Peking University, Nov. 19, 2011: This year marks the 60th anniversary of the ratification of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the institution of asylum. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), established in 1950, is engaged in worldwide refugee protection. Invited by Research Center for Human Rights, Peking Law School, Giuseppe de Vincentiis, UNHCR’S regional representative for China and Mongolia, gave his speech entitled “60th Anniversary of the Refugee Convention: achievements and challenges ahead” at Leo KoGuan Building on November 18.
Mr. de Vincentiis began his lecture with a brief introduction of the 1951 Convention, the core of which lied in the institution of international protection. Its central principles encompass those of non-discrimination, non-refoulement, non-penalization for illegal entry or stay, and the enjoyment of basic human rights. “Today international protection was better characterized as ensuring that the range of rights and needs of people who were not protected by their own country were met,” he said, “Although ratifications of the 1951 Convention and the introduction of national asylum legislations remained low in Asia, countries in the region had a long tradition of providing asylum and continued to host the largest proportion of the world’s refugees”.. He found that this epitome can be seen in the fact that Indochinese refugee population were hosted and assisted in China for the past 30 years and were well integrated.
After reviewing some basics of UNHCR and the 1951 Convention, he moved on to discuss the challenges laying ahead to international protection of refugees–the modern displacement-migration trends affected by climate change, population pressures and urbanization, natural disasters, as well as food, water and energy insecurity. Asia–the “continent on the move”–witnessed great population movement. This migration, as he noted, was both an unprecedented engine of the economic growth and a challenge to the national security. This had placed serious strains on national asylum and reception systems.
Apart from these challenges, misconceptions of refugees and asylum-seekers were prevalent in some countries, which also posed challenge to refugee protection. Rather than perceived as individuals with dignity, they were often taken as powerless objects of charity. Racism and xenophobia further exacerbated the situation. “This was a key protection priority and UNHCR had launched a number of public awareness campaigns and solidarity initiatives,” de Vincentiis remarked.
He finally went on to give a breakdown about UNHCR’s functions and its endeavor to carry out its commission. He said that UNHCR had been active in providing advice to governments in their legislation and policy-making. “In this connection the progress made by the Chinese government in formulating a refugee regulation and the reassurances provided on its enactment in the near future were a very welcome development,” he noted. In addition to legislative framework, UNHCR also managed to ensure proper functioning of asylum systems by supervising the implementation and monitoring the quality of national asylum procedures.
UNHCR conducted Refugee Status Determination (RSD) in countries that had not ratified either the 1951 Convention or the 1967 Protocol, or where national asylum procedures were not yet fully functioning. Through registration and documentation, UNHCR provided refugees with a safeguard against refoulement and the basis for access to services such as the education and cultivation of the capacity useful for their future development. De Vincentiis said that non-refoulement and freedom of movement were also goals UNHCR had been sticking to.
“2011 provided an important opportunity to build on the foundations of the past 60 years; to reflect on achievements to date; to identify protection gaps and responses; and, most importantly, to strategize on policy and practical solutions to the challenges of the 21st century”, de Vincentiis concluded.
Ms. Yao Chen, a Chinese actress, is UNHCR Honorary Patron for China. She has just renewed her contract with UNHCR on June 21, 2011. Yao visited urban refugees in Philippines in June 2010, and the refugee camp in Mae Sot, Thailand, in March 2011. During the visit, Yao updated her twitter and microblog several times daily. When asked about the role the Patron such as Yao had played, de Vincentiis told PKU News English that through her interactions with those refugees, not only she learned a lot, it also helped to build public awareness and evoked sympathy through remarkable media coverage.
When asked about the different responsibilities developed countries and developing countries should undertake in refugee protection, “their obligations are just the same,” de Vincentiis said. He also noted that in reality, with different economic and political power, the developed countries were more capable of giving support–by directly helping refugees or assisting them via NGOs, while the developing countries may lack such capacities.
In the end, Mr. De Vincentiis noted that as China was becoming an ascendant power in the world’s scenario, UNHCR needed more and more Chinese staff. He said that young students with open mind can make their try to join UN for the sake of world welfare.
Background:
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.
Reported by: Liu Lu
Extended Reading: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c2.html
