What is a refugee? What is an IDP?
Why are refugees
and IDPs displaced?
How many refugees and IDPs are there?
Where are refugees and asylum
seekers?
Do I know any refugees?
Why do refugees and IDPs need
protection and assistance?
Who provides protection and assistance
to refugees and IDPs?
What kind of assistance is provided?
Are there solutions to displacement?
What is the US refugee resettlement
program?
How does the refugee resettlement program work?
Who provides assistance
in the refugee resettlement process?
How long do refugees stay in
the United States?
Where do resettled refugees come from?
How do refugees contribute
to the United States?
Where can I get more information?
What is a refugee? What is an IDP?
A refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of
being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership
of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the
country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear,
is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country..." --1951
Refugee Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are individuals who have been
forced to flee their homes for many of the same reasons as refugees,
but who have not crossed an international border.
A refugee is entitled to international protection under the 1951
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
Moreover, enshrined in the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights is the
right “to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from
persecution.” While internally displaced persons are not afforded
the protections provided in international refugee law, the protection
of their fundamental human rights and physical security is grounded
in international human rights and humanitarian law.
Why are refugees and IDPs displaced?
There are a range of situations that result in the creation of
refugee and IDP populations. Some refugees and IDPs flee their homes
due to conflict, while others are trying to escape political or religious
persecution. The following examples reflect a variety of causes for
displacement across the globe.
Afghanistan
Over the past 20 years, millions of Afghans fled their country
as a result of the Soviet occupation and repression by the Taliban
regime; as many as 5 million Afghans lived as refugees at the end
of the 1990s. Since 2001, following the signing of the Bonn Agreement
and the establishment of a new government, more than 4.2 million
refugees have returned to Afghanistan.
Burma
More than 140,000 Burmese live as refugees in Thailand, India,
and Bangladesh as a result of the political, religious, and ethnic
persecution of ethnic minorities by the Burmese government. An estimated
500,000 Burmese remain internally displaced for similar reasons,
and often endure forced labor, torture, and other atrocities at the
hand of the government.
Sudan
Over 600,000 Sudanese fled to neighboring countries, including
Uganda, Chad, and Kenya, as a result of multiple internal conflicts
and civil wars over the course of two decades. Meanwhile, between
5 and 6 million Sudanese remain internally displaced due to conflict
in the country.
How many refugees and IDPs are there?
At the start of 2005, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) reported approximately 9.2 million refugees worldwide,
while the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimated 25.3
million IDPs throughout the globe.
More than one-third of all refugees, or 3.5 million individuals,
are found in Africa. Africa also hosts 13 million IDPs, more than
half of the world’s internally displaced population.
80% of all refugees and IDPs are women and children. Over 7 million
refugees have spent at least 10 years in camps.
Where are refugees and asylum seekers?
Do I know any refugees?
Some famous refugees are: Albert Einstein, Nobel Laureate; Madeleine
Albright, former US Secretary of State; Tom Lantos, US Congressman
(CA); Gloria Estefan, singer; General John Shalikashvili, former
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Andrew Grove, Chairman of the
Intel Corporation.
Why do refugees and IDPs need protection and assistance?
While at the turn of the century 90% of all war-related casualties
were soldiers, the vast majority of casualties in contemporary conflicts
are civilians. Civilians are often forced to flee their homes and
are denied access to food, shelter, adequate water, and medicines.
According to the International Rescue Committee, mortality rates
among displaced populations can rise as much as 30 times the normal
level of the communities from which individuals have fled. These
fatalities are often the result of preventable and treatable diseases
and conditions, including diarrhea, dehydration, measles, malaria,
and malnutrition. Providing basic humanitarian relief in the form
of food, shelter, potable water, and medical assistance saves the
lives of millions of refugees and IDPs.
The provision of other humanitarian services, including psychosocial
assistance and reproductive health services, ensures that the psychological,
emotional, and social needs of the displaced are also met. Protection
programs that address the special needs of women, children, and other
vulnerable groups help guard against further risks to their lives
and well-being, including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)
and other human rights abuses.
Who provides protection and assistance to refugees and
IDPs?
