U.S. Department of State

Assistant Secretary Anne C. Richard Leads U.S. Delegation to the Executive Committee Meeting of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 1, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard will travel to Geneva October 1 - 4 to lead the U.S. delegation at the 63rd session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the principal international organization concerned with the protection of refugees and stateless persons worldwide. Priority issues for the U.S. delegation will be the continued enhancement of protection activities, continuing assessments of UNHCR operational and institutional reform efforts, resolving protracted displacement situations, and strengthening international humanitarian coordination. Assistant Secretary Richard will also hold high-level bilateral meetings with other governments attending the meeting as well as the senior leadership of other Geneva-based international humanitarian organizations to discuss various humanitarian relief operations.

The United States is UNHCR’s largest donor, contributing to-date more than $775 million in Fiscal Year 2012. UNHCR’s Executive Committee meets in Geneva annually to review and approve the agency’s programs and budget, to advise on international protection and discuss a wide range of other issues with UNHCR and its intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. The U.S. provides humanitarian assistance around the world through international organizations, such as UNHCR, and non-governmental organizations, as they respond to humanitarian crises, wherever they occur, offering protection to refugees, and pursuing solutions for populations of concern.

For more information, contact Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration’s Public Affairs Advisor Deborah L. Sisbarro at (202) 453-9348 or PRM-Press-DL@state.gov; or visit PRM’s website:http://www.state.gov/j/prm/.

A Meeting With Refugees in Istanbul

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard meets with refugees in Istanbul, Turkey, September 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Anne C. Richard serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration.

I recently spent time in Istanbul to learn about some of the people who have sought refuge in Turkey. My day started with refugee families headed to America in the near future, followed by a meeting with UNHCR to discuss the plight of thousands of refugees living in Turkey but, for one reason or another, are struggling.

At the Resettlement Support Center run by the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), one of our partners, I saw refugees from several countries being interviewed by ICMC staff about their experiences. These preliminary interviews are an important step in preparing refugees for the in-depth process run by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Interpreters and ICMC staff were very busy working with refugees from Iraq, a woman… more »

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard responds to questions submitted on Twitter to @StateDept on World Refugee Day at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., June 20, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Additional Humanitarian Assistance to Syria

The United States is pursuing every avenue to get humanitarian relief to those affected by the violence in Syria and is engaged in focused diplomatic efforts to secure full and unfettered access for humanitarian organizations to reach those in need. To help meet the growing humanitarian need, the United States is providing an additional $6.5 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Syria, bringing the total amount of U.S. emergency aid being provided to date to nearly $40 million for this crisis. Our assistance is providing food, clean water, basic health care, and medical and other emergency relief supplies to help those in need in Syria and in neighboring countries. To date, the United States has provided:

$16.5 million to the World Food Program (WFP);
$8.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);
$7.8 million to non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
$3 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA);
$3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); and
$500,000 to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

We recognize the generosity of the Governments of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq, who have kept their borders open and are hosting and providing assistance to those fleeing the violence in Syria. We commend the efforts of the United Nations, and the international organizations and non-governmental organizations to ease the trauma that the conflict in Syria has inflicted on those fleeing the violence.

U.S. Humanitarian Aid Reaching Syria and Neighboring Countries

The United States is pursuing every avenue to get humanitarian relief to those affected by the violence in Syria and is engaged in focused diplomatic efforts to secure full and unfettered access for humanitarian organizations to reach those in need. The United States is providing an additional $8 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Syria, bringing the total amount of U.S. emergency aid to nearly $33 million to date for this crisis. Our assistance is through international and non-governmental humanitarian partners, including:

$10.5 million to the World Food Program (WFP);
$8.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);
$7.8 million to non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
$3 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); and
$3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

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Additional Humanitarian Relief for Syrians

The United States is pursuing every avenue to get humanitarian relief into Syria and is engaged in focused diplomatic efforts to secure full and unfettered access for humanitarian organizations to reach those in need. The United States is providing an additional $12.2 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Syria, bringing the total amount of U.S. emergency aid to nearly $25 million. This assistance is supporting international and non-governmental humanitarian partners, including:

$10.5 million to the World Food Program (WFP);
$8.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);
$3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); and
$2.8 million to non-governmental organizations (NGO).

U.S. assistance includes medical supplies and other humanitarian relief for displaced and vulnerable and besieged Syrian communities. As part of a growing international effort to quickly and effectively deliver aid into Syria as access and conditions allow, we are also bolstering existing regional food and relief supply stockpiles and the logistical capacity needed to deliver these humanitarian supplies.

UNHCR is delivering critical medical services and supplies, food, water, blankets, hygiene kits, and heaters to the Syrian people. This funding will provide additional support for displaced Syrians residing in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq, as well as support for host families who are sheltering displaced Syrians due to the ongoing violence.

