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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000015 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF
SUBJECT: UNHCR HIGH COMMISSIONER GUTERRES BRIEFS THE 
SECURITY COUNCIL 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1.  Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for 
Refugees (UNHCR), briefed the Security Council on January 8, 
2009 on refugee and broader displacement issues as they 
relate to threats to international peace and security. In his 
speech, the High Commissioner reported that the number of 
refugees in the world had increased since his last appearance 
before the Council in 2006, primarily due to the situations 
in Iraq and Somalia. The number of conflict-induced 
internally displaced persons also grew and now stands at 26 
million. Guterres highlighted a series of inter-linked 
conflicts in Asia, the Middle East and Africa that produce 
significant numbers of displaced and refugees leading to 
instability. He remarked that in many cases contemporary 
displacement stems not only from conflict, but from climate 
change, extreme poverty and poor governance. UNHCR views the 
following as major challenges: the protection of civilians 
under peacekeeping operations where there is no peace to 
keep, the safety and security of humanitarian staff, and the 
preservation of humanitarian space in the context of 
integrated UN missions. The High Commissioner expressed 
concern for the plight of Palesinians caught up in the 
current fighting in Gaza as they cannot flee Gaza to safety 
elsewhere. Guterres concluded his brief by highlighting the 
importance of prevention, especially as a component of the 
"responsibility to protect" concept, in addressing the 
threats posed by large scale displacement. A number of 
Council members encouraged UNHCR to make more regular 
appearances to brief on the state of refugees and 
displacement. Mr. Guterres stated that dialogue with the 
Security Council remains a priority for UNHCR.  End summary. 
 
DISPLACEMENT STATISTICS AND TRENDS 
 
¶2. UNHCR's High Commissioner, Antonio Guterres, made his 
second appearance before the Security Council since assuming 
office in 2005.  He began by recollecting that during his 
first brief to the Council in January 2006 the number of 
refugees worldwide was at its lowest level in nearly a 
quarter of a century, but that in the intervening two years 
the total number of refugees had grown to over 11 million, 
primarily due to the situations in Iraq and Somalia. 
Likewise, the number of persons internally displaced by 
conflict had grown to more than 26 million. The number of 
people considered stateless is estimated to be 3 million but 
could run as high as 12 million. 
 
¶3. In his brief to the Council, Guterres categorized two 
groups of conflicts. The first includes a number of countries 
stretching from South and Southwest Asia, through the Middle 
East to Sudan and Chad, and into the Horn of Africa.  He sees 
these conflicts as inter-related and notes that they pose a 
threat to global peace and security.  The second type do not 
create concerns regarding international peace and security 
and draw less attention as their impact is generally confined 
to the country in question or perhaps the region. Guterres 
cited problems in the Central African Republic and the 
Democratic Republic of Congo as examples of displacement 
crises that garner less attention than they deserve. 
 
¶4. The High Commissioner told the Council that the causes 
behind displacement are becoming more complex. He explained 
that aid agencies understand the relationship between armed 
conflict and displacement, but do not fully grasp the links 
between displacement and other causes including climate 
change, extreme poverty and poor governance.  Guterres said 
that although UNHCR does not seek to expand its mandate, he 
believes that the organization should promote discussion 
about the new forms of forced displacement. 
 
CHALLENGES FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000015  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶5. Guterres described three particular challenges facing the 
international community in responding to humanitarian crises 
and noted that all relate to the work of the Security Council 
and UNHCR. First, the protection of civilians is a high 
priority for UNHCR and its partners in the field of 
humanitarian assistance.  He noted that many peacekeeping 
operations exist in an environment where there is no peace to 
keep and the threats to civilians remain significant. 
Acknowledging UNHCR's limited capacity to provide security 
for refugees, he spoke of the important role that can be 
played by peacekeepers in ensuring the security of refugee 
camps. He welcomed the role of MINURCAT in eastern Chad and 
the decision of the Council to reinforce MONUC's capacity and 
role in the protection of civilians.  In the context of 
environments where conflict continues, he called for the 
creation of peacekeeping forces that have clear and strong 
mandates for the protection of civilians as well as 
sufficient political and military support to carry out the 
mission to protect civilians. 
 
