Welcome to UN High Commissioner for the Refugees Executive Committee
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at ILMUNC 2012! My name is Ariel Rosenbaum, and I am delighted to be your chair at my last conference! I am a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying American Politics and French Studies. Studying abroad at la Sorbonne last year was one of the best decisions I’ve made – especially all the traveling I did with my friends in Europe!
As the UNHCR, we are tasked with the hefty goals of providing international protection to refugees and seeking permanent solutions for them. As the UNHCR offers many services to refugees of all kinds, all solutions to the daunting refugees crises must be multi-faceted and (our favorite Model UN word) comprehensive. In light of the Millennium Development Goals, the aid and monitoring services provided by our office have become extremely pertinent.
Please feel free to e-mail our USG – Natasha Gabbay – with any questions or comments! I look forward to seeing you all and hearing some wonderful debate at ILMUNC!
Sincerely,
Ariel Rosenbaum
Chair, UN High Commissioner for the Refugees Executive Committee
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVIII
Topic Summaries
Topic A: Displacement of Populations Following Natural Disasters
Evacuation is the preferred method of disaster relief agencies to prevent extensive casualties by moving citizens out of direct harm before, during, and following a natural disaster. However, this tactic leaves millions of people without their homes and livelihoods for extended periods of time each year. As global climate change accelerates and the frequency of natural disasters increases, the international aid community must be prepared to mobilize quickly to accommodate these displaced populations. In some cases, such as the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March of 2011, populations face displacement from an area for years due to effects of the disaster. Delegates to the UNHCR Executive Committee will focus on the evacuation of populations from an at-risk area, improving the efficiency of aid delivery to displaced groups, and establishing long-term plans for those who are unable to return to their homes for extended periods of time.
Topic Summary B: Urban Refugees
In recent decades, there has been a definite movement of populations into cities. Refugee populations are not separate from this migration. Today, only about one third of refugees live in designated camps. The emergence of urban refugees presents several risks regarding both the safety of these populations and the infrastructures of the cities that unknowingly house them. This committee aims to set up a framework that can accommodate for this population shift, and effectively identify and register refugees so they can get the aid and protection to which they are entitled.