WSSD: ‘MISERABLE’ REFUGEE CONDITIONS BLOCK SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The refugee crisis in Africa was a major obstacle to sustainable development and needed to be urgently addressed in order for gains to be made in poverty alleviation on the continent.
WSSD: ‘MISERABLE’ REFUGEE CONDITIONS BLOCK SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Patrick Burnett
Fahamu
JOHANNESBURG – The refugee crisis in Africa was a major obstacle to sustainable development and needed to be urgently addressed in order for gains to be made in poverty alleviation on the continent.
“Refugee Plight in Africa and its Impact on Sustainable Development’, a paper submitted to the Global People’s Forum event of the World Summit on Sustainable Development by the organisation Refugees for Peace and Reconciliation (RPR), argued that the refugee crisis needed to be taken more seriously in the debate on sustainable development.
The paper said the refugee crisis had not been debated at the Rio Summit in 1992 and as a result no action plan had been adopted or the problem mentioned in Agenda 21 – the groundbreaking document originally intended as a blueprint for sustainable development.
The RPR said the African continent was the worst affected by the refugee plight, with miserable living conditions resulting in security problems and the socio-economic insecurity of the whole region.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) there were 4.2 million people of concern to the UNHCR in Africa out of a worldwide figure of 20 million. The Africa figure included 3.3 million refuges, 422 000 internally displaced people and 267 000 former refugees who recently returned home. During 2001, more than 210 000 new refugees sought asylum in various countries in Africa.
“The refugee crisis is one of the barriers to sustainable development and will need to be lifted in order to accomplish sustainable development on the continent. The refugee crisis has a global negative impact on the socio-economic development not only on the countries those refugees come from but also on the host country and the international community as a whole.”
The seriousness of the refugee crisis permeated every aspect of the continent, argued the paper. Refugees constituted a huge loss to their countries of origin. Countries that had undergone outflows were inevitably likely to face famines, poverty and other sorts of suffering.
The rights of refugees in host countries were often violated. These included the right to healthcare, work, shelter and food. In the field of health, refugees often died because of a lack of medical attention, while xenophobic attitudes made it difficult for refugees to utilise their skills in the job market.
The RPR recommended that the international community take greater responsibility and find a durable solution to solve the grassroots causes of the refugee problem. Oppressive and aggressive regimes should be condemned and punitive action taken where human rights were grossly violated, the paper said.
The role of the environment in the refugee crisis has been addressed in a UNHCR publication entitled ‘Refugees and the Environment’. The publication notes that a sudden influx of refugees and the establishment of long-term camps can have a “serious impact” on the local ecology and welfare of local communities.
“The impact of refugees on renewable natural resources is of particular concern as this can have lasting effects on human welfare. Forest destruction and degradation is the most serious environmental problem; soil erosion and water pollution are other major worries.” It added: “The environmental impact of a sudden influx of refugees may create hostility between local communities and refugees.”