On March 14, 2012, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a special alert voicing serious concern over the state of food security, especially for vulnerable groups. WFP estimates that 1.4 million people have become food insecure as a result of the violence.

WFP is providing food assistance to 100,000 people affected by the civil conflict in 11 governorates in Syria. The WFP operation provides rations to displaced Syrians and host families, households that have lost breadwinners or livelihoods, female-headed households, and unaccompanied minors. Over 94 percent of targeted beneficiaries – some 85,000 people – received food assistance in the latest cycle of WFP distributions, and the remaining distributions were delayed due to insecurity. As of March 29, approximately 30,400 beneficiaries in nine governorates have been reached in the current distribution cycle that began on March 15. Several of the worst-affected areas within the governorates remain inaccessible due to insecurity, but distributions will resume as security permits.

Protecting and Assisting the World’s Most Vulnerable Populations

Water center in Dolo Kobe, Ethiopia, 2011 [State Department photo]

About the Author: David M. Robinson serves as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration.

With an estimated 40 million displaced people worldwide, up to 12 million who do not have citizenship to any country, and some 10.5 million refugees around the globe, the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) assists persecuted and uprooted people through our support to international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and by advocating for their protection through humanitarian diplomacy. From the Arab Awakening to the crisis in the Horn of Africa, global political upheaval and conflict have presented many humanitarian challenges, and as 2012 begins, I’d like to take a moment to share a few examples of the work we did last year.

Refugee Admissions: The United States welcomed more than 56,000 refugees… more

United States Contributes to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

The United States is pleased to announce an initial 2012 contribution of $55 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The $55 million contribution will provide critical health, education, and humanitarian services to five million Palestinian refugees in the region. Of this contribution, $29 million will support UNRWA’s core services in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza; $24 million will support UNRWA’s emergency programs in the West Bank and Gaza; and two million will support UNRWA’s ongoing relief assistance in Lebanon for those displaced during the 2007 conflict in Nahr al Bared refugee camp.

As UNRWA’s largest bilateral donor, the United States recognizes the critical role the Agency plays in assisting Palestinian refugees and maintaining regional stability and calls upon other donors to enhance their support for UNRWA. The United States encourages UNRWA to maintain the neutrality of its operations, expand its donor base, enhance its strategic communications, and maximize programmatic efficiencies in order to better serve refugees.

In 2011, the United States provided just under $250 million to UNRWA, including $146 million to its General Fund, $75 million to its West Bank/Gaza emergency programs, $15 million to emergency programs in Lebanon, and $10 million for the construction of five new schools in Gaza, which will serve an estimated 10,000 schoolchildren.

Detention of Sub-Saharan African Refugees and Migrants in Libya

Men, who used to work in Libya and fled the unrest in the country, carry their belongings as they walk during a sand storm in a refugee camp at the Tunisia-Libyan border, in Ras Ajdir, Tunisia, March 15, 2011. [AP File Photo]

On September 12, 2011, Spokesperson Victoria Nuland released a statement on the detention of sub-Saharan African refugees and migrants in Libya. Spokesperson Nuland said:

“The United States is deeply concerned about reports of arbitrary detention and abuse of sub-Saharan African migrants and refugees. We also understand that some Libyans are also being victimized based on the color of their skin. Nobody should be detained or harassed due to the color of their skin or their nationality, and measures must be taken to protect individuals from acts of violence.

“We have welcomed the Transitional National Council’s (TNC) assurances of their commitment to safeguard the well-being of individuals throughout Libya and the TNC leadership’s cooperation with those international agencies engaged in identifying and assisting those at risk and/or detained, including the… more »

U.S., Kenya and UNHCR Work Together To Assist Refugees

Two Somali boys walk on the outskirts of the UNHC's Ifo Extension camp, outside Dadaab, eastern Kenya, 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Somali border, on August 10, 2011. [AP Photo]

About the Author: Bryan Schaaf serve as a program officer in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). He is currently coordinating PRM’s assistance to international organizations and NGOs in Dadaab, Kenya.

Due to conflict and famine, over 235,000 refugees fled Somalia from January to June of this year alone. Over half have come to Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp, which was already the largest in the world, situated in the arid northeast, about 80 kilometers from the Somali border.

There are now almost 500,000 refugees in Kenya — that’s more than the total population of Cleveland, Ohio. While the majority of refugees in Kenya are Somali, Congolese, Sudanese, Eritrean, or Ethiopian, others are also represented. While not a rich country, Kenya has generously hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees for many years — including some families that have been in Dadaab for three generations. For this, the Kenyan government is to be commended.

Kenya recently demonstrated leadership in providing humanitarian assistance by allowing the Office of the UN High Commissioner… more »