Preventive Action for Refugee Producing Situations

178 Chapter 4
Secondly, the United Nations is required in an increasing number of
emergencies to negotiate not only access.but also arrangements to ensure
the safety of personnel and relief supplies. The situations in Somalia, the
former Yugoslavia and Iraq are tragic reminders of this dilemma.
Thirdly, the serious problem of land mines, millions of which remain
scattered in current and former combat zones, must be urgently addressed.
Relief assistance, repatriation and rehabilitation have been and will
continue to be seriously hampered unless demining is vigorously
pursued.
Fourthly, cooperation among operational organisations is essential for
effective UN response to disasters and emergencies. This cooperation must
be all inclusive, applying equally to the relationship among the UN
organizations and with the International Committee of the Red Cross,
International Federation of the Red Cross, the International Organization
of International Migration and the non-governmental organizations.
Cooperation must also be extended to and strengthened with the relevant
regional organizations.
Lastly, while the UN stands ready to meet growing challenges in response
to emergencies of increasing magnitude and complexity, the UN must be
provided with the necessary resources to carry out the tasks entrusted to it.
This applies not only to the immediate humanitarian requirements, but also
to rehabilitation and development resources should be mobilized to
prevent emergencies from recurring. 404
This very initial evaluation still leaves room to pursue the
recommendations made in the Secretary-General's Report on the review of
the capacity, experience and coordination arrangements in the United
Nations system for humanitarian assistance prior to establishing the
Department for Humanitarian Affairs. This report foresaw measures,
among others, on early warning and prevention. In looking at the
responsibilities of the various organizations involved in humanitarian
assistance, the office of the UNHCR was examined. It reported on the
Working Group on Solutions and Protection, which was convened by the
High Commissioner at the request of the Executive Committee to
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404 Jan Eliasson, Paper on "The UN Response to Humanitarian Emergencies" for
publication in the ACP/EC Courier on Humanitarian Action, forthcoming.
New Approaches and Policies 179
examine the issue of assisting, protecting and resolving the situation of
internally displaced persons and refugees fleeing situations of serious
internal disturbances and civil war. 405 An analysis of capacities in critical
areas for rapid UN responses led the report to state that "early warning is
indispensable for prevention and preparedness activities". It went on
saying "that many organizations in the UN system already operate early
warning activities.... These include UNHCR (its experimental [Refugee]
Emergency Alert System), which alms at providing data on incipient
flows of refugees, and its databases in the area of legal protection". 406
This report, which was a cornerstone towards the establishment of the
Department for Humanitarian Affairs, foresees coordinated approach
among all UN agencies, in which UNHCR - on the basis of its imminent
humanitarian mandate - should play a significant part.
4.1.3. Country of Origin Information and Preventive Protection of
UNHCR
For UNHCR's project on country of origin information, initially starting
with Vietnam, staff and facilities are currently being put in place. The
pursuit of preventive protection to reduce the factors which compel
displacement as suggested by the High Commissioner, has been agreed
upon at the 29 July 1992 international meeting on the humanitarian
assistance in former Yugoslavia. 407
UNHCR has usually played a cautious role, responding to refugee
situations only after they have actually occurred. More recently, however,
it has began to play a more active role by information gathering and
sharing with other U.N. and non-U.N. bodies. Obtaining timely, reliable
information on potential new major flows is crucial to these efforts.
The evaluation of information on incipient refugee situations in
countries of origin requires impartiality rather than noninvolvement, a
balanced approach in providing protection rather than a studied
inattention to causes in the search for solutions. In fact, when the UN
Secretary General was requested to help improve the coordination of the
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405 A/46/568,17 October 1991, p. 10.
406 A/46/568,17 October 1991, p. 19.
407 Report of the International Meeting on Humanitarian Aid to Victims of the
Conflict in the former Yugoslavia. HCR/IMFY/1992/4,10 August 1992, p. 6.