Update on The AmericasThe Americas

Media Relations Public Information Service hqpi00@unhcr.org Tel.: (41 22) 739 85 02 Fax: (41 22) 739 73 15 www.unhcr.org www.acnur.org

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Colombia situation 1 - Colombia’s indigenous peoples at risk 1 - UNHCR opens Panama office 2 - Indigenous flee to Venezuela 3 - Legal aid centers arrive in Bogota 3 - Colombia’s “Atlas women” at Barcelona

Forum 4 - Colombian documentation project gains

permanence 4 - Venezuela recognizes refugees, pro-

vides IDs 5 - Radio ads bring Ecuadorians and Co-

lombian refugees closer together 5 - Venezuelan border troops receive refu-

gee training 6 - Ecuador projects help refugee host com-

munities 6 - Advances in refugee protection in Guy-

ana, Suriname 6 - Peru issues law on internal displacement Mexico and Central America 6 - Health Day reaches 600 in Costa Rica 7 - San Jose welcomes Colombian photo

exhibition 8 - Parliamentarians hear from UNHCR 8 - Honduras adopts new migration law 8 - Nicaraguan schoolchildren receive sup-

plies Southern Latin America 7 - UNHCR launches Latin American refu-

gee sports program 7 - Actor Osvaldo Laport supports UNHCR 8 - Funding overview 9 - Preparations for Cartagena anniversary Canada, United States and Caribbean 9 - First repatriations from Jamaica and

Cuba begin to a still-shaky Haiti 10 - Colin Powell, Angelina Jolie launch

World Refugee Day in U.S. 11 - Goodwill Ambassador helps unaccom-

panied children 11 - U.S. refugee resettlement up 12 - Regulations issued on U.S.-Canada bor-

der agreement; movements of asylum-seekers monitored

12 - Asylum claims in Canada drop sharply

No. 7, Summer, 2004

A growing trend in Colombia could threaten the very survival of many of Colombia’s indige-nous peoples, if left unchecked. Despite repeated warn-ings, the war is getting ever closer to the last sanctuaries of Colombia’s indigenous peoples, put-ting them at risk of extinc-tion. In March and April, fight-ing forced 1,200 members of the indigenous Embera group to leave their homes in Union Baquiaza, Hoja Blanca and three other locations in the rain forest of Colombia’s Choco region. In addition, 500 ethnic Wayúu were forcibly displaced within Colombia in April and May. Hundreds more Wayúu crossed into Vene-zuela after a massacre in the northern Guajira re-

UNHCR has established a more permanent presence in Panama, opening offices in the capital and border region with a focus on the situation of Colombians who do not wish to go back home. The country agreement with Pa-nama – signed on April 1 by Pa-nama’s Foreign Minister, Har-modio Arias and UNHCR’s Direc-tor of the Americas Bureau, Hope Hanlan -- regularizes UNHCR’s presence in Panama on a more permanent basis. Previously, UNHCR’s operations in Panama were run from the agency’s re-gional office in Venezuela with frequent missions to Panama by UNHCR staff. UNHCR currently has a total of five staff members in Panama. In addition to its main office in Pa-

gion left several people dead and many more unaccounted for. Members of the Kankuamo and

Colombia’s indigenous peoples still at great risk

UNHCR opens Panama office, focuses on Colombians in border regions

nama City, the agency opened a field office in April in the border region of the Darién, where some 800 Colombians are under tempo-rary protection. The office has been working to improve the situation for Colombi-ans in the border region who do not wish to return home. At the third ministerial meeting between the governments of Colombia and Panama held in Bogotá on March 23-24, 2004, the governments agreed they would shift their em-phasis from voluntary return to Colombia and concentrate on dealing with the situation of Co-lombians who not wish to return. In this context, the government of Panama kindly agreed to con-sider, on a case-by-case basis, regularizing the situation of Co-

Displaced indigenous Emberas in Opogado (UNHCR/J.Salazar)

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 3

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Update on The AmericasThe Americas

other indigenous groups of the Si-erra Nevada de Santa Marta have been killed and suffered serious abuses by parties to the conflict. According to the National Indige-nous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), a UNHCR partner, virtually all of the country’s more than 80 indigenous groups are now threat-ened by the conflict. For indigenous people, displace-ment often results in the permanent loss of their language and culture as a consequence of the break-down of their traditional social pat-terns and political structures. The Emberas now live in fear, a psychological pressure previously unknown to this community. This is compounded by the difficulties of fitting into their new surroundings. Although the children can attend school in the communities that have taken them in, the Embera say they feel like strangers in an unfamiliar environment. The Emberas suffer a range of other problems stemming from their displacement, including health con-cerns due to overcrowding and lack of basic health services in the re-ceiving communities in Choco, whose populations have doubled with the arrival of the displaced people. Unlike the clean river water back home, the water from the main stream in the host community is contaminated and has caused skin diseases among the displaced. The unavailability of traditional foodstuffs is another problem. “Bananas are the basis of our diet, and there are none here,” said Danilo, a displaced Embera man in Boca de Opogado. Due to the difficult living conditions, some of the Emberas have begun to consider returning to their vil-lages, despite the ongoing sporadic fighting. The choice is harsh – con-tinue to suffer in displacement or return to their homes with the ever-present danger of death and re-newed forced displacement. ▲

