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  • DR Congo: Outdated Approach, Misplaced Priorities 03/26/2013
    In the fall of 2012, hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fled their homes following fighting between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese army. In North Kivu province alone, 914,000 people took shelter in camps and with host families. Unfortunately, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) only coordinates support for those persons living in official camps – 112,000 people, or one ninth of the displaced population.
  • RD Congo: Une approche obsolète, des priorités égarées 03/26/2013
    Au cours de l’Automne 2012, des centaines de milliers de personnes ont fuit leur maison en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) à la suite d’affrontements entre le groupe rebelle M23 et l’armée congolaise. La province du Nord Kivu a vu à elle seule 914 000 personnes se réfugier dans des camps et auprès de familles d’accueil. Malheureusement, l’agence des Nations Unies pour les Réfugiés (HCR) coordonne seulement l’assistance destinée aux résidents des camps, 112 000 personnes, soit un neuvième de la population déplacée.
  • DR Congo: Poor Coordination Obstructs Emergency Response to Gender-Based Violence 03/07/2013
    The recent increase in displacement due to conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has multiplied the risk of gender-based violence (GBV). At the same time, coordination efforts by the international aid community are failing to address the needs of women and girls. In 2009, United Nations Action on Sexual Violence in Conflict drafted a comprehensive strategy for combating sexual violence in the DRC, which was then adopted by the DRC government.
  • TEST TEST TEST 12/07/2012
    TEST TEST TEST
  • Syrian Refugees: Reliance on Camps Creates Few Good Options 12/05/2012

    Turkey | Jordan | Iraq
    (Click to jump to country-specific findings.)
  • Syrian Women & Girls: No Safe Refuge 11/16/2012
    In Syria, women and girls are being targeted for rape on a massive scale. This is one of the primary reasons many are fleeing to Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq. As refugees, however, these women and girls remain vulnerable to multiple forms of gender-based violence (GBV). This crisis requires urgent action. The United Nations Refugee Agency should immediately prioritize protecting Syrian women and girls to ensure they receive greater assistance and prevent further violence against them.

    Background
  • Colombia: Un Cambio Transformacional Debe Incluir a las Personas en Condición de Desplazamiento Interno (PsDCI) Urbano 09/13/2012

    Colombia alberga el número más grande del mundo de personas en condición de desplazamiento interno (PsCDI), la mayoría de los cuales vive en zonas urbanas. El conflicto armado continúa desplazando más de 130 000 personas anualmente. Una vez desplazados, estos colombianos enfrentan con frecuencia pobreza extrema, viven en asentamientos inseguros y sufren exclusión económica y social. Ayudar a las PsCID urbano a pasar de una situación de sufrimiento y vulnerabilidad  permanente a una de independencia e inclusión social, transformará a Colombia en una nación más estable y próspera.
  • Colombia: Un Cambio Transformacional Debe Incluir a las Personas en Condición de Desplazamiento Interno (PsDCI) Urbano 09/13/2012

    Colombia alberga el número más grande del mundo de personas en condición de desplazamiento interno (PsCDI), la mayoría de los cuales vive en zonas urbanas. El conflicto armado continúa desplazando más de 130 000 personas anualmente. Una vez desplazados, estos colombianos enfrentan con frecuencia pobreza extrema, viven en asentamientos inseguros y sufren exclusión económica y social.
  • Burma: An Opportunity to Expand Humanitarian Space 01/11/2012

    After nearly 50 years of brutal military rule, Burma is embarking upon a landmark transition to civilian administration. The country has seen some promising political reforms. But the world’s longest civil war, coupled with natural disasters within the country, has created serious humanitarian needs which still persist. Recently, the Burmese government has demonstrated a willingness to cooperate with humanitarian agencies.
  • Kuwait: Gender Discrimination Creates Statelessness and Endangers Families 10/17/2011
    Gender discrimination in Kuwait’s nationality laws increases the incidence of statelessness by rendering children of Kuwaiti women and bidoon men stateless. Statelessness exposes women to heightened risks of abuse and exploitation. It also endangers family life. Some women are forced to divorce to try to pass nationality to their children, some are forced into marriages to try to acquire nationality, and others never marry in order to avoid statelessness for future generations.
  • DR Congo: Too Soon To Walk Away 07/28/2011

    International interest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is waning at a time when hundreds of thousands of Congolese continue to be displaced by ongoing violence. This shift risks squandering the substantial investments made towards peace and stability in the DRC and leaves internally displaced people vulnerable to further violence and suffering. Continued political and financial support by the U.S. and other donor governments is still essential to address both the root causes of the problem and emergency needs – all the more so in the context of November’s elections.

  • Age, Gender, Diversity Mainstreaming Initiative Key to Urban Protection 11/30/2010
    The UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) approach to urban refugee protection in Nairobi, Kenya should serve as a model and best practice for programs worldwide.  By embracing the Age, Gender, and Diversity Mainstreaming Initiative, UNHCR has significantly improved their relationships with the refugee community and has drawn upon resources within that community to strengthen protection.  UNHCR has forged new partnerships with NGOs and local officials as well as senior management of schools and health clinics.  With minimal resources, UNHCR Nairobi was able to achieve these positive results mostly throu
  • Colombia: Displaced Women Demand Their Rights 11/16/2009
    Displaced Colombian women and girls are the resilient survivors of the ongoing conflict inside the country. Frustrated by continued neglect from the authorities, displaced women’s organizations successfully petitioned  the Constitutional Court, which ordered the Colombian government to bring to justice perpetrators of sexual violence and devise programs attending to the protection and socio-economic needs of displaced women. It is time for the government of Colombia to prioritize the implementation of the court orders. The U.S.
  • Colombia: las mujeres desplazadas exigen que se respeten sus derechos 11/16/2009
    Las mujeres y niñas colombianas desplazadas son las estoicas sobrevivientes del conflicto que persiste en el país. Frustradas por la desidia de las autoridades, las organizaciones de mujeres desplazadas presentaron múltiples peticiones a la Corte Constitucional, que ordenó al Gobierno de Colombia que llevara ante la justicia a los perpetradores de actos de violencia sexual y que formulara programas para proteger a las mujeres desplazadas y atender sus necesidades socioeconómicas. Es hora de que el Gobierno de Colombia dé prioridad al cumplimiento de las órdenes judiciales.
  • Iraqi Refugees: Women’s Rights and Security Critical to Returns 07/15/2009

    The Iraqi refugee crisis is far from over and recent violence is creating further displacement. Iraqi women will resist returning home, even if conditions improve in Iraq, if there is no focus on securing their rights as women and assuring their personal security and their families’ well being.  Reducing support to displaced families could force returns to insecure areas without adequate services and trigger additional instability in Iraq. Budget cuts will hit women the hardest.  The U.S.
  • UN Peacekeeping: Responding to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse 11/01/2007

    Three years since the first allegations of sexual exploitation by UN peacekeepers surfaced, the UN has taken significant steps to address the problem. But reports of abuse and exploitation continue.