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Committee: United Nations Disaster Relief OrganizationTopic: Resettlement in Response to Forced Evacuation in Areas of DisasterIntroductionHello, my name is Eriel Uy, and I am honored to be your director for the UnitedNations Disaster Relief Organization at Cerritos High School’s Novice Conference of2013. I am currently a senior at Cerritos High School, and this is my fourth year in theModel United Nations Program. In my time in the MUN program, I was privilegedenough to attend exciting conferences like Regional High School MUN in San Francisco,and National High School MUN in New York City. Being apart of the MUN program hasallowed me to broaden my understanding of worldwide issues and occurrences. Apartfrom MUN, I devote a lot of my time to a variety of extra curricular activities. I havebeen on the Cerritos High School Dance Drill Team for four years, and this will be mythird year as Captain. I also participate in various groups and programs like Class of 2014Committee, Key Club, and Distinguished Young Women of Cerritos-Artesia 2014.Our topic in this year’s UNDRO Committee is Resettlement in Response toForced Evacuation in Areas of Disaster. This topic remains prevalent in many regionsaround the world, and definitely needs greater attention. I strongly suggest all delegatesanalyze the issue of effective resettlement in response to forced evacuation from the pointof view of their respective nations. I look forward to hearing all of your solutions duringcommittee. Feel free to email me at helloimeriel@yahoo.com for any further questions,comments, or concerns. Good luck, and I will see you in October!BackgroundConflict and disaster affect nearly all aspects of living conditions; however, itmost prominently affects those that become refugees. Refugees are people who aredisplaced from their homes and seek “refuge” in alternative regions. In many cases, theyare forced to deal with difficult living conditions, barely meeting the minimum sanitaryguidelines. Their recovery requires mental, psychological, as well as physical aid. Mostimportantly, they need a proper place of resettlement, whether it is back in their originalplace of living, or in a new location. Aid is needed to ensure that they will be able tocontinue on with their lives sustainably. The issue of effective resettlement remainssignificant to all regions of the world, especially those heavily affected by conflict anddisaster.Forced evacuation results in loss of land, land, property, jobs, physical assets,social networks, and resources. Developing countries are more likely to be susceptible toconflict as they are continuously troubled by other problems such as poverty, that bringtension within their borders. Places where forced evacuation has most recently occurredinclude Somalia and Syria, where conflict continues to rage on. (2) Many of theserefugees have ended up in unsafe refugee camps, live in vulnerable situations, and theironly hope left is to be accepted in a resettlement country. (Amnesty Inernational)Currently in Syria, 2.5 million have fled the country, but only 400,000 are registered asrefugees. Many are concentrated in the Domiz camp, which is only one of dozens ofcamps scattered throughout the Syrian region. The International Rescue Committee

(IRC) has taken the lead in the nation to ensure that the refugees have access to food,water, and services (medical aid, help finding loved ones). (2)UN InvolvementVarious organizations have taken action and are focused specifically on suchissues. These organizations include various UN bodies (UNTFHS, UNDP, UNHCR,UNICEf, FAO), Program on Crisis, Conflict and Cooperation (C3), Post-ConflictReconstruction Project (PCR), the Refugee Highway Partnership (RHP, regionalchapters), and of course, the International Rescue Committee (IRC). (“Protection,Reintegration, and Resettlements of IDPs) (C3) (RHP Africa) UN Habitat, established in1978, has contributed to the Disaster Management Programme (DMP), which has setobjectives for the Habitat Agenda to recognize the relation between the development ofresettlement and the region’s vulnerability to disasters or conflict. These objectives are toestablish both adequate shelter and “urban governance” for all. The DMP specificallyfocuses on “the provision of technical policy to support humanitarian agencies before andafter the crisis in the context of human settlements,” as well as “building partnerships andprovision of complementary expertise in resettlement of displaced persons and refugees.”(DMP) Actions taken by strengthening DMPs within countries can remain effective, suchas with the establishment of Guatemala’s Historical Clarification Commission establishedin June 1994, which created a relation between Guatemala’s government and the NationalGuatemalan Revolutionary Unit to investigate human rights violations amongst thecountry. (“Crawling Back From the Brink”)The United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees, the United NationsDevelopment Programme, as well the World Bank have collaborated in the establishmentof the Transitional Solutions Initiative which aims to gradually convert existing refugeecamps into sustainable communities. Their objectives are to prioritize displacement needsfor individual governments, and increase the refugees’ access to education, potable water,and sanitation, improving the nutritional well being of the population (“Sudan”). TheUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), played a large role inspreading awareness on the need to recognize the rights and needs of refugees. Forinstance, throughout the 1980’s, the UNHCR gave its support to the Refugee Aid andDevelopment program through the International Conference on Assistance to Refugees inAfrica (ICARA) and International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in CentralAmerica (CIREFCA). The promotion of both ICARA and CIREFCA was UNHCR’S wayof reaching out to spread awareness that the link between relief and development isderived from displacement through development challenges. (“Concept Note”) Besidescreating extensive programs such as done by UN Habitat and the UNHCR, the UnitedNations Development Program (UNDP), has established specific mechanisms in order tomonitor how effective the response to forced evacuation is working. The UNDP beganusing the “cluster approach” after the UN Interagency Standing Committee’s meeting in2006. The “cluster approach” is used to identify the gaps that affect the countries’ abilityto resettle effectively by defining the roles and responsibility of all humanitarian responseunits. Overall, this approach strengthens the division of labor of the organizationsresulting in efficient use. (“Concept Note”)Proposed Solutions