Indigenous peoples, cont. from p. 1

In late May, hundreds of indigenous Wayúu from Colombia fled to Vene-zuela following attacks by illegal armed groups. The UN refugee agency in Venezuela registered 306 Wayúu who fled the community of Bahia Portete in La Guajira, Colom-bia. The Wayúu have sought refuge in the town of Maracaibo in Vene-zuela’s border state of Zulia. Cross-border ethnic and family ties have enabled the Colombian Wayúu to seek protection in the homes of Venezuelan friends and relatives. Due to the concept of dual nationality of indigenous people, the Wayúu have the constitutional right to move freely between the two countries. A 45-year old Wayúu woman de-scribed the flight to Venezuela: “I walked 40 kms with my children. I was too scared to go along the road. I was scared of being seen.” The same fear occupied the minds of hundreds of other Wayúu who also fled. Huddled beneath the few trees out-side the tiny house serving as their shelter, the displaced Wayúu seek relief from the intense heat of Mara-caibo, where average temperatures range between 35°C and 40°C. Con-ditions are difficult, with shortages of food and sufficient shelter. Anxious to take care of their families, those who wish to stay in Venezuela would like to find work, but say it is difficult in this new environment.

Hundreds of indigenous Wayúu flee to Venezuela “At night I wake up asking myself what I will do now, how I will move forward,” said a Wayúu woman who arrived in Venezuela five days after the massacre with her five young children. “I don’t know anyone here.” Due to strong cultural ties to their territory of origin, approximately 40 percent of those forced to abandon their homes have expressed their desire to return. However, with the security situation in their home ar-eas still highly unstable, there are no plans yet to facilitate their return. The Venezuelan National Assembly has created a special commission to respond to the needs of the Wayúu community seeking international protection. As its first task, the Com-mission will coordinate efforts with its Colombian counterparts to facili-tate dialogue, re-establish security and mediate the settlement of the conflict in the area. At the same time, Venezuela’s National Refugee Commission announced the Vene-zuelan government would offer tem-porary protection to the Wayúu for as long as necessary. UNHCR is working with other agen-cies and local authorities to coordi-nate emergency food, medicine, and other supplies. The agencies have already distributed 246 hammocks to the displaced families whose cul-ture frowns upon sleeping on the ground. ▲

Hundreds of Wayúu fled to Venezuela in May (UNHCR/J. Samaniego)

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Update on The AmericasThe Americas

lombians under or requiring tempo-rary protection who have strong family links in Panama. The regular-ized status would eventually enable them to remain in Panama perma-nently. As a first step, the two gov-ernments conducted a census, with UNHCR as an observer, in the Darién and Kuna Yala regions in April and May, registering a total of 838 people. In a separate development, Mr. Martín Torrijos, the leader of the Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD), was elected President of Panama on May 2 and will take power on September 1. According to its election platform, the PRD plans to activate a program to inte-grate and develop the border re-gions and continue to provide hu-manitarian assistance to persons uprooted by violence, in cooperation with international organizations. ▲

Colombian internally displaced women featured prominently in the 2004 World Forum of Cultures in Bar-celona in June, not in their usual im-age as victims of the conflict but as leaders who, thanks to their moral fiber and fortitude, steer their families and communities through the hard-ships of displacement. Colita, the Catalan photographer who set up the photo exhibition of Colombian women, calls them “Atlas Women”,

referring to the mythological figure carrying the world on his shoulders. An estimated 75 percent of all Colom-bian IDPs are women or children. UNHCR has denounced gender-based violence in the Colombian con-flict, and stresses how much remains to be done for public policies to ad-dress adequately the needs of dis-placed women. But when Colita vol-unteered to work for UNHCR, she decided to show another side of the story. Women are often central to helping families overcome the trauma of forced displacement, by finding ways to make a living in their host communities and organizing associa-tions to promote their rights. Colita visited UNHCR-sponsored pro-jects in Colombia’s Caribbean coastal region, where women play prominent roles. There she came to know women growing vegetables in a house in Barranquilla, as well as women building a health center near Cartagena. She also met women who organized daycare for their children

Colombia’s “Atlas women” at the Barcelona Forum

Women’s resilience is one of the major strengths of the displaced population (UNHCR/Colita)

and others who band together to bring drinking water to their houses. The faces of these women, cap-tured by Colita’s lens, are being s h o wn a t t h e B a r c e l o n a “Hivernacle”. They are Colombia´s Atlas women, shouldering the task of ensuring the stability of their families and communities. ▲

UNHCR-sponsored legal aid cen-ters, which offer free legal advice to internally displaced people, are now operating in Colombia’s capital. Every month, thousands of people arrive in Bogota fleeing violence in the countryside. A partnership with Universidad Nacional, the biggest university in the country, enables IDPs in the capital to receive legal advice from senior law students to help them exercise their rights. This includes undertaking legal actions on behalf of IDPs to ensure State institutions comply with the law. “We have achieved considerable progress,” says Gabriel Riaño, pro-ject coordinator for the Universidad Nacional. “When we began, in the last academic period of 2003, eight students in the project advised 65 people and their families. In the first period of 2004, 400 internally dis-placed families received counseling from 110 students, because we included internal displacement con-sultations as part of the normal ac-tivities of our legal aid center.” Riaño estimates that so far, 2,000 people have benefited directly or indirectly from the legal clinics. Around 140 students and teachers in the faculties of Law and Social Sciences work to support the pro-ject. In addition, psychology and social work students provide coun-seling in their fields. The legal aid centers do not just wait for people to come to them, but go out to find those in need of help. Mobile units have assisted people in three areas of Bogota with impor-tant IDP populations, as well as in Soacha, a municipality next to the capital with a large displaced popu-lation. University students also help at an information center for IDPs set up by the city authorities, giving a helping hand to those arriving in Bogota in search of protection. ▲

