UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Describe the evolution of the UNHCR.

The first high commissioner was appointed in 1951. In the beginning it was a very small office, dealing mostly with the refugees from the socialist countries in Europe, trying to help them, protect them, and make sure that they were resettled. They left because of fear of persecution, because of their political beliefs, or because of their racial, religious, or ethnic background. When that was settled, an outflow of refugees started taking place in Africa. This was a very agonizing time for the office because it had never really been involved in the Third World. In the sixties this massive exodus began with Algerian independence and continued with other African countries as they began the decolonization process. People were leaving; freedom fighters and members of liberation movements left the country, and the high commissioner protected them in the neighboring countries. So in the sixties the main interest of our office was Africa.

Did the size of the organization grow?

Yes, because the number of refugees grew. By the end of the 1970s, the world refugee figure was something like eight million, and today it's more than seventeen million.

And how many employees are in your organization?

About twenty-two hundred all over the world.

pull-quote from interview How is your organization funded?

We are funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions of governments, but about 10 percent comes from the private sector.

Who are your contributors?

The United States continues to be the largest contributor, and I am very happy about that because although U.S. resources may be strained, there is still a very strong commitment to humanitarian assistance and refugee assistance. Last year the United States contributed more than $200 million. The other large donors are Japan and the Scandinavian countries. I would say these are the three largest. The European Community as an organization has contributed greatly, too. The United States, the EC, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, and so on.

Funding for any organization that is based on governmental contributions is a perennial problem.

Funding is not easy, but it's a challenge, too. If we manage the funds well, the international community and governments do fund us, and this was proven last year. It is a very important that there is international recognition that refugee protection assistance has to be done. It's one of the major global agendas.

Do you submit your budget to the United Nations for approval?

No. We produce our own budget and it is approved by the executive committee, which is something like a governing body of our operations. My mandate comes directly from the General Assembly to protect refugees, so it is a fairly independent mandate. I am not being ordered by any government or any office of the United Nations. We do work very closely with other bodies of the United Nations.

What is the potential for influence on the policies of the UNHCR from the major donor countries?

A lot a money is earmarked for various projects. Some projects are better funded than others. The project last year for the Iraqi refugees was very well funded. I think Cambodia would be better than, let's say, the Horn of Africa. These are the facts of life; this an ongoing fund-raising, fund-accounting process with donors all the time. Governments do earmark certain of their money for certain projects, so there is influence.

Do they otherwise try to influence the policies of the UNHCR with that money?

No, I don't think with money. I had to come out very clearly criticizing the U.S. policy on Haitians, for example. The United States is the largest donor, but they accepted my position. That did not change the funding. I don't think governments work that way, really.

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