Suchergebnisse

The recent & very tragic deaths of UNHCR workers in West Timor & Guinea have once again focused attention on the precarious security circumstance under which humanitarian relief work is so often conducted.

For 19 straight years, Afghans have been the world's largest refugee group. Though 4.2 million Afghans have been repatriated since the late 1980s, 2.6 million continue to live in exile. Over 1 million registered Afghan refugees live in Pakistan, & as the Taliban continues its reign of terror, the number of Afghans fleeing to Pakistan is expected to increase. This enormous refugee population has had drastic economic & sociopolitical consequences for Pakistan. Security concerns have further complicated the Afghan-Pakistani relationship. However, Pakistan's people & government have taken a rather ambiguous approach to the Afghan refugees. Though the Pakistani government has refused to step in to prevent assaults against Afghan refugees, the security situation of the refugees is roughly equal to that of Pakistan's indigenous population. Furthermore, the government has made little effort to intervene with the work of international & nongovernmental organizations delivering humanitarian aid to the refugees. Though not ideal, the security situation for the Afghan refugees in Pakistan continues to be far superior to the situation the refugees would be forced to contend with if they returned to their own land. K. A. Larsen

In an environment of increased exposure, deterioration in the rules of war & loss of perceived neutrality, the community of NGOs operating in complex emergencies is facing significantly increased risks to staff safety & security.