UNHCR-sponsored legal aid centers arrive in Bogota

Panama, cont. from p. 1

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Update on The AmericasThe Americas

Colombia’s National Registry Office has created a permanent unit to provide documentation to people who are displaced or at risk of dis-placement. The unit, established in May, signals Colombia’s long-term commitment to providing docu-ments to at-risk populations and their willingness to dedicate re-sources specifically for this effort. The unit, set up with support from UNHCR, stems from four years of work to provide identification docu-ments free of charge to citizens that need them most. UNHCR has helped the registry provide more than 170,000 documents since the project began in 2000. The UN refugee agency maintains a key role in the project, through funding as well as by providing one of the coordinators of the unit. “We are also helping to find other do-nors because the project has proven to be worth the effort,” says Aldo Morales, the UNHCR project coordinator. And there have been quick results in this area too. The European Union committed $80,000 less than one month after the unit was launched. The project has drawn national at-tention, as shown by coverage in Colombia’s most influential maga-zine, Semana. In early June, Se-mana described the project as

Colombian documentation project gains permanence

In June, Venezuela’s National Refu-gee Commission began providing identification documents to recog-nized refugees in Venezuela. For UNHCR, this is a crucial step for-ward, as documents will enable refugees to exercise their rights, including the right to work, study

and obtain medical treatment. Earlier this year, the Refugee Com-mission made another significant advance for refugee protection in Venezuela, recognizing the first group of refugees in early February. This historic step demonstrates Venezuela’s commitment to interna-tional conventions, particularly the 1967 Protocol, to which Venezuela is a signatory. In addition to studying and issuing decisions on individual refugee ap-plications, the National Refugee Commission coordinates govern-ment efforts to provide protection and assistance to those asking for refugee status. Currently, 2,691 persons have ap-plied for refugee status in Vene-zuela. UNHCR hopes the Commission will continue improving the efficiency of its refugee status determination process and providing documents to refugees who have yet to receive them. ▲

Venezuela recognizes refu-gees, provides IDs helping the state “see” many of its

citizens that had so far been invisible. Eastern Antioquia, one of the regions most affected by the cross-fire among Colombia’s armed groups, was among the latest beneficiaries of the project, along with isolated in-digenous groups in the Choco region, and poor neighborhoods in the out-skirts of Bogota. “People need docu-ments once they leave their towns to protect themselves from the armed groups,” said Morales. Jairo, a 20-year old in the town of Tumaco on the Pacific coast ex-plains the risks: “My friend was forced to get off a boat a year ago because we were on the river and he did not have an ID card. We have not heard from him again.” Documents are also essential for IDPs to ob-tain services. “They will only give my son a place at the local school if he produces a birth certificate,” said Car-men, a displaced woman in Bue-naventura. UNHCR aims to help provide 100,000 documents in 2004. ▲

A displaced man receives his ID in eastern Antioquia (UNHCR/W. Spindler)

Refugees receive documents in Venezuela (UNHCR/A. Simanacas

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Update on The AmericasThe Americas

Venezuelan border troops receive refugee training Recognizing that the military are often the first point of contact for asylum seekers crossing into Vene-zuelan territory, UNHCR has organ-ized a series of protection training-workshops for the “Cazadores” (hunters) unit of the Venezuelan Special Armed Forces currently re-placing regular army units at the border. In May, 35 officers of this counter-insurgency force received informa-tion about refugee rights, interna-tional refugee law and the role of the military in refugee protection. “It is important to facilitate basic pro-tection training and build personal contacts to improve the treatment of the victims of the Colombian con-flict,” explained Love St. Fleur, UNHCR Protection Officer. Since the sessions also include gov-ernment, NGO and international organizations, they also play a cru-cial confidence-building function and familiarize military personnel with the role of civil society in refugee protection. UNHCR staff, members of the Táchira Regional Secretariat of the National Refugee Commis-sion and UNHCR’s implementing partner Caritas, all made presenta-tions at the workshops. ▲

“I used to live in San Vicente del Caguan,” says a young girl in a soft, clear voice over the back-ground music. The sound of shoot-ing erupts in the distance. The girl adds, “We were told we had to pay in order to stay, or that we had to leave.” Finally, a male voice says, “Nobody chooses to be a refugee. Refugees are those who have fled their country because their lives have been threatened.” This is one of five short radio spots currently airing on 30 radio stations in Ecuador, featuring real voices and stories of young refugees be-tween 13 and 23 years old. The spots were produced by the E c u a d o r i a n o r g a n i z a t i o n “Fundación Derechos del Niño”, with technical guidance from UNHCR, through a project financed by the German Technical Coopera-tion Agency, GTZ. Around 40 Ecuadorian and Colom-bian teenagers contributed to the spots in Quito and in Ibarra, a small city in the northern highlands re-gion near the Colombian border. For three months, through commu-nications workshops, they learned about radio production, how to use

words to create an impact and how to write scripts for radio. Alexandra, a communications pro-fessional in charge of the work-shops, says it was not always easy to build a team from young people with such different experiences. “From the first session it became clear to us that there were cultural and social gaps between the Ecua-dorian and Colombian participants. Once, when we started talking about our favorite popular TV shows, a refugee girl said ‘I used to watch those shows in Colombia but since we came here my family no longer has a TV.’ The whole group was silent for a while, not knowing what to say.” Perhaps the most valuable lesson for the Ecuadorian participants, including the trainers, was the in-credible endurance and motivation shown by the young refugees. Ec-uadorian students had the opportu-nity to meet people their same age, from a similar cultural background and reasonably close geographical region, who had lived through situations of extreme hardship and been pushed to the limit just to sur-vive.

