Making a Difference in 2007

It’s amazing to see what a difference a year makes. In 2007, Refugees International completed 20 missions to countries around the world, assessing and promoting solutions for some of the most critical refugee crises. Our advocacy led to several major successes for the 35 million refugees and internally displaced people and over 11 million stateless people.

The Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act was a major milestone for RI this year. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), along with a coalition of NGOs, expanded the resettlement opportunities in the U.S. for Iraqis who have worked and risked their lives for western forces. Our public education campaigns and other efforts also led to higher levels of UN funding for education and healthcare for the over 2.2 million Iraqi refugees scattered throughout Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East. The UN’s budget for Iraqi refugees rose from $22 million to over $250 million, and the American budget rose from $43 million to $200 million in 2007. Still, the crisis is not over and we will continue to push policy makers to meet the needs of Iraqi refugees in 2008.

In November, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres praised RI’s work with statelessness and vowed to make the issue a priority for the coming year.

Refugees International is playing a major role in raising awareness, in advocacy and in forcing us to do what we need to do, what we are supposed to do. So, it is a welcome pressure that I hope will go on, especially in drawing my attention to the need to be more effective in this area. As a matter of fact, UNHCR in the beginning was probably a little bit reluctant to give enough importance to statelessness.

In Darfur, the violence and displacement continue, but some progress was made in 2007. In June, we released our report, Laws Without Justice, which recommended changes to the system of Sudanese laws that exposes rape victims to further abuse. As a direct result of this report, members of the House of Representatives passed a resolution to prevent acts of rape and sexual violence against women and girls in Darfur. In addition, after years of calling for a strong peacekeeping force in Darfur that can protect civilians, we are happy that the new joint AU-UN peacekeeping force will finally deploy in Darfur next year.

RI advanced the interests of internally displaced people in Colombia—who comprise the second largest displacement crisis in the world—by working with Congressman McGovern (D-MA) to recognize 2007 as the Year of the Internally Displaced in Colombia. RI also led the effort that resulted in a significant reconfiguration of U.S. funding in Colombia, with the percentage of U.S. assistance going to humanitarian and development work, as opposed to military and security aid, rising from 20% to 44%.

Chad, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo, and south Sudan…the list of places where we have traveled to speak with displaced people this year is lengthy. In May, the UN congratulated us for our work in drawing attention to the forgotten Kasai Oriental province in DR Congo where our recommendations for infrastructure building were taken seriously and implemented. Refugees International also successfully called for stronger UN leadership in the CAR, an important step that is already leading to a more forceful response to the violence and displacement in this neglected country.

Throughout the year, our advocates urge Congress, the Administration and the United Nations to increase their efforts for refugees, speak out for the people they encounter on missions and find workable solutions for decision makers. As we reflect on those that we’ve met around the world and the struggles they face, we can be cheered that our work has made some improvements in their lives.