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Statelessness
Sun, 06/01/2008 - 01:00
In June 2008, Reps. Sheila Jackson-Lee and Diane Watson introduced the first-ever piece of legislation in the U.S. Congress that urges efforts to prevent and reduce statelessness. The new bill would increase U.S. efforts to encourage states to recognize people who have no nationality where they live. It requires the President to report on the extent of statelessness and directs the Secretary of State to increase personnel and resources dedicated to the prevention and resolution of statelessness.
Successes
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Sahel: U.S. State Department appoints a regional refugee coordinator
After visiting the Sahel, RI’s advocates pressed the U.S. State Department to appoint a regional refugee coordinator who would ensure that assistance reaches the most vulnerable refugees and host communities. That position has now been authorized.
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Somaliland: UN assigns three additional officers to coordinate aid for displaced Somalis
After RI called on the UN to better coordinate aid for displaced Somalis in Somaliland, the UN assigned three additional officers to the region for that purpose.
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Syria: U.S. designates an additional $100 million of aid to Jordan
Weeks after RI called on donors to support countries hosting Syrian refugees, the U.S. announced an additional $100 million worth of aid to Jordan. The new funds will go toward refugee assistance and easing energy, health, and education costs.
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Sahel: President Obama authorizes $10 million in emergency relief for displaced Malians
In June 2012, RI declared that it was "alarmed by the weak donor response" to the crisis in the Sahel. A month later, U.S. President Barack Obama authorized $10 million in emergency relief for displaced Malians.
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Colombia: USAID pledges $50 million to support the implementation of the Victims Law
Thanks in part to RI’s advocacy on Colombia’s new Victims Law – designed to assist millions of internally displaced people – the U.S. Agency for International Development announced that it will dedicate $50 million over the next three years to support the law’s implementation.
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Colombia: Increased U.S. funding for internally displaced people in Colombia
RI's tireless work with Senate offices resulted in the inclusion of a call for an increase in funding for Colombian refugees and internally displaced people in the Senate's 2013 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill.
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Sudan & South Sudan: Airlift of 12,000 returnees
In May 2012, RI raised the alarm after the governor of Sudan’s White Nile State said that thousands of southerners stranded in the border town of Kosti had just days to leave the country. As a result, the International Organization for Migration began an airlift of 12,000 southerners from Kosti to Juba, South Sudan.
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Kenya: Number of protection officers increased at Dadaab
UNHCR increased the number of protection officers deployed to Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps after RI called the program “vastly under-staffed” in December 2011. RI, however, continues to push for greater resources for protection of refugees in Dadaab, especially for vulnerable groups such as children.
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Kuwait: U.S. and UK address abuses of stateless people
After RI pressed Kuwait's allies to respond to its abuse of stateless people, both the U.S. and the UK dispatched special delegations to the country. UNHCR also sent its director of international protection to meet with Kuwaiti officials.
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Refugees International (RI) advocates for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises.
We are an independent organization, and do not accept any government or UN funding.
We are an independent organization, and do not accept any government or UN funding.