José Euceda, UNHCR’s Represen-tative in Ecuador, praises the pro-ject, which he says “empowers the population and at the same time creates a product that can improve conditions for refugees by fostering solidarity and tolerance.” In July, the project will start a sec-ond phase, where children will learn about the basics of graphic design and the use of computers to pro-duce printed materials to raise awareness about refugees. ▲

Radio ads bring Ecuadorians and Colombian refugees closer together

Colombian and Ecuadorian children produce radio ads on refugees (UNHCR/X. Orellana)

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Update on The AmericasThe Americas

Nearly 600 Costa Ricans and Co-lombian refugees attended the sec-ond “Jornada de Salud” or “Health Day” organized by UNHCR´s imple-menting agency, ACAI, on May 28 in the Costa Rican city of Heredia. The event offered refugees and Costa Rican nationals free access to medical evaluations, flu vaccines, dental exams, bone density tests, electrocardiograms, eye exams, and

Advances in refugee protec-tion in Guyana, Suriname The government of Guyana has ex-pressed interest in acceding to the 1951 Refugee Convention/1967 Protocol and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. UNHCR is working to strengthen relations with the government, in particular the Ministry of External Relations, to encourage and main-tain this interest. Meanwhile, in the neighboring coun-try of Suriname, UNHCR has invited authorities to discuss developing mechanisms to deal with any poten-tial future influxes of refugees and asylum seekers. Suriname is a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol, but it has not adopted legislation to put their provi-sions into practice. ▲

Peru issues law on internal displacement On May 20, the government of Peru enacted a new law on internal dis-placement (No. 28223), which seeks to assist some 600,000 peo-ple uprooted by Peru’s internal con-flict since 1980. The law is based on the UN’s “Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement”, and pro-vides mechanisms for protection, prevention, and humanitarian assis-tance to internally displaced people. The law was discussed with UNHCR’s support in a public audi-ence with Peru’s National Congress. UNHCR’s Regional Office in Vene-zuela analyzed the law and made recommendations on the text at the request of the President of the Con-gressional Commission for Human Rights. ▲

Ecuador projects help refu-gee host communities Since the beginning of the year, UNHCR has implemented 27 new community projects in Ecuador's border provinces. The main goal of these projects is to mitigate the so-cial and economic impact of an in-creasing number of victims of the Colombian conflict settling in the isolated, rural communities of north-ern Ecuador. The projects are among a total of 69 projects to be implemented in 2004. Over 53,000 people in the refugee receiving provinces of Sucumbios, Imbabura, Carchi and Esmeraldas are expected to benefit. Based on needs identified by the residents of Ecuador's border com-munities, the projects focus on im-proving existing education, infra-structure and health services. Local border schools are receiving new desks, notebooks and computers while teams of Community Health Promoters are being trained and supplied with medicine and medical instruments. "In this manner we can compensate refugee host communities for the efforts they have made in receiving Colombians, while strengthening the tradition of solidarity that exists between the two countries," ex-plained Jose Euceda, UNHCR Rep-resentative in Ecuador. In order to help refugees and asy-lum seekers become self-sufficient, UNHCR has also set up income generating projects such as bio-intensive gardens and community kitchens that produce organic vege-tables and marmalade for sale to the local communities. "Our operations have reached a point where many recognized refu-gees are trying to find ways to inte-grate," said Euceda. In the last four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has registered over 23,500 asylum seekers, 7,100 of whom have been granted refugee status so far. ▲

Second Health Day reaches 600 in Costa Rica laboratory tests. The event particu-larly focused on women’s health, with gynecological exams and mam-mograms available. Special ar-rangements were made with hospi-tals and drugstores to obtain medi-cal supplies. Refugee artisans, beneficiaries of UNHCR’s microcredit program, also displayed their products and ser-vices at the fair. ▲

Families receive medical attention at Health Day in Heredia (UNHCR/K. Zouein)

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Update on The AmericasThe Americas

San Jose welcomes Colom-bian photo exhibition On June 11, UNHCR in Costa Rica Rica inaugurated “Arrancados de Raíz”, a 25-photo exhibition featur-ing portraits of Colombian refugees and internally displaced persons taken by UNHCR humanitarian staff in Venezuela, Panama, Ecua-dor and Colombia. The goal of the exhibition is to create awareness about the situation of people up-rooted by conflict in Co-lombia. The exhibition will run through July 15 and coincides with the agency’s commemora-tion of the World Refu-gee Day 2004. The photos are on dis-play at the Headquarters of the Supreme Elec-toral Tribunal in San Jose, which receives more than 1,000 visitors daily. San Jose joins cities like Mexico City, Caracas and Buenos Aires, where the photos have already been ex-hibited. ▲

The UN refugee agency has created the first program in Latin America to support refugees through sports. The program, “The World Needs Players”, launched in Buenos Aires in April, will be run by Guillermo To-foni, FIFA agent in Argentina for friendly matches, and president of

