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	Broken promises must end now by Jan Egeland Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)   Dec. 2019   Support to poor countries hosting the bulk of the world's refugees is lacking despite promises from global leaders three years ago. Humanitarian workers are appealing to high and middle income countries to offer more support to refugees and displaced people at the first ever Global Refugee Forum this week in Geneva.   'World leaders solemnly promised with the New York Declaration that there would be better responsibility-sharing in protecting and assisting refugees and displaced. Since then, borders have closed for families seeking protection, refugee quotas slashed, and poor host countries left with little international support. The Global Refugee Forum must reverse this trend and save a refugee system on the brink of collapse', warned Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).   In the wake of the 2015 refugee influx to Europe, world leaders signed the ambitious 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. Since then, little progress has been made to better share the responsibility for sheltering people fleeing conflict. UN Member States pledged to work together to protect and care for all refugees, but the number of refugees resettled globally has halved since 2016, to less than 60,000 so far this year. As we approach the end of 2019, humanitarian appeals for some of the largest refugee crises, are less than half funded.   The situation for many refugees is thus worsening. The lack of funding and support is forcing desperate families to adopt dangerous coping strategies such as child labour and prostitution. Closed borders are making people embark on life-threatening journeys in search of safety.   The New York Declaration was followed by the Global Compact on Refugees last year, and on 17 and 18 December, state representatives are meant to translate the words into concrete pledges at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.   While some rich countries are providing funding and a number of poor countries are providing refugees from neighbouring countries with safety, there is a large and gaping majority of nations not taking their share of the responsibility.   'This is a rallying call to the 'missing middle'. Many large and emerging economies are neither receiving refugees nor contributing financially. They must come onboard and increase their contributions if we are to succeed', Egeland said.   Among the top refugee recipient countries, Turkey is sheltering 3.7 million refugees, Lebanon 1.5 million and Uganda 1.3 million.   'Uganda is sheltering more refugees alone than the total number of people that arrived into the whole of European Union, Switzerland and Norway combined during the so-called refugee crisis in 2015. The country should be applauded for the way it has received refugees, but applause alone will not feed empty stomachs', Egeland said before appealing to the international community to step up their support and create opportunities for refugees.   # The Global Refugee Forum and the Global Compact on Refugees:   A majority of UN member states affirmed The Global Compact on Refugees with a UN General Assembly vote in 2018. The Compact recognizes an 'urgent need for more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility of hosting and supporting the world's refugees while taking account of existing contributions and the differing capacities and resources among States. Refugees and host communities should not be left behind'.   The main objectives are to ease the pressure on host countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, expand access to third-country solutions and support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.   Every four years a Global Refugee Forum will be convened for all UN member states and other stakeholders to announce concrete pledges and contributions towards the objectives.   Refugees, resettlement and funding:   The number of refugees globally has increased to 25.9 million. 1.4 million people were estimated to need resettlement this year, according to UNHCR.   The number of people resettled (departures) is cut in half since 2016 (126,000) - to 65,000 in 2017, 56,000 in 2018 and 54,000 departures by end of October this year.   The UN and partners have appealed for about 10 billion dollars to meet the needs of refugees fleeing some of today's largest crises, including the crisis in Venezuela, Syria, South Sudan, DR Congo, Nigeria, Burundi and Myanmar. Currently less than 4 billion dollars have been provided only 40% of the amount needed.   http://www.unhcr.org/global-refugee-forum.html http://www.unhcr.org/en-au/news/stories/2019/12/5df8ae394/international-community-must-worlds-refugees-says-un-chief.html http://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2019/12/5de674e28/live-blog-global-refugee-forum-day-1.html http://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2019/12/5df217287/live-blog-global-refugee-forum-day-2.html Visit the related web page
	Young voices demand to be heard: Celebrating young activists on Human Rights Day by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)   Memory Banda, 23, knows how to change the world: by refusing to stay silent.   Ms. Banda grew up in Malawi in an area where child marriage, sexual violence and early pregnancy were common. “In my childhood, I had seen a lot of girls dropping out of school, getting pregnant, forced into marriages and sexually violated,” she recalled recently in an interview with UNFPA.   The harms of these practices were obvious to her, but she felt alone in recognizing them. “The community did nothing about it, but encouraged girls to accept and be silent.” Sexual initiation camps, she later explained, left girls particularly vulnerable.   “In extreme cases, a man who is hired by the community goes through the camp, raping all the girls, and it’s justified as cultural.”   Her own sister was forced to marry the man who impregnated her – at age 11. “This angered me. I felt this is injustice, and it made me to do something about it.”   She began raising her voice, and encouraging others to do the same. Together, they changed attitudes, not only about the age of marriage, but also about the worth of girls and their human rights.   Ms. Banda’s efforts helped to change views – and laws. Her community was the first in Malawi to ban child marriages and sexual initiation camps, and her campaign helped raise the legal minimum age of marriage from 15 to 18 countrywide.   But even more astonishing is the fact that Ms. Banda is not alone. She is one of a constellation of inspirational young women activists whose efforts are revolutionizing the way the people see women and girls around the world.   “You stand for human rights today and every day,” UNFPA’s Executive Director, Dr. Natalia Kanem, said at the Young Activists Summit, where Ms. Banda and five other activists were celebrated. “And it is your efforts that are helping us to build a more just, a more inclusive, and a more sustainable future. You have proven that, indeed, women are powerful change-makers.”   Ms. Banda’s contributions – both her childhood advocacy and the work of her organization, the Foundation 4 Girls Leadership – were awarded at the event.   Alongside Ms. Banda were Nadia Murad, who won last year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to end sexual violence as a weapon of war; Amy and Ella Meek, sisters who launched a global campaign to end plastic pollution; Hamangai Pataxo, an environmental advocate and defender of the rights of indigenous peoples; and Rebecca Kabuo, a leader in the movement for good governance.   The Youth Activists Summit was held on the International Day of Human Rights, 10 December, which is also the last day of the global campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. The activists spoke about being inspired not only by the horrors of violence, persecution and inequality, but also by the spirit of change they had witnessed in others.   Young people in Iraq, for example, “ignited the spark of change a few weeks ago,” Ms. Murad said at a panel discussion. “They are aspiring to democracy, they are aspiring to enjoy basic human rights even though hundreds of them have been assassinated and injured by extremist groups within Iraq.”   Ms. Banda highlighted the youth she has encountered through UNFPA’s programmes. “I have been inspired by the young people they have profiled and supported in Malawi,” she said.   She is now committed to encouraging this new generation of activists. “I have an opportunity to be involved in their work through Girls Empowerment Network, where I have been involved in mentoring and girl empowerment activities.”   The network – supported by UNFPA and the European Union-funded Spotlight Initiative – will “continue creating a chain of empowered, educated girls and change-makers, breaking the cycle of poverty,” Ms. Banda said.   “Global conversations, wisely, often focus on attempts to push back on the rights of women and girls, but this is the encouragement we need to keep pushing forward,” Dr. Kanem said. “We will not back down. We will not retreat. And we will keep moving forward,” she said.   Ms. Banda echoed those sentiments in her interview with UNFPA. She wants other girls and women to “be brave and be bold for change and believe in themselves… Change is possible, and it begins with action.” Visit the related web page
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