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U.S. Government Protection Statement
As this year’s Note on International Protection points out right up front: the “responsibility to protect” is first and foremost an individual State responsibility. Where a State cannot or will not protect populations of concern to UNHCR, there is a collective responsibility to act. Protecting politically, socially, economically or otherwise marginalized individuals is a challenge for any government, but especially for countries in crisis. UNHCR’s growing protection responsibilities in ever more dangerous environments require greater partnership – with Member States, other protection-mandated international organizations, and with civil society. The United States is – and will remain – a close partner with UNHCR and Member States in our collective pursuit of refugee protection. Partnership is a key element to dealing with internally displaced persons (IDPs) through the new cluster approach. Early positive indications about UNHCR’s success in leading the protection cluster for IDPS are due largely to collaboration and coordination with key partners. In Northern Uganda, UNHCR’s partnership with UNICEF and non-governmental organizations that have longer histories of working in the region has been critical to the development of the IDP protection strategy. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UNHCR’s efforts to combat pervasive gender-based violence and exploitation require stronger partnership to MONUC operations and civil society initiatives. Clearly, UNHCR’s protection responsibilities are increasing as it counts more IDP populations among its populations of concern. While it demonstrated in the fast-moving crisis in Lebanon the capacity to manage this growing responsibility while upholding basic protection principles, we are concerned that UNHCR may not be fully prepared for the vast “scaling up” of its staff and programs in response to a crisis that involves large numbers of refugees and IDPs and which may last a long time. Not only does UNHCR need to consider its own preparedness, but needs to lead the broader protection community – its protection partners – to be prepared as well. We strongly urge UNHCR to share a concrete plan with Member States on the decision process, donor expectations, and requirements needed for the organization to take on this additional responsibility. On the most important protection principle – nonrefoulement – partnership is paramount. By this we mean not only partnership between UNHCR and Member States, but also partnerships and coalitions among Member States. We renew the call for those States that have not yet signed on to the Refugee Convention and Protocol to do so. Likewise, physical protection of refugees requires partnership between the host country and UNHCR. We are deeply troubled by the recent refoulement of Uzbek refugees, and the upsurge of violence in Chad and the Darfur region of Sudan. Member states may also be called upon to help fund security enhancements. Assuring the security and neutrality of refugee camps continues to be a vexing issue for UNHCR and its partners, with the situation in eastern Chad, where some 220,000 people have sought refuge from the Darfur catastrophe, being but one of the most recent examples. Finding ways to help Chad protect the refugees and humanitarians is a major preoccupation of my government and others. The security situation in Darfur is worsening and the threat of more refugees threatens to takes us from crisis to catastrophe. These challenges reinforce the importance of strong actions and leadership by Member States to protect populations at risk. We appreciate the alliances and diplomatic efforts we have jointly pursued with Member States to seek durable solutions for Bhutanese refugees, for example. We also call on Member States to increase their capacity for refugee resettlement as a key form of protection. Resettlement requires a partnership between UNHCR, NGOs, host governments, and resettlement countries. We also call on UNHCR to continue to build up its referral capacity. The United States applauds UNHCR’s efforts to strengthen protection for stateless persons, as well as for refugees in protracted situations. Statelessness is an area with abundant opportunities for international partnership with UNHCR to resolve protection concerns for those who have been described as “the ultimate forgotten people.” States may be able to use their own bilateral channels to help resolve some cases of statelessness. In the meantime, these populations, not claimed as citizens of any state, require protection by UNHCR and assistance from the international community. The United States considers resettlement as an option for some stateless individuals and their families and encourages other resettlement countries to consider resettling stateless persons as well. We also place a great deal of importance on ensuring that refugees receive both legal and physical protection, particularly where women and girls are concerned. UNHCR’s Age, Gender, and Diversity Mainstreaming (AGDM) initiative is a significant step in the right direction. We support UNHCR’s efforts to hold all staff, including senior managers, accountable for AGDM and praise the participatory nature of this work. We will continue to monitor the impact this initiative is making in better fulfilling UNHCR’s protection mandate and commitment to refugee women and children around the world. UNHCR is expanding beyond traditional partnerships to work with civil society and development actors on innovative approaches to protecting refugees in protracted situations. Too many refugees are caught in protracted situations where they are denied freedom of movement, provided limited education opportunities, and often are completely precluded from official employment. Yet we have seen that refugees make significant contributions to their host countries when given the opportunity, for example in Zambia, Uganda, India, and some old caseload refugees in Tanzania. We encourage refugee-hosting countries to regularize refugees’ work status. Further, host communities often have access to services like health clinics, schools, and markets in refugee camps, such as in Tanzania. Where partnerships between refugees and host communities are allowed to develop, protection concerns are significantly reduced. We appreciate the attention paid to migration issues in the Note on Protection. The United States is committed to promoting legal, orderly and humane migration as an engine for economic growth and prosperity for all countries. We recognize the important role that UNHCR plays in addressing the asylum-migration nexus and applaud its work to build capacity of states to better identify and screen asylum seekers to determine those in need of protection. We are pleased to note the High Commissioner’s participation in the recent UN High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. Furthermore, we support continued cooperation with the International Organization for Migration, as well as UNHCR’s participation in the Global Migration Group to ensure that the asylum-migration nexus is understood and addressed. Finally, we note that UNHCR’s capacity to protect refugees, IDPs and other populations of concern is also related to its internal management. The United States continues to support UNHCR’s Protection Surge Capacity, as well as the creation of additional, permanent protection positions. Technology has helped UNHCR to offer protection induction training for staff around the world, and to dramatically improve refugee registration. In conclusion, let’s not forget last year’s discussion
on this agenda item, namely how protection is operationalized by
UNHCR. We look forward to the positive results for operationalizing
refugee protection that will stem from the recently restructured
Division of International Protection Services and the ongoing management
and field structure review to advance a stronger, more coherent
protection policy and field support structure. We take very seriously
the expanded protection responsibilities UNHCR has assumed and fully
recognize that these endeavors entail significant responsibilities
for Member States – both as donors and as refugee-hosting
governments. The United States remains committed to a strong partnership
with UNHCR and Member States on international protection and look
forward to our continued dialogue on the implementation of these
efforts. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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