Actor Osvaldo Laport sup-ports UNHCR Uruguayan actor Osvaldo Laport has teamed up with UNHCR to help refugees by raising awareness and funds. Mr. Laport has decided to donate 10 percent of the proceeds of his new masculine fragrance “Tiempo” to UNHCR. Mr. Laport, who lives in Argentina and is well known for his soap operas in sev-eral Latin American countries, has also offered to assist UNHCR in its public awareness efforts. He is fea-tured in a television spot produced free of charge by Young & Rubicam Argentina, and has given a number of interviews to the media on refu-gees. At the launch of the “Tiempo” fra-grance in June, Mr. Laport said, “In life there is a time for everything, and I hope it is the time for many of us to search for peace.” ▲

Latin America. The match was or-ganized by the Cafú foundation. UNHCR has been promoting part-nerships with sports organizations over the past decade to ensure greater participation of refugee boys and girls in athletic activities. In ad-dition to keeping refugee kids active

UNHCR launches Latin American refugee sports program

Football players from around the world sport UNHCR shirts for a friendly match in Milan

the company World Eleven. World Eleven has produced more than 100 international matches all over the world, and has offices in Germany, Japan and the United States. Athletes and clubs around the world will be invited to participate in events organized under the new program to raise awareness and funds for refu-gees. “The World Needs Players” will also encourage refugee partici-pation in sports, by organizing championships in refugee camps and raising funds for sports training for refugees. Since its launch, football players have promoted the program in a number of matches in Argentina. In Europe, world-renowned players participating in a friendly match in Milan on May 18 sported UNHCR t-shirts throughout the match, which was broadcast live in Europe and

and channeling their energy in posi-tive ways, sports help build the self esteem of children who have lived through violence. They also encour-age development of team spirit, dis-cipline, and other values which help them reach their full potential in their adult lives. Thanks to these partnerships, the number of young refugees with ac-cess to athletic and recreational activities, as well as to donated sports equipment, has increased significantly. Through “The World Needs Players” UNHCR aspires to expand the in-volvement of the private sector and athletes around the world in ad-dressing the humanitarian conse-quences of armed conflicts and working towards peace. ▲

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Update on The AmericasThe Americas

Parliamentarians hear from UNHCR Refugee issues were on the table for some 1,000 parliamentarians from 140 countries at the 110th In-ter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, held in Mexico City April 18-23. UNHCR addressed the assembly in a plenary statement, applauding the legislators’ strong individual com-mitment to working to create condi-tions for the sustainable return of refugees. UNHCR also presented its concerns at panels on Terrorism and Human Rights, Sexual Exploi-tation of Children, and Peace-Making and Peace-Building. UNHCR made available guidelines and documents on sexual and gen-der-based persecution as well as on the specific problems faced by chil-dren, to help motivate legislators to work to root out these crimes. The assembly also provided an op-portunity to introduce plans to com-memorate the 20th Anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration, which will culminate in a summit in Mexico City in November. ▲

Nicaraguan schoolchildren receive supplies Some 2,100 children at three schools in poor neighborhoods in Managua, Nicaragua, received school supplies from UNHCR as a gesture of thanks for Nicaragua’s hospitality to refugees. Hundreds of notebooks and pencils were distrib-uted to the children in mid-April. Two of the schools are located among Managua’s garbage dumps, and the students must spend part of their day helping their parents scavenge through the dumps for items to sell. The third school is also situated in one of Managua’s poorest areas. One of the schools has worked closely with UNHCR in the past, giving Spanish lessons to refugees from Sierra Leone, Somalia and Ghana to help them integrate into Nicaraguan society. Nicaraguan religious associations have also helped refugees, provid-ing Spanish lessons, psychological support and translating their re-quests and concerns. ▲

Honduras adopts new mi-gration law The Honduran Congress has finally approved a long-awaited new migra-tion law, which includes articles re-lating to refugees and asylum seek-ers. The law contains a refugee defini-tion inspired by both the 1951 Refu-gee Convention and the broader definition contained in the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refu-gees. The Cartagena definition in-cludes as refugees people fleeing generalized violence, foreign ag-gression, internal conflicts, massive violation of human rights or serious disturbance of public order. The law, which went into effect on May 3, regulates the body in charge of refugee status determination in Honduras and includes specific pro-visions on refugees and stateless persons. UNHCR’s Regional Legal Unit in Costa Rica is currently reviewing the legislation. It is seen as a positive step to enhance the legal framework for refugee protection in the Ameri-cas. ▲

AMERICAS FUNDING UPDATE: Annual Programme Budget (as of 24 June 2004)

Americas North America & Caribbean

Central America & Mexico

South America

Total

2004 Excom budget 6,737,112 4,126,351 14,011,213 24,874,666

2004 Revised budget 7,656,973 4,506,188 14,582,370 26,745,531

2004 Earmarked Contributions

Canada 381,679 381,679

European Commission 1,025,527 1,025,527

Germany 306,373 306,373

Luxembourg 248,756 248,756

Italy 245,098 245,098

Japan 500,000 500,000

Sweden 274,725 1,098,901 1,373,626

Switzerland 396,825 396,825

United Kingdom 75,500 75,500

USA 3,250,000 250,000 260,437 3,227,921 6,988,358

Private Donors 33,750 289,904 23,905

Total 3,250,000 283,750 535,162 7,796,484 11,865,396

% of earmarked contr. from revised budget 4% 12% 53% 44%

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Update on The AmericasThe Americas