The protection of civilians is first and foremost the responsibility
of states, including in times of conflict and crisis. When a state
is unable or unwilling to provide such protection, the international
humanitarian community, including the United Nations agencies and
other organizations, must step in until the state is able to reassume
is obligations.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), based in Geneva, Switzerland, is mandated to provide protection
and assistance to refugees throughout the world.
Additional UN agencies also play an important role in providing
assistance to refugees and the internally displaced. The World Food
Programme (WFP) delivers critical food assistance to populations
displaced by conflict. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
provides protection for women and children in emergencies.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is mandated
to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence,
including refugees and IDPs, and to provide them with assistance.
Humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also play a
major role in assisting refugees and IDPs. NGOs provide life-saving
material assistance, such as food, water, and shelter, as well as
critical social services, including medical treatment and educational
opportunities.
Donor governments, including the United States, contribute essential
financial resources that enable United Nations agencies and NGOs
to carry out humanitarian relief programs. Meanwhile, refugee hosting
countries – many of which are poor, developing states – provide
temporary asylum to large groups of refugees, often at great economic,
social, and environmental cost to the country.
What kind of assistance is provided?
Given the immense needs so often found in situations of conflict
and crisis, assistance to refugees and IDPs frequently takes a variety
of forms. Most humanitarian assistance, however, falls within one
of the following sectors:
Water and Sanitation Activities: Ensuring adequate water
supplies and sanitation services is a critical component of humanitarian
assistance. Insufficient amounts of clean drinking water and poor
sanitation services may result in the outbreak of diseases such as
cholera and malaria, endangering public health in refugee and IDP
populations. Humanitarian activities in water and sanitation include
providing adequate supplies of drinking water, building latrines
or toilets, promoting good hygiene among refugee and IDP populations,
and developing mechanisms for solid waste disposal.
Food Security: Achieving food security for the displaced
is critical for their survival. Certain vulnerable groups, including
children, expectant mothers, the sick, and the elderly, are particularly
vulnerable to malnutrition. Humanitarian programs related to food
security may include activities such as distributing food to refugees
and IDPs; identifying individuals suffering from malnutrition and
providing treatment to them; providing skills training to the displaced
to enhance livelihoods strategies; distributing seeds and tools for
agricultural production; and developing employment or income generation
opportunities for refugees and IDPs.
Health: Having fled their homes and lacking access to
sufficient food, water, and medicines, refugees and IDPs are often
vulnerable to disease. The provision of health services, therefore,
is necessary in humanitarian crises. Humanitarian medical assistance
may include such activities as: providing immunizations and medicines
to prevent the spread of infectious diseases; building field hospitals
to provide medical treatment to the displaced; providing reproductive
health services, including counseling for those affected by sexual
and gender-based violence (SGBV); and ensuring that the displaced
have adequate access to mental health services.
Protection and Psychosocial Assistance: Given
the scope of human rights abuses against civilians in contemporary
armed conflict, protection and psychosocial assistance to refugees
is also critical. Protection programs help to address and prevent
incidents of sexual and gender-based violence, prevent the abduction
of children into armed forces, and provide vulnerable groups with
access to essential materials and services. Psychosocial assistance
helps to address traums and other mental and emotional disorders
among the displaced.
Are there solutions to displacement?
There are three recognized durable solutions for refugee crises:
Repatriation: The return of refugees to their country
of origin. Repatriation must be voluntary and must enable refugees
to return safely and with dignity to their home countries.
Local integration: The agreement of a host country to
allow refugees to remain permanently in that country. Local integration
enables refugees to enjoy and wider range of rights in the community,
become self-reliant through the establishment of livelihoods, and
live without discrimination while maintaining their own cultural
identity.
Resettlement: Resettlement is a process that allows refugees
to settle permanently in a third country when they are unable to
return to their country of origin or integrate locally in the country
of asylum. For millions of refugees who remain in camps or urban
settlements with little hope of returning and limited opportunities
to integrate locally, resettlement can provide the best opportunity
for a meaningful future. Once resettled, refugees make significant
contributions to the communities in which they live.
What is the US refugee resettlement program?
