Summary
Bosnia, Rwanda, Iraq, Somalia, Chechnya. During the past few years, the world has witnessed a succession of massive refugee movements and humanitarian emergencies. The number of people uprooted by war and persecution now stands at some 50 million, and is increasing every day. Relief agencies are struggling to keep pace with the demands of each new exodus, while governments around the world are becoming increasingly reluctant to offer refuge to these victims of violence.
What can be done to resolve the global refugee problem? That is the question posed in this important book from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the international organization responsible for the world's displaced people. The book examines the roots of the current crisis, and assesses the continuing relevance of tradional approaches to the problem of human displacement. While the right of asylum must be scrupulously maintained, the book suggests that greater effors must also be made to tackle refugee problems at their source, by restoring peace and security to countries where large numbers of people have been forced to abandon their homes. To achieve this objective, concerted international action will be required to protect human rights, establish effective peacekeeping operations and promote sustainable development.
As well as providing a detailed analysis of these major policy issues, this comprehendive study provides a set of detailed charts, graphs, and maps, describing the state of the world's refugees. The books also profiles many of UNHCR's major relief and repatriation operations, showing how new appoaches to the problem of human displacement are being put into practice.
