cooperation with its partners, a Framework for Durable Solutions. This is a key document, not only for UNHCR but for all those involved in addressing the needs of refugees. For us in UNHCR, it is also central to the Convention Plus initiative.

Convention Plus is an initiative which builds on the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol by putting in place new arrangements to complement these instruments and strengthen their implementation. Hence the "plus". It is aimed at turning the international community's common aspirations of achieving durable solutions into concrete, practical and shared commitments. It is about addressing both protracted and evolving refugee situations in a proactive, rather than reactive, manner. We must burden share and become proactive. It is unacceptable to just wait for answers as refugees linger on and on in camps.

We have seen significant progress over the last few years in finding durable solutions. In Afghanistan, more than three million refugees and internally displaced persons have returned to their homes since the fall of the Taliban regime. We have seen the success of the 4Rs in Africa. There is a 5th R which is reconciliation. People become capable of living together where earlier they were unable to do so.

But above all, it is in Africa that we continue to see so many opportunities for durable solutions. UNHCR organized the African Dialogue on Voluntary Repatriation and Sustainable Reintegration in March this year because of the positive signals that the people of Africa are on the road to resolving some of the protracted conflicts that have led to massive displacement on the continent. The resolution of these conflicts could, over the next few years, lead to the voluntary repatriation of up to 2 million refugees from several African countries and the return of several million more internally displaced persons.

A number of repatriation operations are already underway. In Angola, Eritrea, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and parts of Somalia, hundreds of thousands of refugees have gone home over the past few years. Reintegration and rehabilitation activities continue to allow the remaining refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their homes. Other operations are at different stages of the planning phase, depending on political developments and the status of the peace process in each case.

In Liberia, where the deployment of peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel throughout the country is underway and where the disarmament and demobilization process has really started. Spontaneous returns have already started from Sierra Leone although the managed repatriation will begin from October 1st.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, planning is underway for the voluntary repatriation of refugees from neighbouring countries to parts of the country where peace and stability have reached sustainable levels.

In Burundi, the signing of understandings between the Government and the rebels as well as progress in the recent peace talks have already enabled UNHCR to facilitate the repatriation of 35,000 refugees since the beginning of this year. It has now really started, many hundreds of thousands of refugees will follow, going home over the next few years. By the end of the year we will pass 100,000 who have repatriated.

In southern Sudan, positive developments in the peace talks give rise to hopes for the return of 600,000 Sudanese refugees in exile in neighbouring countries over the next few years. UNHCR is progressively re-establishing its presence in the South in order to prepare for returns. In advance of the peace agreement, we will start setting up offices to receive returnees and pray nothing gets in the way of peace. These positive developments towards peace and return in Sudan, however, are increasingly overshadowed by the situation in Darfur, which is of extreme concern to UNHCR and to the UN in general. It is tragic to say it, but the safest place for the people of Darfur today is in the refugee camps in Chad, where with the help of many qualified NGOs we have found water and can ensure their protection. At the request of the Secretary-General, UNHCR will also be going into Darfur to assist in protection efforts there. It is unacceptable to celebrate the peace in southern Sudan while western Sudan is being bombarded. It is criminal to sue the peace in the south to terrorize those in Darfur with the resources available now. Darfur cannot be avoided either in humanitarian or political contexts. We were motivated to act because of the people we met in Chad. We could not keep them there on the border and started the long march to relocate them. So far we have moved more than 60,000 inland to our six camps.

I don't want to end on a gloomy note so I will talk about the success we have seen in Africa. Given the enormous potential in Africa for resolving long-standing conflicts, consolidating peace and putting an end to protracted refugee and IDP situations, I believe now is the time for the international community to unite in lending its full support to this process. We have a common responsibility to ensure that the seeds of peace and development which have been sown in Africa are given the opportunity to grow. We need to seize the opportunities now and to work together through strong partnerships.

Thank you.