The needs of refugees in Yemen, primarily Somalis, are not being sufficiently met, said Erika Feller, Assistant High Commissioner
for
Protection with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, on a visit to Yemen from Geneva earlier this week. Feller headed a delegation that spent several days in Yemen, visiting the Kharaz Refugee Camp and other refugee centers, to assess the situation of refugees in the country. "My conclusion, relative to the needs of the people—when I match them to the resources available—I do not think that the resources are sufficient," Feller told assembled journalists at a press conference Monday at the Movenpick Hotel in Sana''a. The purposes of the UNHCR''s mission to Yemen were three-fold, said Feller. "First, we wanted to familiarize ourselves with a problem that UNHCR sees as very protracted, and one that has not received the international attention that we think it should receive," she said. "It''s easy to forget longstanding problems in the face of immediate crises like Iraq and Sudan, but we are determined that these longstanding problems not be ignored." Second, the mission wanted to assess with its own offices here, and with the Yemeni
government, the extent to which assistance provided to refugees, particularly Somalis, is adequate to the task. The UNHCR has a relatively large budget for Yemen, of $4.7 million annually. It is the second largest annual budget for UNHCR in this region, only overtaken by its budget for its Iraq operations. Despite this, more funds are needed to properly assist refugees, said Feller. "Hence, another conclusion from my time here is that UNHCR must enter into further discussion with our donor countries—we are totally dependent on donors—to see how we can realize more adequate resources. They will never be fully adequate, but more adequate." The situation of urban Somali refugees is particularly distressing, said Feller. These people live in squalid conditions, such as those in the outskirts of Aden, in the al-Basateen area where many Somalis live. "There is really a need to find ways to assist these people to become more self-sufficient," said Feller. The third reason for the mission was to examine problems that are not related to Somali arrivals in Yemen. In particular, this meant examining the plight of Ethiopians who arrive at Yemen''s coasts. Many of these Ethiopians do not go to the refugee reception centers to be registered, because they are afraid they will be immediately sent home. Somalis get automatic refugee status in Yemen, but the same is not true for Ethiopians. The movement of Ethiopians and other dispossessed people is a result of economic and political motivation. Feller discussed with local officials and other authorities in Sana''a what activities could be coordinated together, to ensure that people with protection needs are not returned to their home countries. At the same time, UNHCR would like to put in place programs directed at assisting the government with managing the non-refugee part of the movement into the country. But "UNHCR is not a migration agency," Feller cautioned. "So we are not getting into migration issues." However, there are people who need protection, and Yemen is a party to the refugee convention, and so the UNHCR wants to be of assistance to the government, she said. Feller and her delegation discussed 10 main areas with the Yemeni government, around which they believe cooperation would be helpful. These areas include creating solutions for refugees; arranging returns for non-refugees; collecting data about migratory movements; cooperating with key partners; making reception arrangements for refugees; creating mechanisms for profiling and referral of refugees; and creating information campaigns in the refugees'' countries of origin, transit, and destination. The UNHCR delegation from Geneva also discussed with the government ways to avoid the repetition of certain incidents, such as the firing of guns at iving in Yemen by boat, or the denial of access to refugee centers. "We want to avoid situations where people with protection stories to tell are not able to tell their stories before they leave the country," said Feller. Her group also spoke with the government about the state of the refugee law now being drafted; the situation in Iraq and the humanitarian problems of Iraqis outside of Iraq; and the plight of Palestinians in Iraq, who are subject to discrimination and persecution. The UNHCR is holding an international conference on Iraq in Geneva on April 17 and 18, and the organization has invited Yemen to participate in the conference. "I leave with a very positive impression about the Yemeni government''s attitude toward protecting refugees," said Feller in conclusion, "particularly Somalis." Many of the journalists'' questions at the conference, however, suggested a less than welcoming attitude toward refugees. One man said derogatorily that refugees were bringing in customs or behaviors inconsistent with Yemeni culture. "It''s an impossible task to ask UNHCR to change the culture of guests in your country," said Feller. She added that behaviors such as begging and petty theft are not part of the culture of refugees, but are more likely to be the result of a people deprived of humane living conditions. "The UNHCR does not make its programs of assistance and protection conditional," she said. Another male journalist claimed that refugees have an area assigned to them, and so are only refugees when they are in that area, not when they move to urban areas and are working. "That is not correct," said Feller. "Most refugees are spread out; they are not all confined to a camp. Look at the Iraqis in Syria and Jordan. There are two million of them. They are not in camps, but in towns and villages. They are still refugees."