On November 15-16, the govern-ment of Mexico will host an event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, a 1984 document which broadened the refugee definition used in Latin America and offered an innovative approach to refugee protection and solutions. The anni-versary will be an opportunity to launch a process of international cooperation to achieve two impor-tant objectives: the consistent and universal application within conti-nental Latin America of the Cart-agena Declaration, and the ap-proval of a draft regional plan of action to address the humanitarian needs of Colombians in need of protection. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers is scheduled to attend the event. UNHCR, together with many others, believes the spirit of Cartagena is as topical today as ever. Refugee and humanitarian issues remain important and hotly debated topics, as seen by the importance given to the issues in recent discussions in the preparations for the OAS Gen-eral Assembly. At the same time,

Preparations underway for anniversary of Cartagena Declaration the Andean region currently con-fronts a humanitarian drama of a similar magnitude to that faced by Central America in the 1980s, which sparked the process leading to the Cartagena Declaration. For the 20th anniversary, the refugee agency wants to celebrate action and not just history, and make a tan-gible impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people still forced to flee their homes in Latin America. “We are happy to see that the com-memorative process is already start-ing to bear fruit, with more attention being paid to the needs of uprooted Colombians and the communities receiving them in neighboring coun-tries,” said Carlos Maldonado, UNHCR’s coordinator for the com-memoration. Also, Colombia itself -- host of the 1984 International Colloquium where the Declaration was adopted – has expressed to UNHCR its support for the Cartagena Declaration. UNHCR hopes this support will lead to the re-incorporation of the Cartagena refu-gee definition into Colombian’s na-tional refugee legislation.

The first 25 Haitians among the hundreds who had fled to Jamaica since mid-February returned home to a still-shaky Haiti on June 8. In the weeks leading up to this repa-triation, some of the Haitians in Ja-maica and Cuba had begun asking to be repatriated voluntarily. With the situation in Haiti still volatile and unpredictable, UNHCR does not promote repatriation. However, out of respect for the rights and desires of the Haitians who have specifically requested to return to Haiti, UNHCR began to facilitate the transport of Haitians from Jamaica and Cuba. Of the 511 Haitians in Jamaica, some 150 have now returned to Haiti after receiving counseling on conditions in the country and sign-

UNHCR is planning two sub-regional meetings to prepare for the November event. The first will take place in San Jose, Costa Rica, on August 12-13, bringing together officials from Mexico, Central Amer-ica and some Caribbean countries. The second, on August 26-27 in Brasilia, Brazil, will include MER-COSUR countries plus Chile and Bolivia. ▲

ing voluntary repatriation forms and declarations of understanding regard-ing the inability of UNHCR to monitor their cases after their return. All 30 of the Haitians who had fled to Cuba have also returned to Haiti. The re-turn movements followed negotiations with Haitian and Jamaican govern-ment officials through multiple UNHCR missions to the region and relied on support from UNDP, IOM and Haitian NGOs. The repatriations come after months of intense and rapid change on the ground in Haiti. Haiti’s political crisis came to a head with the departure of President Aristide in late February, and the deployment of international troops in Port-au-Prince on the same day. A transitional government was

First repatriations from Jamaica and Cuba begin to a still-shaky Haiti established in March, at the same time that the UN undertook a com-prehensive assessment mission. Based on the mission’s findings, the UN Security Council decided to de-ploy a full stabilization mission with a robust military and civilian police component, as well as human rights, civil, political and other ele-ments. After much intensive effort by the UN, command of the international troops in Haiti passed formally on June 1 from the Multinational In-terim Force (MIF) to the United Na-tions Stabilization Mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, which is still deploying. Elements of the MIF forces agreed to remain on the ground until suffi-

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On June 16, U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie officially launched World Refugee Day cele-brations in the United States at Na-tional Geographic. The event, organ-ized by UNHCR, also featured reset-tled refugee and author, Mawi Asge-dom, and acclaimed Afghan photog-rapher and former refugee, Zalmaï. At the launch, Jolie shared the stories of the desperate Sudanese refugees she met in camps in Chad’s desolate border region during her early June visit to UNHCR’s emergency opera-tion for more than 160,000 refugees from Sudan’s Darfur region. Secretary of State Colin Powell par-ticipated in World Refugee Day cere-monies for the second time. He joined Jolie in presenting awards to the win-ners of UNHCR’s World Refugee Day Poster Contest, which Jolie sponsors annually. The winners are: Anna Mullen, grade 5 from Northwood Ele-mentary in High Point, NC; Phoebe Sturey, grade 8 from Cochranton Mid-dle School in Cochranton, PA; and Tania Ku, grade 12 from Saratoga High School in Saratoga, CA. Secretary Powell expressed the U.S. government’s support for UNHCR and reiterated U.S. commitment to assisting refugees worldwide. The United States is UNHCR’s largest

donor and accepts more resettled refugees than any other country. Secretary Powell also introduced a video statement by First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush, who underlined the many accomplishments and contri-butions by refugees who have re-settled to the United States, noting the success story of Mawi Asge-dom. Asgedom fled the Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict with his family at the tender age of three and was resettled from a refugee camp in the Sudan to the United States when he was seven. He went on to receive a full scholarship to Harvard University, graduating summa cum laude. Recently, Asgedom was named one of Essence Magazine’s 40 Most Inspir ing Afr ican-Americans. Also joining the launch was Afghan photographer Zalmaï, who escaped the war in Afghanistan when he was just 15 years old. He received asylum and later citizenship in Swit-zerland. In 2001, after the fall of the Taliban, Zalmaï returned to Af-ghanistan with the help of UNHCR – 22 years after his exile. “Return, Afghanistan,” an exhibit of photo-graphs from his journey, is at the National Geographic Museum through July 4. ▲