Various solutions have been proposed by nations in order to increasesustainability during the resettlement process. However, these solutions must bestrengthened in order to achieve a more cohesive and effective way for refugees to livesustainably when they are forced from their homes.A previous solution that has been successfully implemented in the past is UNHCR’sResettlement in a Third Country program. Currently, about 10% of the worlds refugeesare effectively resettled in a third country. This third country is defined as a stable nation,which is neither the refugees country of origin nor the country to which the refugee hasfled to. The participating countries and regions are the US (with over 50,000 places forresettlement), Australia (6000), Canada (7000), and Norid Countries. There have beenrecent plans and encouragement proposals for an increase in resettlement locations inEurope and Latin America, who each currently have approximately 4000-5000 places forresettlement. Once the refugee is resettled, the government of the country provides legaland physical protection. NGOs within the country help to facilitate integration throughcultural orientation, language and vocational training, and access to education andemployment. (“Resettlement”) Within this solution there are also special steps to be takenfor the rejection, reconsideration, and withdrawal of a case. (“UNHCR Guidelines”) Thissolution has been effective for refugees that have come from Myanmar, Iraq, Somalia,Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, and Malaysia. (“Resettlement”)Past solutions have also seen success because they recognize the importance ofgiving the refugee the option to return home after the disaster or conflict has subsided.The UNHCR and UNHABITAT have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in whichthey agree to improve collaboration in delivering durable shelter solutions for refugeesand returnees. (Relief Web) The Disaster Management Program (DMP) is the mainprovider of aid, offering protection, rehabilitation housing, and infrastructure rebuilding.(Relief Web) The DMP also helps to helps to restore local social structures, provide landand settlement planning, management for disaster prevention, and creating coordinatingmechanisms. There three main focuses in helping returning refugees are strengtheningcommunities, enabling leaders, and encouraging social entrepreneurship. In strengtheningcommunities, the UNHCR helps reunite families, fix the education interruption, andstrengthen demolished infrastructure. For the second point, they assist community leadersas it is the most effective way to ensure post-conflict development activities. For the thirdpoint, there is a great focus in encouraging the returning people to help one another andmake themselves available to opportunity. Western Asia has made the least progresstowards improving access to housing within its region.Bloc PositionsAsia: Resettlement in the Asian region is in need of high assistance due to frequentexposure to disaster, specifically in Japan. Many refugees are unable to live sustainablywithin this region. Southern Asia alone is home to twenty seven percent of the globalpopulation of slum dwellers. Amongst Southern Asia, almost 170 million slum dwellerslive in India, with Bangladesh and Pakistan following closely behindMiddle East: There are high number of refugees in the Middle Eastern region due to areasof conflict. Iraq alone has a number of 1.5 million displaced persons from their homecountry. Many of the refugees in the Middle Eastern region seek refuge in countries like

Syria. Though refugees are able to resettle, they are not resettled effectively, and are oftenforced to live in poor living conditions.Africa: The African region has attempted to regulate the conditions of refugees in the1950 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Stable NGO’s such as the Africa andMiddle East Refugee Assistance also play a large role in the the establishment ofeffective resettlement. In many cases, the main factor that hinders this is establishment isdue to the high levels of poverty within the region.European and Western Bloc: The European and Western Bloc work more so as aneffective region for refugees to resettle both temporarily and permanently. The UNHCRhas recognized both the European and Latin American regions as fully capable ofcreating more places of resettlement. Amnesty International is currently working withfive other organizations to create 20,000 places of resettlement annually in the EU untilthe year 2020. (Amnesty International)Points to Consider• How is your country affected by conflict and/or disaster?• Does your country have the capacity to be a host nation to more refugees?• How can countries hinder the rising levels of displaced persons within nations?• What will your country do in response to disaster and conflict?• Does your country have the means necessary to access resources for effectiveresettlement?• How can we increase the number of effectively resettled refugees in response toforced evacuation?Helpful Websites1. http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/10/09-074096/en/2. http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c125.html3. http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=4114. http://www.unhabitat.org/documents/media_centre/APMC/Slum%20trends%20in%20Asia.pdf5. http://www.who.int/hia/housing/en/index.htmlBibliography"As Winter Approaches, Syrian Kurds Hunker down in Iraq." Rescue and RefugeeSupport. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2013.."Crawling Back from the Brink: How Conflict Resolution Can Respond to Genocide."Crawling Back from the Brink: How Conflict Resolution Can Respond toGenocide. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2013.."GENDER, DISASTER AND CONFLICT: A HUMAN SETTLEMENTSPERSPECTIVE."UN-HABITAT. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2013..

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