Identifying protection gaps, exploring ways to assist refugees, displaced and stateless persons focus of OSCE meeting

VIENNA, 27 May 2011 – Participants in an OSCE meeting on internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, returnees and stateless persons, discussed today recent examples of forced population movements, and how to resolve the plight of people affected and find sustainable solutions to displacement situations in the OSCE area.

The Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Renatas Norkus of Lithuania, said in his opening address: “It is vitally important that the OSCE remains actively engaged in addressing the issue of human displacement.” He emphasized that Lithuania in the context of addressing protracted conflicts in the wider OSCE space – one of the Chairmanship priorities – pays close attention to the plight of refugees and IDPs.

Speaking about the OSCE’s practical engagement in addressing this problem, Norkus referred to the example of the Western Balkans: “Work on closing the so-called refugee file in South Eastern Europe is ongoing, and the OSCE’s role and political support to the whole process is of paramount importance.” He added that experience of this region’s field operations in supporting efforts of host governments and civil society jointly with key international actors may be useful for other parts of the OSCE. 

Ambassador Thomas Greminger of Switzerland, the Chairperson of the OSCE Human Dimension Committee, in his speech stressed the need to integrate questions of refugees and IDPs into peace-building processes, strengthen and implement relevant normative framework, and mainstream protection of their rights into the OSCE system.

“Implementing OSCE commitments on IDPs and refugees will strengthen our capacities to promote peace and stability. It is an engagement millions of people affected by conflicts and violence, as well as environmental disasters, deserve and that the OSCE should continue to support with creativity and determination,” he said.

According to UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the OSCE area currently has over two million refugees, some one and a half million internally displaced persons, and around one million returnees, stateless and other persons of concern. All of them face difficult circumstances and are exposed to additional safety risks and multiple hardships exacerbated by continuing conflicts and politico-economic factors.

Volker Türk, the Director of International Protection of the UNHCR, praised expanded co-operation between the two organizations. “A particularly welcome aspect of this dimension has been the work of the OSCE in addressing the challenges facing post-conflict communities,” he said.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Türk added that this offers a good opportunity to assess the progress achieved and identify gaps falling outside the scope of existing global protection instruments.

Among such new gaps Türk named displacement due to climate change and environmental factors, “atmospheric“ gaps characterized by xenophobia and discrimination towards the newcomers, mixed migratory movements closely linked with human trafficking, the problem of statelessness, as well as the protracted character of internal displacement in the OSCE region. “The international community needs to develop appropriate responses to these gaps,” he stressed.

Nathalie Tagwerker, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Democratization Department, said that ODIHR mainstreamed refugee and internally displaced persons’ issues into all the directions of its work, “to ensure a holistic and rights-based approach”. She mentioned the readiness of the Office to offer to participating States its expertise in legislation review and facilitate exchange of best practices and legal information.

Today’s event was organized by the Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship, the office of the UN High Commissioner on National Minorities, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Swiss Chairmanship of the OSCE Human Dimension Committee.