cient MINUSTAH forces could be provided and trained. While numerous challenges re-main on the security front, includ-ing recruitment and training of po-lice, disarmament and reintegra-tion of criminal and “rebel” ele-ments, the rising crime rate and serious unemployment problems, most observers agreed that Haiti appeared, finally, to be heading in the right direction. Despite the positive progress made in quelling violence and re-storing order to much of Haiti, the plight of thousands of Haitians still outside Haiti remains a difficult challenge for UNHCR and host governments. While there were no significant outflows on the scale experienced in the early 1990s, several thou-sand people were internally dis-placed by rebel advances and best estimates indicate almost 3,000 Haitians took to the seas. Shortly after their displacement, the major-ity of the internally displaced were able to return home, although some remained displaced for many months. It was estimated that a few hun-dred Haitians took refuge in the neighboring Dominican Republic, though not all of them asked for refugee status, were registered or accounted for. By the end of May, 511 Haitians had arrived in Ja-maica, and 30 Haitians had arrived in Cuba. UNHCR became aware of returns of more than 2,000 Hai-tians who took to the seas and were interdicted by the U.S. Coast Guard during and after the crisis. UNHCR made demarches in Feb-ruary and March to all govern-ments in the region, requesting that Haitians not be returned, if they did not wish to return to Haiti. Most governments advised they would respect this request. ▲

Colin Powell, Angelina Jolie launch World Refugee Day in U.S. Haiti returns, cont. from page 9

Secretary of State Colin Powell and Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie at the U.S. launch of World Refugee Day (UNHCR/H. Farhad)

Update on The AmericasThe Americas

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More refugees are arriving for reset-tlement in the United States so far this year than in the past two years, prompting hopes that the recent downward trend in refugee arrivals will be reversed. By the end of May, 26,341 refugees had arrived, nearly as many as arrived for all of 2003. In 2004, the United States has initi-ated new resettlement processing for 15,000 H'mong in Thailand, nearly 2,000 Vietnamese in the Phil-ippines, and several thousand Meshketian Turks in Russia. The United States has recently agreed to process two resettlement groups referred by UNHCR in Guinea and Kenya, of around 2,500 people each. U.S. processing is almost completed for the large group of Liberians referred by UNHCR in March 2003. Nearly 6,000 Liberians have been approved for resettle-ment under this program, and most should arrive by September, 2004. In the meantime, most of the re-maining 10,000 plus Somali Bantu in Kenya should arrive in the United States by the end of the year. With these groups in the pipeline, the U.S. looks to be on pace to ap-proach its allocated resettlement ceiling of 50,000 refugees for FY 2004. Another 20,000 U.S. resettle-ment spots, which are “unallocated”, or not targeted to any particular re-gion, however, will most probably remain unfilled this year. ▲

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador An-gelina Jolie has generously donated $500,000 to UNHCR to establish a National Legal Resource Center to provide lawyers for unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the U.S. The center will work with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to ensure that vulnerable children have access to pro-bono legal representation to guide them through the complex legal system they face in U.S. immigrations pro-ceedings. The donation comes after two years of advocacy by Jolie on behalf of unaccompanied children seeking asylum who are detained in the U.S. Every year, the U.S. detains thousands of asylum seekers, in-cluding over 5,000 children. The UN refugee agency has long advocated against the detention of asylum seekers and refugees worldwide. Given that the U.S. and other indus-trialized countries nonetheless do detain asylum seekers, UNHCR has often played a vital role in monitor-ing and ameliorating conditions for those detained, particularly children. Jolie’s advocacy most recently in-cluding speaking with the U.S. Sec-retary of Health and Human Ser-vices (HHS), Tommy Thompson, in May regarding the need to provide better services for unaccompanied child asylum-seekers, including ac-cess to attorneys. She commended HHS’ work to improve living condi-tions in the detention facilities, while encouraging further improvements. In April, Jolie visited detained asy-lum seekers at three facilities in the Arizona desert: the Southwest Key Program for unaccompanied chil-dren in Phoenix; the Florence Ser-vice Processing Center, a Depart-ment of Homeland Security (DHS) holding and processing facility for over 300 adult men; and a private corrections facility contracted to provide DHS with beds for adult women. Jolie heard many heart-breaking stories, but she was par-ticularly moved by the plight of un-accompanied children trying not only to survive the often harrowing situations that brought them to the

U.S., but also struggling to weave their way through an extremely com-plicated immigration system. “Many of these children have sur-vived tragedy, so being separated from their families can only add to their suffering,” she said. “Access to legal representation and a guardian to help them through this difficult im-migration process is absolutely es-sential to protect them and ensure that their best interests are met.” In March 2003, responsibility for the care and placement of unaccompa-nied children in the U.S. was trans-ferred to ORR from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (since incorporated into DHS). UNHCR wel-comed the move from an enforce-ment agency to one that focuses on child welfare and has decades of experience working with refugees. Jolie was pleased with ORR’s pro-gress in improving shelter conditions for unaccompanied children in a short time. She noted with apprecia-tion the positive example set by the collaboration between ORR and fa-cilities such as Southwest Key. Jolie became interested in asylum seekers in detention when she wit-nessed court proceedings for de-tained asylum seekers in Arlington, Virginia in 2001. She was instrumen-tal in building awareness and support for the Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2003 (S.1129), a bill co-sponsored by Senators Diane Feinstein and Sam Brownback. Senators Arlen Specter and Hillary Clinton agreed to co-sponsor the bill during private meetings with Jolie. The bill will ensure that de-tained unaccom-panied children are treated hu-manely and as-signed legal counsel and guardians.

