The State of the World's Refugees 2006 - Chapter 4 Responding to emergencies: Introduction

State of the World's Refugees, 19 April 2006

If the past is any guide, the world can expect a big emergency involving human displacement every 16 months – and a massive one every two years. In the past 15 years there have been seven of the latter, each of which has resulted in the displacement of more than 1.5 million people.1 Since the 1991 Gulf War the international emergency-response system, in which UNHCR plays a major role, has been strengthened in the areas of planning, human resources, supply stockpiles and early warning systems. But despite these efforts, its effectiveness has been uneven.

"If the past is any guide, the world can expect a big emergency involving human displacement every 16 months – and a massive one every two years"

The reasons for that patchy record include the reluctance of the international community to take strong action to defuse conflict, funding shortfalls, insecurity in areas of humanitarian operations, and the inaccessibility of some of those in need of assistance. Matters have also been complicated by an increase in the number of humanitarian and political actors involved in emergency assistance, the trend towards 'bilateralization' of aid and a constriction of the neutral humanitarian space within which aid personnel can work safely. This chapter looks at how these challenges have spurred the review and reformulation of policies to improve emergency responses in the future.

Notes

1 UNHCR, 'Strengthening UNHCR's Emergency Response Capacity', UNHCR Policy Paper, July 2005, p. 3.

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