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Pakistan: Inconvenient Truths
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 14:48
“When they realize you’re a Mehsud, they treat you like a suicide bomber who’s wearing an explosive jacket.” -A displaced Pakistani from South Waziristan, quoted in Dawn
New African Union Convention Protects Internally Displaced People
Mon, 10/26/2009 - 16:53
On October 23rd the cause of protecting internally displaced people made a major advance. At the conclusion of a Special Summit in Kampala, Uganda, the African Union (AU) approved the Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa. The Convention, to be known as the Kampala Convention, will come into effect within 30 days of ratification by 15 of the AU’s 53 member states.
UN Peacekeepers: Helping to Bring Haiti Out of Poverty and Isolation
Fri, 10/23/2009 - 17:08
On October 13th, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) for another year. Noting improvements made toward the stabilization of the country over recent months, the Council recognized a fragile security situation that “continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region.” Yes, UN peacekeeping has helped to make real gains in security in Haiti, but stability there remains threatened by gang violence, drug trafficking, and civil unrest.
Stronger Humanitarian Plan Needed in US Policy Review
Wed, 10/21/2009 - 16:02The long awaited release of the new US policy on Sudan outlines several key points that lay the framework for lasting peace there. With a focus on a comprehensive approach to Sudan, the US administration recognizes the importance that peace in Darfur, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and border safety play in establishing and maintaining stability for the people of Sudan. It is refreshing to see a US strategy that takes a holistic approach, recognizing the commitment made to all Sudanese people and the strength of US leadership in the international community.
Ntoto: Life in the Village or Life on the Run
Mon, 10/19/2009 - 16:34
I am writing from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country with incredible natural beauty, a bounty of mineral resources and site of a brutal and protracted conflict that has caused the death and displacement of millions of people since the mid 1990’s. MONUC, the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the DRC, was deployed here nearly ten years ago, and its current mandate – which includes over 40 separate and complicated tasks – places priority on the protection of civilians, mainly in the DRC’s unpredictable eastern region.
Pakistan: An Update from the Field
Fri, 10/16/2009 - 00:00
On Tuesday at the Brookings Institution, Refugees International advocates Kristele Younes and Patrick Duplat presented on their recent mission to Pakistan. The country is facing a complex humanitarian emergency, and many people who were displaced by the military operations during the summer are still unable to return home. Moreover, the humanitarian community and the United Nations face many challenges in working with the Pakistani government to deliver aid.
Somalia: Providing Aid in Difficult Places
Tue, 10/13/2009 - 15:52
Somalia may be the most difficult place to provide aid in the world. The needs are tremendous after years of conflict and drought. The central government controls a few square blocks of the capital and is under threat from an Islamist insurgency that includes both local and foreign elements. Infrastructure is badly degraded. In such a resource poor environment, aid itself has a value out of proportion to its actual cost.
Chad: Changes in Climate Limit Resources For Refugees
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 16:06
Since the creation of the Ken and Darcy Bacon Center for the Study of Climate Displacement, I’ve thought about how displacement caused by climate change fits with the long-term focus of Refugees International -- to advocate for solutions to displacement crises caused by conflicts.
Attack on UN in Islamabad Will Have Serious Ripple Effects
Mon, 10/05/2009 - 00:00
ISLAMABAD -- The mandate of the UN World Food Program (WFP) is to feed
the hungry and the poor. It is an agency which only has one purpose ---
to help the needy. That did not protect its staff from the wrath of
Pakistani militants, one of whom blew himself up today in the offices
of the WFP in Islamabad. The casualties will be far greater than those
killed or injured by the blast. This attack will impact the future of
the UN in Pakistan. It will also affect millions of Pakistanis who
depend on the WFP assistance to survive.
Violence Against Women: It's Time for Congress to Act
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 15:50
Violence. It comes in many forms. Some of the most brutal and damaging forms of violence are those that are committed against women. Rape, female genital mutilation, forced marriages, domestic violence, honor killings... the list is endless. These actions do not just hurt the women, or their families and communities, but global society at large. How long will we continue to accept the fact that at least one in every three women worldwide will have been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime?
