UNHCR / AFRICA APPEAL

The head of the UN refugee agency warned the international community today about the risks of overlooking the humanitarian crises in Africa, calling for a renewed commitment to preventing conflict and ending protracted displacement. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:46
• Production Date: 29 September 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS; DISASTER PREVENTION; DISASTER PREPAREDNESS; DISASTER RELIEF
• Geographic Subject: AFRICA
• MAMS Id: 1188283

Description

STORY: UNHCR / AFRICA APPEAL
TRT: 1.46
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 29 SEPTEMBER 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE

Shotlist

29 SEPTEMBER 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, meeting room
2. Med shot, podium
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres High Commissioner for Refugees:
‘With many of these on-going conflicts, it is shocking to see how some of their protagonists show total disregard for the suffering of their fellow citizens and the forced displacement of millions.’
4. Wide shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres High Commissioner for Refugees:
“As international response capacities are overstretched by the unprecedented recent rise in global forced displacement, and as media attention is focused elsewhere, Africa suffers disproportionately more than other regions as both financial and human resources are painfully insufficient to meet the needs.”
6. Med shot, delegates
7. Close up, EU delegate
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guterres High Commissioner for Refugees:
‘”Migration should be an option, not a desperate attempt to survive.”
9. Med shot, delegates

FILE – MAY 2014, GAMBELLA, ETHIOPIA

10. Varrious shots, South Sudanese refugees

FILE - 18-19 DECEMBER 2013, BANGUI, CAR

11. Various shots, displaced at the camp in Bangui airport

FILE – MAY 2014, GAMBELLA, ETHIOPIA

12. Close up, mother and baby sleeping on the ground

FILE – 9-14 JULY 2014, DADAAB, KENYA

13. Med shot, market in refugee camp
14. Wide shot, refugee camp

Storyline

The head of the UN refugee agency warned the international community on Monday about the risks of overlooking the humanitarian crises in Africa, calling for a renewed commitment to preventing conflict and ending protracted displacement.

At the opening session of a high-level meeting on refugees in Africa, António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees told delegates that with more than 3 million refugees, 12.5 million internally displaced and some 700,000 stateless people in Africa, the continent represents the largest challenge for UNHCR in terms of capacity and financial requirements.

The High Commissioner commended African communities for their strong solidarity with neighbours uprooted by conflict. All the countries that have been faced with the recent large refugee movements have kept their borders open and allowed people fleeing war to find safety.

He lauded the general broad respect for the institution of asylum in Africa, but also underscored some of the challenges. One is insecurity which affects the displaced and the host communities, but also increasingly hinders aid operations.

Another challenge is the protection of refugees in mixed migratory movements. More than 150,000 people have arrived in Europe during the first nine months of this year, crossing the Mediterranean in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats. Many of them fled war and persecution in their home countries.

The High Commissioner called for robust international resolve and commitment to prevent conflict and forced displacement. More support is needed for regional mediation and stabilization efforts.

In addition to conflict prevention, more needs to be done to find solutions for people who are forcibly displaced. Guterres deplored the lack of support for initiatives that help refugees becoming self- reliant. Livelihood and community based programmes, both in the country of origin or in exile, are crucial to enabling durable solutions.

Humanitarian budgets are insufficient and often immediate lifesaving priorities have to prevail over long-term investment in solutions. To remedy this, the High Commissioner urged development actors to become engaged early on in a humanitarian crisis, with a view to finding long-term solutions.

In concluding, High Commissioner Guterres issued a stark warning against the risks of overlooking the humanitarian crises in Africa. He regretted "the double standard that marks the way the world views humanitarian crises today. Media attention and political debates are focused on the Middle East and Ukraine. Africa is hardly covered in the news and there is little global public debate about international action in Africa".