Japan to start a pilot resettlement programme
Briefing Notes, 19 December 2008
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 19 December 2008, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
High Commissioner António Guterres is concluding his fifth official visit to Japan. During a meeting with Prime Minister Taro Aso, an announcement was made that Japan will be introducing a pilot resettlement programme to accept Myanmar refugees in Thailand beginning in 2010. This will make Japan the first country in the region to introduce a resettlement programme. The High Commissioner welcomed the announcement and said this historic step reaffirms Japan's leadership role in the humanitarian arena.
"Quality comes before quantity. Success is essential," Mr. Guterres said of the pilot resettlement programme. "I am glad that Japan is starting with a small programme. As such, I am confident that the pilot project will develop and expand into a regular and large programme."
During his two-day mission in Tokyo, the High Commissioner also expressed his gratitude to the Government of Japan for its many years of support for UNHCR. In 2008, Japan contributed more than US$110 million to UNHCR programmes worldwide. The High Commissioner expressed his appreciation for this continued commitment to support UNHCR's activities in the face of the deepening international economic crisis.
António Guterres, who joined UNHCR on June 15, 2005, is the UN refugee agency's 10th High Commissioner.
Angelina Jolie meets boat people in Malta, Lampedusa
Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie joined UNHCR chief António Guterres on the Italian island of Lampedusa, where they met with boat people who have fled unrest in North Africa.
More than 40,000 people, including refugees and asylum-seekers, have crossed the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats and descended on the small island since the beginning of the year.
The UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador flew to Lampedusa from Malta, which has also been a destination for people fleeing North Africa by boat.
Angelina Jolie meets boat people in Malta, Lampedusa
World Refugee Day 2009 event with UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie
To mark the launch of activities in the United States for World Refugee Day, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie appeared alongside UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres at an event at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. on 18 June 2009. The event, which was hosted by UNHCR and moderated by NBC television anchor Ann Curry, included a live feed from the Djabal refugee camp in eastern Chad, where a UNHCR staff member on the ground spoke to the assembled audience.
Each year UNHCR sponsors a World Refugee Day poster contest under the patronage of Angelina Jolie for school children in the US. The theme of this year's contest is "Real People, Real Needs" and a winner from each of three age groups - elementary, middle and high school -- was presented with an award at the event. In addition, Rose Mapendo, a refugee from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, who has started her own NGO for victims of conflict, was presented with the USA's Humanitarian of the Year award.
World Refugee Day 2009 event with UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie
Nansen Award presentation for the late Senator Edward Kennedy
UNHCR's annual Nansen Refugee Award was posthumously awarded to Senator Edward Kennedy at a ceremony in Washington DC on October 29 for his life-long commitment to refugee rights. Kennedy's wife, Victoria, accepted the award on behalf of her late husband. In presenting the award, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, praised the "vision and commitment" of Senator Kennedy in his support for the displaced.
The prize money of US$100,000 will be donated to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, where it will be used to train the next generation of leaders dedicated to the cause of refugee advocacy. The Nansen Award is given to an individual or organization for outstanding work on behalf of refugees. It was created in 1954 in honour of Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian polar explorer, scientist and the first global High Commissioner for Refugees.
Nansen Award presentation for the late Senator Edward Kennedy
South Sudan: Appeal for Doro Camp
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres visits refugees in South Sudan and says international assistance is "absolutely crucial.”
ExCom: Guterres Warning
High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres opens the annual meeting of UNHCR's governing committee with a warning that displacement crises are multiplying and becoming more unpredictable.
21st Century Skills
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres speaks about the use of computer technology to empower refugees.
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