The US Refugee Resettlement Program is a critical tool for refugee
protection, providing tens of thousands of refugees each year with
the opportunity to settle permanently in the United States.
The United States is the global leader in refugee resettlement.
Historically, the US accepts annually more refugees than all other
countries combined. For instance, in FY 2000, the US resettled over
73,000 refugees, 45,000 more refugees than all other resettlement
countries combined that year.
Nevertheless, US refugee admissions have steadily
declined over the past decade for a variety of reasons, falling from
a total of 112,811 admitted in FY 1991 to only 52,868 admitted in
FY 2004. While steps have been taken to increase refugee admissions,
much more needs to be done to ensure the continuance of a robust
US Refugee Resettlement Program.
How does the refugee resettlement program work?
Each year, the US President establishes the proposed ceilings for
refugee admissions for the fiscal year. This number represents the
total number of refugees to be admitted for that year. For FY 2004,
the refugee admissions ceiling was 70,000.
Refugees selected for resettlement must meet a set of criteria
devised by the United States Government. Most refugees selected for
resettlement are referred to the US Government by the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees. Others, however, are identified by
the US Government as belonging to a group of special concern based
on individual circumstances, or are identified as being close family
members (spouses, unmarried children, and parents) of individuals
already residing permanently in the US. All refugees must meet the
definition of a refugee by proving that he or she has a well-founded
fear of persecution.
Once identified as being eligible for permanent resettlement, refugees
must undergo thorough medical and security screening before their
arrival in the United States.
Upon arriving in the US, refugees receive limited assistance from
the US Government and private voluntary agencies. These agencies
help refugees integrate into their new communities and become self-sufficient
through a range of services, including assistance in finding and
securing basic housing, food, and clothing; job-placement assistance;
school enrollment for children; and cultural orientations.
Who provides assistance in the refugee resettlement process?
The US Refugee Resettlement Program is managed and implemented
by a variety of US Government bodies in partnership with private
voluntary agencies. Each agency plays an important role in this critical
program.
The Department of Homeland Security/US Citizenship & Immigration
Service (USCIS) has the statutory authority to determine which applicants
meet the requirements for refugee status and are eligible for the
US Refugee Resettlement Program. Officials of the USCIS conduct interviews
to determine the eligibility of individuals for the resettlement
program prior to their arrival in the United States.
The State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and
Migration (PRM) plays an important role in the US Refugee Resettlement
Program through coordinating resettlement policy; managing overseas
processing, cultural orientation, and transportation to the US; and
providing funds to private voluntary agencies for initial reception
and placement activities for newly arrived refugees. These programs
and activities are funded through the Migration & Refugee Affairs
(MRA) Account. In FY 2004, approximately $132 million was appropriated
for refugee admissions.
The Department of Health & Human Services/Office of Refugee
Resettlement (ORR) is responsible for providing a variety of critical
social services to refugees during their first five years in the
US, including transitional cash assistance, medical care, and job
counseling. The office provides funding for such services through
state governments as well as through private voluntary agencies.
In addition to US Government agencies, there are ten private voluntary
agencies that work with the federal government to assist refugees
with integrating into their communities and becoming self-sufficient.
These agencies play a key role in the US Refugee Resettlement Program,
providing important social services to refugees in their communities
through public and private funding.
How long do refugees stay in the United States?
One year following their arrival in the United States, refugees
are eligible to become permanent legal residents. Refugees are able
to apply for citizenship five years after their arrival date.
Where do resettled refugees come from?
Region |
Total Arrivals in FY 2004 |
East Asia |
8,079 |
Latin America |
3,556 |
Near East/South Asia |
2,854 |
Africa |
29,125 |
| Europe & Central Asia |
9,254 |
Total |
52,868 |
How do refugees contribute to the United States?
Refugees provide significant contributions to their communities
as workers, students, and parents. They also contribute to communities
through their cultures and customs, providing a richer, more diverse
environment in which to live.
Where can I get more information?
For more information on refugees and internally displaced persons,
please visit the following websites:
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): www.unhcr.ch
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): www.icrc.org
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center: www.internal-displacement.org
