 |
|
|
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
As the important step in bilateral cooperation estimated John
McCallin, Regional Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees in the 
Russian
Federation an agreement he signed with Vladimir Shamailov, Head of the Moscow
Territorial Body of the Ministry for Federal Affairs, National and Migration
Policy of the RF. The signing ceremony was held at the UN Office in the RF on
the 5th September 2001.
As John McCallin pointed out at the signing ceremony, the main objective of the UNHCR Office in Russia was to provide assistance to the Russian authorities to enable them to honour the assumed commitments in conformity with internationally agreed standards. Russia is one of 140 countries that ratified the 1951 UN Convention and 1967 Protocol related to refugee status.
The status determination procedure is a key element in the implementation of the Russian “Law on Refugees”. In this connection, UNHCR pays much attention to organizing well the work of entry points to the country for asylum-seekers. The signed agreement envisages expansion of assistance to asylum-seekers and refugees staying in Moscow, emphasized John McCallin.
In the signed agreement considerable number of provisions are made for work at the points of immigration control at the airports “Sheremetyevo–1”, “Sheremetyevo–2” and “Vnukovo”. Most vulnerable asylum-seekers at the airports will be assisted with temporary accommodation and basic food.
The staff of the Moscow Territorial Body of the Ministry for Federal Affairs will access internet and country of origin information. UNHCR will on a regular basis provide its expert opinion, as well as it will continue training on international law and status determination procedure of the staff, who deal with asylum-seekers. It is expected that the access to the status determination procedure and the respect of the non-refoulement principle will improve.
|
On the 8th September the First International Festival in support of refugees was held in the open air at the center of temporary accommodation of refugees and asylum-seekers “Zelenogradsky” situated near Moscow due to the joint efforts of the UNHCR Regional Office in the RF and non-governmental charitable organisation “Equilibre-Solidarity”. The Festival, which was organised within the framework of the cultural integration programme, gathered refugees and asylum-seekers, who arrived from different countries, and provided them with an opportunity to demonstrate their artistic potential. The guests of the Festival, in their turn, could get acquainted with different cultural traditions of many countries, from which refugees arrive.
The Afghan musical band “Nawa”, African musical band “Sun Music”, African inter-club (students of the Russian Peoples’ Friendship University), Armenian folk band, Belarussian quartet, German chorus, Jewish band, Kurdish band, Russian folk band (Verbilki) and Ukrainian folk band took part in the event. The national food was served to all the guests and participants of the Festival.
|
UNHCR continues supporting governmental and non-governmental partners involved in the protection of human rights in Ingushetia and Chechnya. Besides financial support of the Legal Counselling Center run by the local non-governmental organization Vesta, UNHCR renders assistance to the human rights organization Memorial. Lawyers from Memorial carry out monitoring, counselling, and promotion of human rights through two counselling centres in Grozny and Urus-Martan, where they receive an average of 300 people a month. UNHCR also provides capacity building to the main office of the Special Envoy of the President of the Russian Federation on Human Rights in Chechnya and counselling points in 12 other locations throughout Chechnya. An agreement was reached with Collegium of Lawyers in Chechnya to provide independent legal services to IDPs and locals throughout the republic. In addition, UNHCR provides technical support and training to the courts and judiciaries of Chechnya.
UNHCR continues handing over prefabricated houses (shipping containers) to representatives of the Chechen Administration to benefit vulnerable residents of Chechnya whose houses had been destroyed. A total of 74 prefabs have already been sent to Chechnya out of 112 planned for distribution this year. Besides, 20 units were handed over to WHO for the TB project in Ingushetia for Chechen IDPs.
|
20 November Africa Industrialization Day
21 November World Television Day
29 November International Day of Solidarity
with the Palestinian People
1 December World AIDS Day
3 December International Day of Disabled Persons
7 December International Day of Civil Aviation
10 December Human Rights Day
29 December International Day for Biological Diversity
|
 |
United Nations Population Fund |
Our numbers have doubled since 1960 to 6.1 billion, with growth mostly in poorer countries. Consumption expenditures have more than doubled since 1970with increases mostly in richer countries. Yet half the world still exists on less than $2 a day, according to the State of World Population 2001 Report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
World population will grow to 9.3 billion by 2050. All the projected growth will take place in today’s developing countries. The 49 least-developed countries, already straining to provide basic social services to their people, will nearly triple in size, from 668 million 1.86 billion people.
Increasing urbanization presents another challenge. Today almost half of all people live in urban areas. Every day about 160,000 move from rural areas to cities.
Water use has grown six-fold over the past 70 years.
In the year 2000, 508 million people lived in 31 water-stressed or water-scarce countries. By 2025, 3 billion people will be living in 48 such countries. By 2050, 4.2 billion people (over 45% of the global total) will be living in countries that cannot meet the daily requirement of 50 litres of water per person to meet basic needs.
Some 800 million in developing countries are chronically malnourished. To accomodate the nearly 8 billion people expected on earth by 2025 and improvetheir diets, the world will have to double food production and improve distribution.
Since 1900, industrialization has introduced almost 100,000 chemicals into the environment.
In the 20th century, carbon dioxide emissions grew 12-fold
– from 534 million metric tons to 6.59 billion metric tons – contributing to
a global warming trend that 
will
have severe environmental and social effects. The atmosphere will warm by as
much as 5.8 degrees Celsius over the coming century, and sea-level will rise
about half a metre.
In 1995, the 20% of the world population living in the countries with the highest per capita fossil-fuel use contributed 63% of global carbon dioxide emissions. The 20% in the lowest-emission countries conrtibuted just 2% of the total. The United States, with 4.6% of the world’s population, produces one fourth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
In the last few decades as population growth has peaked, deforestation rates have reached the highest levels in history. Tropical forests contain as estimated 50% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. At current rates of deforestation, the last significant primary tropical forest could be harvested within 50 years, causing irreversible loss of species.
A huge “consumption gap” exists between industrialized and developing countries. The world’s richest countries, with 20% of global population, account for 86% of total private consumption, whereas the poorest 20% account for just 1.3%.
Nearly 60% of the 4.4 billion people in developing countries lack basic sanitation, almost a third do not have access to clean water, one quarter lack adequate housing, 20% do not have access to modern health services, and 20% of children do not attend school through grade five.
Environmental conditions contribute significantly to communicable diseases, which account for 20-25% of deaths worldwide. An estimated 60% of the global burden of disease from acute respiratory infections, 90% from diarrhoeal disease, 50% from chronic respiratory conditions and 90% from malaria could be avoided by simple environmental interventions.
Unclear water and associated poor sanitation kill over 12 million people each year. Air pollution kills nearly 3 million more, mostly in developing countries. Indoor air pollution soot from the burning of wood, biomass and coal for cooking and heating – affects 2.5 billion people, mostly women and girls, and is estimated to kill more 2.2 million peopleeach year in developing countries.
The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994 linked environmental protection to individual decision-making, gender equality and the right to reproductive health. Current resources for reproductive health and population programmes are well below the $17 billion the ICPD agreed would be needed in 2000. While developing countries are providing most of their two thirds share of needed resources, support from international donors is less than half of the $5.7 billion called for in 2000.
