UNHCR statement on the future of Kenya's Dadaab refugee camps
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Karin de Gruijl – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The Government of Kenya has announced that the Dadaab refugee camps should be closed within three months and the 350,000 Somali refugees living there returned to their country. The Government's decision was announced this past weekend following the horrific attack at Garissa University earlier this month.
UNHCR too has been shocked and appalled by the Garissa attack. High Commissioner António Guterres and his staff stand in solidarity with the people of Kenya. We reiterate our condolences to the families of all the victims.
Kenya has been generously hosting and protecting refugees from violence and persecution in neighbouring Somalia for more than two decades. UNHCR works closely with the Government of Kenya and we understand well the current regional security situation and the seriousness of the threats Kenya is facing. We also recognize the obligation of the Government to ensure the security of its citizens and other people living in Kenya, including refugees.
UNHCR is nevertheless concerned that abruptly closing the Dadaab camps and forcing refugees back to Somalia would have extreme humanitarian and practical consequences, and would be a breach of Kenya's international obligations.
We are thus urging the Kenyan authorities to give the matter further consideration. UNHCR stands ready to work even more closely with the Government of Kenya to strengthen law enforcement at Dadaab and support other measures to protect refugees and Kenyans alike against possible intrusion by armed actors from across the border.
In December 2014, a pilot scheme was launched to support people who seek to voluntarily repatriate to one of three relatively safe areas of Somalia, namely Luuq, Baidoa and Kismayo. We are ready to work with the Governments of Kenya and Somalia to step up this program where there are opportunities for voluntary repatriation. Nonetheless, for now UNHCR considers that large-scale returns are still not possible in many parts of the country, in particular to South Central Somalia.
UNHCR reiterates it continued commitment to supporting the Government of Kenya in its protection of Somali refugees going forward.
For further information on this topic:
- In Nairobi: Raouf Mazou,mobile +254 716 359 655
- In Nairobi: Emmanuel Nyabera,mobile +254 733 995 975
- In Geneva: Karin de Gruijl, mobile +41 79 255 9213
- In Geneva: Babar Baloch, mobile +41 79 557 9106
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Report of the Board of Auditors on the Financial Statements of the Voluntary Funds administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the year ended 31 December 2009
3 Sep 2010 ... ... of obligations raised prior to 2009 and cancelled by UNHCR in 2009 was $13.2 million, compared with $16.2 million in 2008. These cancellations represented 9 per cent of unliquidated obligations ...... -
Principles of Partnership
13 May 2016 ... of humanitarian action, based on an ethical obligation and accountability to the populations we ... The participants must respect each other's mandates, obligations and independence and recognize each ...... -
UNHCR Protection Training Manual for European Border and Entry Officials - 2. The Legal Framework. Annex 6 - Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
2011 ... dignity of the human person, Considering the obligation of States under the Charter, in particular ... 2. States Parties shall carry out their obligations under paragraph I of this article in ...... -
UNHCR Protection Training Manual for European Border and Entry Officials - 3. Who is a Refugee? Annex 4 - Council Directive on Minimum Standards on Procedures in Member States for Granting and Withdrawing Refugee Status
2011 ... ... this Directive, Member States are bound by obligations under instruments of international law to ... or receive the necessary training to fulfil their obligations when implementing this Directive. ...... -
UNHCR Protection Training Manual for European Border and Entry Officials - 4. Identifying Protection Needs in Group Arrivals. Annex 12 - Asylum Procedures Directive
2011 ... ... this Directive, Member States are bound by obligations under instruments of international law to ... or receive the necessary training to fulfil their obligations when implementing this Directive. ...... -
UNHCR Protection Training Manual for European Border and Entry Officials - 6. The Treatment of Persons Rescued at Sea. Annex 2 - Rescue at Sea
2011 ... These aim to ensure that the obligation of the ship master to render assistance is complemented by a corresponding obligation of States to co-operate in rescue situations, thereby relieving the master ...... -
Expert Meeting on Refugee and Asylum Seekers in Distress at Sea, Djibouti, 8-10 November 2011: Presentation by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations: The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Rescue at Sea
Nov 2011 ... Rescue of persons in distress at sea Rescue of persons in distress at sea Legal Regime Legal Regime Obligation of masters of ships to render Obligation of masters of ships to render assistance to ...... -
Statement by Dr. Moreno-Lax, Queen Mary University of London, to thematic discussion four, panel three
14 Nov 2017 ... there is no real obligation for States to engage in them in a systematic way. This, in turn, draws from an understanding that there is NO RIGHT OF IMMIGRATION and no obligation for States to take ...... -
Regarding Draft 1: Squaring the Circle - A Non-Binding Document with Commitments
27 Mar 2018 ... The competing interests of states not wanting to create another set of international obligations, ... imposing no legally binding international obligations but yet establishing commitments to ensure ......