¶6. Seeing increases in the deliberate targeting of 
humanitarian aid workers, Guterres spoke to the Council of 
the need to ensure the safety and security of UN and NGO 
staff involved in relief operations.  Violence against 
humanitarian staff imperils continued relief operations in a 
number of locations including Somalia.  Safety, however, is 
not only a product of physical protection, but must include 
efforts to change the perception of local populations towards 
international aid agencies. 
 
¶7. The third challenge relates to the tension between UN 
humanitarian agencies and broader UN efforts under the 
umbrella of integrated UN missions. In countries still 
gripped by conflict, aid agencies need to preserve their 
"humanitarian space" by keeping some distance from the 
political agenda of UN missions.  The UN aid agencies and 
NGOs are able to operate in hostile environments, in large 
part, due to their respect for the humanitarian principles of 
independence, neutrality and impartiality.  If their work is 
overly influenced by the political agenda of a UN mission, it 
may lead to the perception that UN humanitarian agencies are 
no longer neutral in the context of a conflict, and one party 
or more to a conflict may deny the UN humanitarian agencies 
access to populations in need or even target them for 
violence. He called upon the Council to support flexible 
arrangements that allow UN humanitarian agencies to maintain 
some degree of operational separation from UN missions, if 
necessary, while maintaining strategic coherence within the 
UN system. 
 
GAZA 
 
¶8. The High Commissioner briefly touched upon the situation 
in Gaza even though UNHCR is not present in the occupied 
Palestinian territories.  He noted that UNRWA has the mandate 
to care for Palestinian refugees, but nevertheless expressed 
his concern that the civilian population in Gaza is not 
allowed to flee to safety elsewhere in response to the 
current conflict. 
 
¶9. A number of Council members made remarks about the current 
situation in Gaza.  Costa Rica viewed the displacement of 
Gazans as a failure of the international community and the 
Security Council. Turkey labeled events in Gaza as tragic and 
unacceptable, and called for Security Council action. The 
U.K. called for immediate humanitarian access in accordance 
with international humanitarian law. Vietnam focused on the 
need for a greater humanitarian response to the crisis in 
Gaza. The Russian Federation mentioned Gaza in the context of 
seeking long-term solutions in reference to the plight of 
Palestinian refugees. Croatia noted the importance of opening 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000015  003 OF 003 
 
 
humanitarian corridors in Gaza. 
 
¶10. Libya launched into a long discourse on the history of 
the suffering of refugees in Gaza and lashed out at Israel 
for violating international law.  Libya accused Israel of 
creating a situation where the people of Gaza have no other 
option than to die in a holocaust from which they cannot flee. 
 
FINAL POINTS 
 
¶11. Guterres spoke about the linkage between refugees and 
other displaced populations and peacebuilding processes. He 
reminded the Council of the importance of resolving land and 
property issues for displaced persons in order to support 
durable peace.  He also suggested that refugees, internally 
displaced and returnees should be given a role in peacemaking 
and peacebuilding processes as has been the case with 
Sudanese refugees in Chadian peace discussions. 
 
¶12. UNHCR believes the most effective means of addressing the 
issue of forced displacement is by means of preventive 
activities. In this light, Guterres voiced support for the 
prevention pillar of the "responsibility to protect" concept 
that focuses on capacity building in areas such as human 
rights, governance, judicial reform and policing in order to 
give states the means to avoid conflict that leads to 
displacement. 
 
¶13. Members of the Council responded positively to the brief 
delivered by Guterres.  A number of countries including 
France, Costa Rica, Croatia, the UK, and Mexico called for 
UNHCR to brief the Security Council on a more regular basis. 
Guterres responded he would be willing to appear as often as 
requested and that keeping the Council informed on the 
situation of refugees and forced displacement is a priority 
for UNHCR. 
 
¶14. Ambassador T. Vance McMahan delivered the U.S. statement 
at the Guterres brief. Amb. McMahan noted USG concern over 
conflicts that lead to displacement and the widespread use of 
sexual and gender-based violence in many situations. He also 
pointed to the importance of humanitarian space within the 
context of integrated UN missions when conflict remains a 
part of the landscape. He noted the continued strong USG 
support for UNHCR and its mission and called upon member 
states to demonstrate the necessary political and financial 
commitment to allow UNHCR and other aid agencies to assist 
populations in need of humanitarian assistance. On the topic 
of Gaza, he remarked that attention must be paid to the 
humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza and that Israel has 
taken steps to ensure the delivery of assistance. 
 
MINIMIZE CONSIDERED 
 
Khalilzad