|
Funding
for Refugee Protection and Resettlement
Issue Briefs/ Facts
and Recommendations
The following issue brief was developed by the Humanitarian Policy
& Practice Committee.
To order a hard copy, or for more information, contact InterAction,
202-667-8227
________________________________________________________
The
Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) Account and the Emergency Refugee
and Migration Assistance (ERMA) Fund are the two accounts from which
the U.S. Government draws its principle support for programs that save
the lives of refugees abroad and resettle them in the United States.
The
Facts
In FY 2003, Congress
appropriated $787 million for MRA and $32 million for ERMA. This amount
fails to meet the minimum needs of the UNHCR and refugee relief and
resettlement agencies.
According to the
US Committee for Refugees, the U.S. government contributes $1.47 per
capita to the three major international refugee aid agencies: UNHCR,
the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations
Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA). In contrast, Norway gives $12.89
per capita, Luxembourg provides nearly $11 per capita, and Denmark contributes
close to $8 per capita to these agencies.
The United States
annually contributes 25% of the total UNHCR budget. The majority of
U.S. contributions to UNHCR are earmarked by region. In 2002, 98% of
U.S. contributions were earmarked, while only 2% were unrestricted.
In contrast, only 33% of contributions from the Netherlands were earmarked
in 2002, while Australia earmarked just 47% of its contributions that
same year.
In order to assist
and protect the nearly 20 million refugees, asylum-seekers, returnees,
internally displaced persons, stateless people, and war-affected populations
of concern to the UNHCR, the agency issued a budget appeal for 2003
of $1.2 billion. Virtually all of the U.S. contribution to UNHCR is
drawn from the MRA account.
Adequate, early
and comprehensive funding for international refugee programs can alleviate
burdens on host countries and reduce tensions in impacted communities,
prevent unnecessary human suffering and injury to persecuted families,
and avoid further destabilization.
Recommendations
The Administration
should request and Congress should appropriate at least $800 million
for the MRA Account and at least $50 million for the ERMA Fund in the
FY 2004 Foreign Operations spending bill. This is the minimum amount
necessary to support effective resettlement and protection programs
for refugees.
The U.S. Congress
should support such initiatives as the "Women & Children in
Conflict Protection Act of 2003," which creates a $45 million Women
and Children's Protection Fund to support new initiatives that promote
the security of and provide access to basic services for women and children
who are refugees, displaced persons or living in conflict zones. The
U.S. government should develop an integrated strategy for protecting
women and children affected by war and conflict, as they comprise 80%
of all displaced persons and are particularly vulnerable to violence,
abuse, and material deprivation.
The Department
of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration should place
protection as a priority when funding programs for refugees and displaced
persons and emphasize the importance of incorporating protection mechanisms
in the programs of implementing partners.
|
