Syria Today | Q&A: Antonio Guterres

Q&A: Antonio Guterres
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

By Fay Ferguson
Photo Carole al-Farah

Why did you choose to commemorate World Refugee Day in Syria?

I came to Syria because it is important to express – in a very clear and public way – our enormous admiration for the generosity the Syrian government and people have displayed towards refugee populations in the region. It is also a way of drawing the international community's attention to the Iraqi refugee situation and to ask for its support.

The savings and resources of Iraqi refugees in Syria are rapidly depleting and many feel that Iraq is still not safe enough to return home. Have you discussed long-term strategies with the Syrian government for supporting its Iraqi refugee population?

Our objective is to support the refugees to return home in safety and dignity. For this to happen the security situation in Iraq needs to improve and the Iraqi government needs to engage in creating conditions and providing services which will make returns sustainable. It is also true, however, that some vulnerable families may not be able to return home. Therefore, we are making huge efforts to resettle these families in other countries where they can build new futures. In the meantime we hope the Iraqi government will do more to support its citizens in Syria and that the international community will express stronger solidarity in a meaningful way.

With the enormous relief effort underway in Haiti and the effects of the global financial crisis still taking hold, are you worried that the agency will suffer funding shortfalls next year for its Iraqi refugee programmes?

We are working together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and are aware of the forecasts about the global economy and the announcements by many countries – including the most important humanitarian donors – of very restrictive budget policies. We hope, however, that humanitarian action will be spared and that our activities will continue to be supported. Refugee protection is, unfortunately, more needed than ever and humanitarian problems are not diminishing, but on the contrary, increasing. It is my hope that the international community will continue to recognise how important it is to support Iraqi refugees who have suffered so much and still face a very challenging situation in their country.

A February UNHCR Syria report stated that since 2007 it had submitted requests to resettle in the US 27,406 Iraqis living in Syria. In this time period, however, there were only 11,722 departures. In total there were 38,889 submissions to third countries for resettlement, but only 17,293 departures. Have the US and other members of the international community adequately responded to resettlement requests for Iraqi refugees living in Syria?

Fortunately the numbers you refer to have been surpassed. Last week the total number of submissions for resettlement from Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt reached 100,000. So far 52,000 people have departed to a third country. In general this means departures are catching up with submissions, but still rather slowly. We are making a very strong appeal in two directions: We hope to see the number of resettlements increase and the departure process speed up. It is fair to recognise that there has been a meaningful increase in the number of resettlement opportunities offered to Iraqi refugees, but there is still a need that is far from being fully met.

Several European countries, including the UK, recently deported 60 Iraqi asylum seekers back to Baghdad. The UNHCR has strongly condemned the action. What is your message to other countries considering doing the same?

We have been in close contact with these governments, including the UK, and clearly stated our position. We also publicly state our position when advocacy does not succeed. We believe it is still too early to send people back to Baghdad as recent events show us that the situation has not improved. People should not be returned to Baghdad against their will. We hope that the examples you refer to will not be repeated.

As a former prime minister of Portugal, you are very familiar with European politics. How do you feel about Europe's response to asylum requests by Iraqi refugees?

While some of the expressions of solidarity by European countries are quite meaningful, they are still out of proportion to the needs. Therefore, I hope Europe will participate in stronger engagement when it comes to offering protection for refugees and providing assistance to host countries in the region.

Iraq still has a large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), many of whom continue to suffer from a lack of access to basic services. How is the UNHCR supporting IDPs in Iraq?

In general IDPs do not fall under our mandate. However we are operating in Iraq with partner organisations and trying to provide support to the most vulnerable. Some IDPs have been able to return home, but according to the available figures there are 500,000 who live in conditions of extreme poverty. This issue should be a priority for the Iraqi government and humanitarian organisations so that the suffering of these people can be minimised.

You have just been re-elected to serve a second five-year term as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. What are the main issues you hope to tackle and raise awareness about in the coming years?

We have two main concerns, the first of which relates to the organisation itself. Since 2006 we have undergone deep internal reform, increasing our activities by 50 percent with roughly the same number of staff worldwide and 300 fewer at our Geneva headquarters. Now we will concentrate on improving delivery in the fields of emergency response and protection, mainly taking into account the experience we have had with the urban Iraqi refugee populations in Syria and Jordan. The second concern relates to people who are not protected under The 1951 Refugee Convention, but who have been forced to flee their homes for other reasons. We're seeing that climate change, food insecurity, extreme poverty, water scarcity and urbanisation are combining in many circumstances to force people to flee their homes. Climate change has probably been the most important trigger of forced displacement and it is a factor which must come into consideration. All of these situations do not fall under the UNHCR's mandate, but they correspond to dramatic humanitarian circumstances. We are attempting to promote a global debate about how the international community should organise itself and what kind of partnerships should be built and used to address the challenges of these new trends of forced displacement.