Metropolitan Model United Nations Conference XLII United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Assistance to Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons in Africa

The refugee count in Africa has increased dramatically in recent years, reaching well over ! million " a record high# Nearly all African nations south of the $ahara %esert have significant amounts of refugees, internally displaced persons &I%'s(, or asylum see)ing citi*ens# Numerous political, environmental, and human rights conflicts have led people to leave their nations in hopes of finding protection and security within the +orders of other nations# ,hile some displaced populations of concern have +een present in Africa for e-tended periods of time, most of these are the result of recent regional conflicts# An intense drought and a civil war, +oth occurring in Mali, have led hundreds of thousands of people to flee to near+y nations# Millions of $omalian and $udanese citi*ens have left their nations as refugees or remain as I%'s, the result of years of political insta+ility in these countries# .uman rights violations in the %emocratic /epu+lic of Congo resulted in the displacement of millions of people as well# In southern and central $omalia, fighting led to mass movements within the country and across +orders, straining services and facilities in already overcrowded camps in 0thiopia, %1i+outi and 2enya# In C3te d4Ivoire, more than 56,666 refugees crossed +orders into neigh+oring countries due to political insta+ility# The presence of displaced people often +urdens the already trou+led governments of the nations they enter# 7oluntary repatriation, the return of displaced persons to their nations, when possi+le, is a preferred method of dealing with large refugee populations# It is important to ma)e a

distinction +etween refugees and asylum see)ers# /efugees are those who have left and remain outside of their nation +ecause of circumstances +eyond their control8 they are una+le to return# Asylum see)ers are those who may have left their nations as refugees, +ut are no longer threatened +y conflict in their home countries# They intentionally choose to remain in the nation they reside in illegally# 9oth of these groups are entitled to certain protections8 however, asylum see)ers are generally e-pected to voluntarily repatriate# The UN.C/ has developed systems for appropriately identifying groups of displaced people in a foreign country with refugee status# ,hen a large group of refugees have fled from a crisis in a given region, and the situation is resolved, they will often +e given a date in advance as to when they will no longer +e considered refugees, +ut rather asylum see)ers# The UN.C/ will give assistance to those who wish to repatriate, and this system is currently +eing used to encourage /wandan asylum see)ers to return to their nation# $till, this system must +e refined as many asylum see)ers have trou+le returning to their nations# :urthermore, governments often use asylum see)ers4 non;refugee status as 1ustification to refuse certain protections for these individuals and to forci+ly deport people to their nations of origin# /efugees and I%'s residing in refugee camps are at a heightened ris) of disease and are often deprived of +asic services# The close pro-imity of individuals and poor conditions in camps increase the spread of malaria, a ma1or cause of child mortality in Africa# %isplaced people rarely have access to condoms and drugs preventing the mother;to; child spread of .I7, which is widely present in central and southern Africa# Medical care is e-pensive and hard for the UN.C/ to supply on its current +udget# Non <overnmental =rgani*ations &N<=s( such as %octors without 9orders provide aid in

resolving this issue# To >uote the UN.C/, ?the need to prioriti*e resources for immediate life;saving protection and assistance over investment in long; term activities, such as education, creating livelihood opportunities and dura+le solutions, will continue to characteri*e programmes in Africa in @6 !#A Though >uite ingrained into the framewor)s of African nations, none of these issues are +eyond repair# /efugees have +een present in Africa since +efore the creation of the UN# Though we cannot e-pect to resolve the issues they face immediately, +y developing long term plans along with necessary immediate attention to certain matters, we, the UN.C/, can construct resolutions to properly address this situation#

Questions to Consider: ,hat is your nation4s general outloo) on refugeesB .ow has your nation +een affected +y the presence of refugees, I%'s, and asylum see)ersB ,hat is your nation4s stance on handling disease, se-ism, +order control, and asylum see)ersB ,hat plans might your nation support implementing to resolve this issue in AfricaB Helpful Links: httpCDDwww#unhcr#orgDpagesDEa6@dFfdG#html httpCDDallafrica#comDrefugeesD