Goodwill Ambassador helps unaccompanied children U.S. refugee resettlement up

A Somali Bantu woman resettled in Utica, NY (UNHCR/H.Caux)

Update on The AmericasThe Americas

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The number of asylum seekers arriv-ing in Canada dropped sharply in early 2004, setting the stage for po-tentially the lowest annual number of asylum claims in recent years. From January through May, 9,956 people representing 150 nationali-ties filed refugee claims - a 35 per-cent drop from 15,379 during the same period last year. Based on the current monthly aver-age, the projected forecast for the year could be as little as 22,000, the lowest number of asylum seekers in over a decade. Even if claims were to pick up to last year’s pace for the remainder of the year, the total would not reach 30,000 by year’s end. In all likelihood, Canada would see a steep downward trend for the third consecutive year, from 44,700 in 2001 to 39,500 in 2002 to 31,800 in 2003 to less than 30,000 pro-jected in 2004. UNHCR has noted decreasing num-bers of asylum seekers in virtually all industrialized countries, with a 16 percent drop in the first quarter of 2004. This maintained a downward trend that began in 2002. Part of the global decline can be attributed to a sharp decrease in the number of Afghan and Iraqi asylum seekers following major changes in those countries. Afghans and Iraqis had been the largest groups of asy-lum seekers in industrialized coun-tries in 2001 and 2002. In general, the number of people seeking asy-lum tends to be closely linked to de-velopments in their region of origin. Tighter controls adopted by many countries, including Canada, follow-ing the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, may also be a factor. The Canadian government released its comprehensive national security policy in April, which states that “migration integrity officers” sta-tioned at overseas airports and tasked with scrutinizing identification documents of Canada-bound foreign travelers, have intercepted over 40,000 people with improper travel documents in the last six years. Also, since the events of September 11, Canada has imposed visa re-

quirements on ten additional coun-tries. The most recent of these was Costa Rica, in response to a large number of asylum claims from that country. The recognition rate for Costa Ricans is very low – barely one percent. Critics of Canada’s refugee policy point to Costa Ricans as an example of abuse of the sys-tem. Access to Canada’s asylum system will be further restricted once the Canada-U.S. “Safe Third Country” agreement is implemented, which is expected to happen towards the end of the year. The agreement will apply to asylum claims filed at the U.S.-Canada border, allowing Can-ada to turn back asylum seekers entering from the United States and vice versa. Colombians -- the top source coun-try of asylum seekers so far this year -- will be most affected by the agreement since the vast majority (96 percent) file their claim at the border. According to the Immigra-tion and Refugee Board (IRB), Can-ada’s recognition rate for Colombi-ans hovers at around 86 percent. This relatively high percentage of cases granted refugee status dem-onstrates that many Colombians have valid reasons to seek asylum. Other nationalities likely to be af-fected are Venezuelans, 86 percent of whom file claims at the border, and Peruvians, 60 percent of whom file claims at the border. The recog-nition rates for Venezuelans and Peruvians stand at 34 and 46 per-cent respectively. In a separate development, the IRB has greatly increased its productiv-ity over the past year, finalizing many more decisions than previ-ously. From January to March 2004, the IRB finalized 12,117 cases, or 46 percent more than were referred to it by the Canadian Border Ser-vices Agency. At this rate, and bar-ring an increase in the number of referrals, the IRB’s backlog of 36,500 claims as of end March could dwindle to 14,000 by year’s end. At its peak in January 2003, the backlog reached 52,000. ▲

Regulations issued on US-Canada border agreement; UNHCR monitors move-ments of asylum-seekers UNHCR and NGOs are watching for any increased movements of asylum-seekers from the United States to Canada, following the is-suance of proposed U.S. regula-tions on the Safe Third Country Agreement with Canada. The agreement will allow Canada to turn back any asylum seeker arriving at the land border from the United States and vice versa, with certain exceptions. The United States. is-sued regulations on the agreement on March 8, and comments by ex-ternal partners, including UNHCR, were submitted by May 7. Rumors of the border “closing” could lead to an increase in the number of asylum seekers heading to Canada, as was the case in June 2002 when unfounded rumors cir-culated that the agreement was nearing finalization. In reality, it will likely be months before the agree-ment goes into effect, as the U.S. government will need to review any public comments received, revise the regulations accordingly, possi-bly have further discussions with Canada on content, and then issue interim or final regulations. NGO comments on the regulations were critical of the fact that very little was said about the estimated 14,000 asylum seekers per year who have sought asylum in Canada after crossing from the United States and who might now be re-turned to the U.S. under the agree-ment. They noted that instead, the proposed rules focused primarily on the procedure for the estimated 200 asylum seekers who might enter at land ports-of-entry from Canada to seek asylum in the United States. Now that the proposed regulations have been published, UNHCR’s Regional Office in Washington and the U.S. Government will meet to discuss monitoring issues, including UNHCR's proposed plan for a monitoring role. ▲

Asylum claims in Canada drop sharply

Update on The AmericasThe Americas