Iraqui refugees in Damas, Syria

Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic are the countries

with the largest groups of Iraqi refugees and Palestinian

refugees (under UNRWA’s mandate) on their territories.

The social infrastructure and economies of the two

countries have been strained to breaking point as they

cope with the massive displacement from Iraq without

adequate help from the international community. As a

consequence, both Jordan and Syria have introduced

visa restrictions for Iraqis.

By September 2007, the number of internally displaced

Iraqis was estimated at more than 2.2 million, with over

a million of the total having been displaced since

February 2006. The current rate of displacement is some

40,000 to 60,000 persons per month. The humanitarian

situation inside Iraq is dire and continues to deteriorate.

It is estimated that some two million Iraqis have sought

refuge in neighbouring countries, mainly in Syria

(1.2 -1.4 million) and Jordan (500,000 - 750,000),

but also in Lebanon, Egypt and further afield. In

addition, there are more than 41,000 non-Iraqi refugees

inside Iraq who have been equally affected by the

violence and the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Palestinians, who comprise around 15,000 of the total

refugee population in Iraq, have been particularly hard hit. 

Refugees in their own country

Serbs in Kosovo

Refugees in Kosovo

 

The Republic of Serbia and the new Independent state of Kosovo host the largest number of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region.

Integration of the most vulnerable refugees remains problematic, due to lack of institutional capacity, inefficient implementing mechanisms for development strategies and limited resources.

The situation in the province of Kosovo is even more uncertain now as newly won independence has increased the tension between the two countries and communities as well.

UNHCR provides appropriate assistance to vulnerable minority returnees, some 21,000 people displaced within Kosovo.

Freedom of movement, access to services, housing, employment, civil registration, balanced information and legal as well as medical assistance remain priority needs for the refugees in Kosovo.

Surveys done in 2006 and 2007 found that the lack of livelihood opportunities are among the most challenging problems for IDPs, regardless of ethnic group.

Furthermore, many IDPs live in temporary accommodation and are extremely vulnerable, resulting in poor health.

There is a lack of access to health services for children and the elderly. Women are especially concerned about the provision of electricity, water, heating and public transportation, while men declare more concerned about freedom of movement.

The sense of insecurity is a consequence of past and recent incidents that have affected minorities and reflects a lack of trust in any government or organization.

Two refugee camps (containers) in the city of Gracanica (10 klm out of Prishtina), one refugee camp in Plementine (mainly Rom), near the electrical plant of Obilic (people living in abandoned houses, waiting to be given a flat in the new buildings built by the Serbian government to keep people there) and one old school turned to a refugee camp in north (Serbian) part of Mitrovica (the first three camps are in Albanian Kosovo).

 

 

 

 

Hmong Refugees locked in Nong Khai Detention Center

 

Since December 2006, the government of Thailand has imprisoned 149 Laotian Hmong in the immigration detention center, in Nong Khai, near the Laos border. This group of Hmong, many of whom had fought alongside the United States in the 1960s and 1970s before the communist takeover of their country in 1975, threatened suicide rather than being forcibly returned to Laos. They feared being handed over to a government that credible reports indicate has detained, tortured, abused and killed Hmong for suspected involvement in an insurgency or for holding anti-government views.
Last August, the UN and the diplomatic community denounced the increasingly inhumane conditions of detention: 77 children including 9 infants held in a tropical climate in two overcrowded rooms with two water taps and no outdoor exercise. The imprisoned Hmong were permitted some time outdoors, additional food, and a place for children to play. But the threats of forced return continued.

The UNHCR said despite improvements, the detention centre standards still fell well below international requirements. The agency was particularly concerned with the plight of the children, five of whom had been born in detention.
150 Hmong, locked up in Nong Khai Immigration Detention Center, are recognized as refugees by international organisations in need of protection and should be allowed to leave Thailand and take up an offer of resettlement already made by other countries. Australia, the United States, Canada and the Netherlands volunteered to take them, but the Hmong still remain in limbo at the centre.