UNHCR+-+KENYA

Name: Jordan Brownstein Country: Kenya Committee: UNHCR High School: Arundel High Date: 1/23/14

=Syrian Refugee Crisis=

The Syrian civil war has displaced approximately 2.5 million citizens within the country. These refugees constantly face the danger of violence and death, not only at the hands of the rebels but also their own oppressive government. There is no safe haven for these innocent victims to flee to. Up to this point, we have remained ultimately uninvolved with this conflict, but are open to assisting these refugees if it is viable and reasonable for our own country to do so. Kenya has a history of housing African refugees, and we are willing to continue this trend for the Syrians.

The civil war in Syria is a very complicated conflict, as the authoritarian government run by the tyrannical president of thirteen years, Bashar al-Assad, faces rebellion from several different groups. These assorted rebel organizations are not fully united and, at times, their beliefs and justifications for fighting contradict each other. The most prominent forces include the Free Syrian Army, the Syrian National Council, and the National Coordination Committee. There is no foreseeable solution to this conflict, which means that the millions of Syrian citizens who have been removed from their homes have no idea when they will be able to return. Neighboring countries such as Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iraq have opened temporary refugee camps for approximately 600,000 victims, but that is only a portion of those in need. Western countries are hesitant to allow asylum, due to their own unstable economic conditions as well as fear of Islamic extremists finding a way into the country. European countries and America feel more inclined to providing financial relief to the local countries already housing refugees, but conditions in these camps are poor and new areas must be opened to accept more refugees.

Kenya is not unfamiliar with the UNHCR's system of third country resettlement (TCR). There are numerous camps within our borders open to asylum seekers from Africa. The main three regions that we receive refugees from are South-Central Somalia, South Sudan, and Ethiopia. The Kakuma refugee camp has a population of 125,000. It is overcrowded, and in need of financial aid from the international community. In 2014 and 2015, 6 camps are expected to be set up to provide asylum to up to 530,000 refugees. There are upwards of 13 million refugees on the continent, which dwarfs the figures that Syria presents. Despite the daunting numbers, refugee crises in Africa have received much less publicity and financial support when compared to the crisis in Syria.

Kenya is already very involved in providing support to the refugees from our continent. More financial and structural support is necessary to deal with the demands we face from Africa alone, yet we recognize the dire situation that the victims of the conflict in Syria are in. We are open granting asylum to these refugees, but only if we receive the support and financial aid necessary from the international community. Also, we believe our hospitality and support must be reciprocated by the international community. In return for allowing third country resettlement in Kenya, an increase in monetary and structural support should be provided to Kenya in order to accommodate an increase in the amount of African refugees we take in.

I am looking forward to discussing this topic and coming to a conclusion that benefits all parties. This issue is very important to Kenya and we are open to giving support.

=Effective Asylum and Protection Systems=

The UNCHR has provided aid to over 33.9 million people since it's establishment in 1950 in response to World War II. It provides assistance in regard to refugee crises, third country resettlement, and host country integration processes. One of the main components of the committee's responsibility is assuring that refugees are provided with suitable asylum and protection during a crisis. Many factors complicate the processes the UNHCR oversees. Refugees attempt to enter countries via dangerous, illegal methods. Under the 1951 Convention, refugees are protected from being punished for illegally entering countries, but, because the refugees frequently travel amidst other classifications of migrants, it is very difficult for border patrol personnel to differentiate between those classified as refugees and the other migrants. Many are unaware that they are able to qualify as a refugee, which puts them at even more of a risk. Different nations have various procedures and requirements for accepting refugees, which can cause disarray and confusion. Before being accepted as a refugee, there is a refugee status determination (RSD) period. Often, during this time, those in question are detained. The detainment period can last months, even years. There are more problems that arise even after the acceptance of refugees into a country. Refugees are often subjects of racism and abuse within the host countries, where one of the main objectives is to uphold the human dignity of those in need. Refugees also suffer extremely high rates of poverty due to employment restrictions established by the host country. Programs supported by the UNHCR that present refugees opportunities in employment struggle due to a lack of resources and uncooperative host governments. A steady rate of incoming refugees stretches food and water supplies, as well as healthcare. The UNHCR struggles to provide an adequate amount of support for the vast number of refugees.

Africa is home to over 13 million refugees. These people have been displaced for various reasons, including violence and dangerous weather conditions. Many of these conflicts have no foreseeable solution. Due to the ambiguity of the future, providing suitable protection for these people has been, and continues to be, a drawn out and tedious process. It is difficult to provide life necessities, access to jobs and fair RSD processes in the camps due to a lack of resources. There are over 625,000 people in need, inside of Kenya's borders. Our priorities are to continue providing the life necessities to the steadily growing population of refugees and asylum seekers. It is also critical to provide support to those looking to repatriate or seek resettlement in a third country. In order to provide this support, it is important to receive technical and material support from the UNHCR. There are Kenyan processes towards maintaining law and order, and also providing for these refugees. Support and aid from the UNHCR is vital to upholding these systems within our borders.

There is a broad spectrum in the international community when it comes to how effective asylum is presented to refugees. The 1951 Convention established guidelines as to how countries should approach these issues, but they are broad and different countries implement various systems. This disparity is the root of all of the issues that confront the refugees. In order to create a smoother process, modifications should be made to the 1951 Convention providing clearer guidelines to all countries providing asylum. This will establish a uniformity to the processes, and greatly minimize confusion and chaos when it comes to accepting and protecting these refugees. To combat the poverty and poor quality of life that refugees deal with, host countries should make education and job opportunities more widely available to refugees. Not only will this improve the lifestyles of the refugees, but the increase in jobs will boost the host countries' economies. More self reliant refugees can assist in the maintenance of their own camps, and contribute to their host countries as well. = =