Foreign Aid Bill Shortchanges People Displaced by War

Washington, DC -- Refugees International expressed concern today over insufficient funding for humanitarian emergencies in the Fiscal Year 2010 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which Congress is expected to pass soon. Refugees International deeply appreciates that Congress provided $1.685 billion for migration and refugee assistance, $285 million more than President Obama’s original request, which will enable the U.S. to continue supporting refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) around the world. Nonetheless, it is less than what was made available last year, and is insufficient compared to the global need. The organization also noted that Congress funded the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance for emergency humanitarian needs at $35 million below the President’s request.

The Foreign Operations Appropriations bill determines funding levels for, among other things, humanitarian assistance abroad. The passage of the bill comes shortly after President Obama’s announced plans to send 30,000 more U.S. soldiers into Afghanistan at an estimated initial cost of $30 billion. It also comes as the Obama administration shapes the President’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal for the Congress and American people.

“This is not the time to skimp on funding for programs that assist vulnerable refugees, especially when we expect to see a surge in violence in places like Afghanistan next year,” said Joel Charny, acting president of Refugees International. “It is in the best interest of the United States to promote stability in Afghanistan by ensuring that displaced people are provided lifesaving assistance. We have seen in Iraq and Pakistan that gaps in aid can be filled by the very extremist groups whose influence we are trying to diminish.”

In June 2009, Refugees International reported that the vacuum in humanitarian assistance in Pakistan was being filled by politically motivated actors, including jihadist groups, to gain popular support. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as of September 2009, the total USAID and State Department humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan was only approximately $128 million.

Over 40 million people are currently displaced from their homes by conflict, with major locations of displacement including Sudan, Somalia, Colombia, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The conflicts leading to displacement are becoming increasingly complex and prolonged, posing challenges to U.S. foreign policy goals worldwide. Absent significant supplemental appropriations legislation for FY2010, which the administration has said it wants to avoid, the current levels will result in shortfalls in funding for programs that provide lifesaving aid to refugees, millions of whom have become displaced as a result of U.S. backed military operations. The President should not base his FY2011 funding proposal on insufficient 2010 levels.

“Funding for refugees and emergencies is inadequate and represents a disconnect between growing and worsening humanitarian crises around the world and U.S. foreign policy priorities,” added Renata Rendón, Congressional Advocate for Refugees International. “There is a shared responsibility between President Obama and Congress to ensure that the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill is allotted a sufficient budget to address humanitarian disasters.”

Another area of concern for RI in the foreign aid bill was the continued requirement of presidential certification for Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance funds. The purpose of emergency assistance for refugees and migrants is to respond to unexpected crises, such as when more than 1.5 million Pakistanis were displaced from their homes as a result of U.S.-backed Pakistani military operations targeting the Taliban in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Accessing ERMA funds for such crises requires the President’s approval, a time-consuming process which delays the availability of critical funding in emergencies. Given increased military action in Afghanistan, easily accessible emergency assistance funds are even more critical.

Refugees International applauds other funding achievements in the foreign funding bill, including the appropriation of approximately $500 million to increase the number of State Department and USAID personnel by 1,000 and 300 respectively. This will bolster the United States’ capacity to carry out diplomacy and development overseas. The U.S. Department of Defense budget is seven times the foreign aid budget and it has taken over civilian assistance functions in many countries around the world. Increased funding for civilian-led initiatives through the State Department and the USAID is a positive step.

Refugees International is a Washington, DC-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises and receives no government or UN funding. For more information, go to www.refugeesinternational.org.