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UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
On May 14, UNHCR provided the first 19 one-room prefabricated housing units to representatives of the Chechen Administration. The units were destined for the most needy of Chechnya’s internally displaced persons whose houses were ruined.
Each unit is meant to accommodate four to five persons. A 13-truck convoy delivered units to the settlements of Alkhan-Urt and Komsomolskoye in Chechnya. Altogether, UNHCR will provide 135 such units.
In addition, throughout May and June, UNHCR dispatched relief convoys to Ingushetia and Chechnya jointly with other international aid agencies. Relief items included construction materials, clothes, beds and bed linen, buckets, soap, and food (rice).
Thus, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees continues to provide protection and relief assistance to displaced persons affected by the situation in the Northern Caucasus. UNHCR also continues to provide support to NGOs and government agencies in the region, including those which are working inside Chechnya.
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A One Question Interview – How does UNHCR maintain optimism in the face of the enormous human suffering of refugees? – We do not lose hope because we see on a daily basis the incredible courage and perseverance of the refugees, who have lost just about everything. We see what they have done despite all the odds. If they refuse to give up hope, how can we? Ruud Lubbers, UN High Commissioner for Refugees |
The United Nations General Assembly has declared June 20 2001 the first ever World Refugee Day (WRD).
Presently, there are more than 22 million refugees in the world. In addition, some 20 to 25 million people are internally displaced persons. The total number of people who have been compelled to leave their homes all over the world has therefore already reached around 50 million people.
World Refugee Day gives an opportunity to people all over the world to pause and think about the loneliness and sense of abandonment that refugees must feel on that day. We should ask ourselves what we can do for them. Refugees deserve our recognition and our respect.
In Moscow, a number of events were held on the occasion of WRD. One of these, sponsored by the Forum of Migrants' Organizations was held on 20 June at the House of Journalists. With the assistance of the local NGO Equilibre-Solidarity, a UNHCR implementing partner, asylum seekers from countries of Asia and Africa organized a performance of native music bands at the Theatre of Mimery and Gesture on 21 June. Before the performance all the guests and participants had a chance to taste national dishes and visit a sales-exhibition of handicrafts made by refugees. All the events were open to the public.
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"Cinema possesses an advantage over others types of art, since it influences people emotionally. Films about refugees can influence public opinion and can make people realise how acute the refugee issue is", noted Igor Maslennikov, First Secretary of the Russian Union of Filmmakers in his greeting remarks at the opening ceremony of the Stalker International Film Festival on Human Rights in St. Petersburg on May 14.
Some of the projects carried out by UNHCR in the Russian Federation
are aimed at developing a more tolerant attitude among the local population
towards refugees and persons who found themselves in a refugee-like situation.
One of them is the Stalker International Film Festival on Human Rights, which
UNHCR has been supporting for the last three years. A special programme on the
problems of refugees and migrants was organized jointly with the Guild of Russian
Film Directors. The mass displacement of people on the territory of Russia and
the problem of refugees in other countries was the main theme of 
the
feature films and documentaries. Besides Moscow, six regions of Russia hosted
the special festival's programme on refugees' rights.
One of those regions this year was St. Petersburg, which is inhabited by over 124 nationalities. On 14-16 May, some 10,000 citizens of St. Petersburg had an opportunity to see, free of charge, films about refugees, and to meet with their directors. Many spectators filled in questionnaires on their attitude to the refugee issue. They also had an opportunity to see a photo exhibition on UNHCR activities. The special exposition was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, which will be marked on 28 July this year.
A round table discussion, "The Role of Cinema and the Media in Protecting Refugees Rights", was held as part of the festival, and was well attended by the local media, filmmakers, government officials, non-govermental organizations and representatives of various ethnic communities.
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United Nations Population Fund |
"This project holds a special place in the UNFPA portfolio, because it deals with the most strategically important group of the Russian population – teenagers, who are the future of the nation", - said Frederick Lyons, UN Resident Coordinator and UNFPA Representative in the Russian Federation, at the opening ceremony of a youth clinic in Barnaul on June 4, 2001.
What is very important, noted Frederick Lyons, is that the clinic is a grassroots initiative fully supported by the regional administration and UNFPA. Its creation clearly demonstrates the commitment of the regional authorities to improving the reproductive health of young people. It is a small clinic, but this does not make it any less important. "On the contrary, we see it as a demonstration of the changes in the public attitude and state policies towards such an important problem as reproductive health", said Frederick Lyons.
The world is flooded with information, but there is sometimes
a lack of useful, perhaps
even vital information that people need. This paradox especially affects young
people: while the volume of the information on the sexual aspects of adolescent
life has increased hundreds of times, the teenager, in most cases, must deal
with his or her emotional and other problems alone. Heaven knows, at the age
of 14-16, they have enough problems already.
The traditional system of health services for teenagers in Russia is aimed at the treatment of somatic diseases or the prevention of infectious illnesses, but not at consultations on relations between girls and boys. Doctors are trained to treat children, but not to help a teenager understand his fears and emotions. The doctors sometimes have neither the time, nor the desire for a friendly help, or for a long heart-to-heart talk. As a result, while calling on young people to protect themselves from abortions or sexually transmitted diseases, we do not support this with any real, tangible help. Anticipating the AIDS epidemic with fear, we do not start a wide awareness campaign among youth.
Nevertheless, there are many people in this country who think about these problems. And not only do they think, they also act. Several special clinics for youth have appeared recently in the Russian cities where teenagers can come for any assistance: medical, psychological, legal. In these clinics, a friendly attitude to young people is not just plain and natural, it is also a guiding principle. This approach is fully justified, as teenagers need knowledge and kindness as much as anyone else.
Some youth clinics have received the support of the UN Population Fund as part of the Reproductive Health and the Rights of the Youth of the Russian Federation project, which is being implemented in six cities of Russia. The clinic that was opened in Barnaul on June 4 was one of these.
"You may judge how important this event is for our city if you look at all the official persons and visitors who have arrived at the opening ceremony", said a smiling Olga Burtseva, Director of the new clinic. "And the representatives of the city administration, the public health and education departments, and the committees on youth and social help are not just bridemaids at our wedding, so to speak. It is our good fortune that our long-time desire to organize such a youth centre has coincided with UNFPA plans and projects. The administrative help of our officials, and the enthusiasm of the doctors, teachers and social workers supported by the UNFPA have finally resulted in the creation of this wonderfully organized and well equipped clinic".
All the participants of the opening ceremony were confident that young people would be eager to come to the new clinic. People with open hearts work here; this is a guarantee of future success.
Olga Volkova, Coordinator of the UNFPA project "Reproductive Health and the Rights of the Youth of the Russian Federation". Tel. (7 095) 787-2113, fax (7 095)787-2137, e-mail: olga.volkova@undp.ru
