John McCallin appointed UN High Comissioner for Refugees Regional Representative in the Russian Federation.

John McCallin started his career in UNHCR in 1977 in Africa, first in Botswana and then Zimbabwe. He twice worked at the UNHCR Headquarters as Head of the Desk and Head of Sub-Region at the Office of the Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa. He also served at the UNHCR Representative in the US and Turkey. Prior to his appointment to Russia from 1997 until 2000, John McCallin worked in Tajikistan; he was the UNHCR Coordinator for Central Asia.

A graduate with honors from Swansea and Oxford Universities, majoring (BA) in Economics and Social Anthropology (Postgraduate Diploma).

He speaks fluent English and French and soon hopes to speak Russian.

UNHCR Has Sent 55 Convoys with Relief Items to the North Caucasus

UNHCR continues to contribute to the humanitarian assistance program in the North Caucasus carried out by the United Nations. This program was extended until the end of June 2000. The UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for the North Caucasus was launched in mid-March, seeking US $19. 2 million from the donor community to deliver humanitarian assistance.

UNHCR requirements within the appeal amount to US $10.7 million. UNHCR needs these funds to continue supplying food to IDPs in addition to supplies which will be provided by the World Food Program, to provide shelter and relief assistance to internally displaced persons, returnees, members of host families. Rehabilitation of schools, cultural centers and other community facilities will be undertaken in Ingushetia and Daghestan. Much of this host famillies will benefit.

Jointly with UNICEF the three main water treatment and distribution stations in Ingushetia will be rehabilitated. UNHCR also plans to facilitate voluntary repatriation of IDPs to Chechnya. Packages for returnees and other persons of concern to UNHCR consisting of food and non-food items will be prepared and distributed to those who would like to return to Chechnya.

By mid April, UNHCR had sent to the North Caucasus 55 convoys with relief supplies ( 46 to Ingushetia, 6 to Daghestan, 1 to North Ossetia, 1 to Karachaevo-Circassia and 1 to Chechnya). The total value of these convoys is over US $4,86 million.

Education for Children of Asylum Seekers and Refugee

A consultative meeting on education for asylum seekers and refugee children was held in Moscow on February 29, 2000. The purpose of the meeting was to raise awareness of the current situation regarding the education of asylum seeker and refugee children in Moscow and to discuss and propose measures to overcome legal obstacles to the realization of the right of these children to education.

The meeting was organized jointly by the Moscow Education Department, UNHCR and the Ethnosphere educational research center. The meeting was well attended by representatives of the Federal and the Moscow Migration Service, and by a broad range of government officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations and two UN agencies, UNICEF and UNESCO. During the discussion the participants came to the conclusion that there is a need for improving legislation and better coordination between agencies in tackling the issues of asylum seeker and refugee children’s education, for federal structures to take the lead in outlining a step-by-step approach toward refugees`s issue and their social rights, and, finally, that there is a need for training and sharing of international experience in dealing with this problem.

The first pilot project in this field was agreed upon with the Moscow Department Education. In September 2000, the first 50 displaced children will be admitted to a Moscow school. UNHCR will support the development of a methodological facility for academic and social integration of these children into the mainstream of the educational system so that the project may be replicated in a wider range of schools later.

UN Renders Humanitarian Assistance in the North Caucasus

The underlying factors which have caused human suffering in the northern Caucasus during the past six months persist. The region’s economy remains one of the Russian Federation’s poorest, marked by 60 percent unemployment, and society remains divided along political, ethnic, and religious lines. The hostilities that erupted in the autumn of 1999 in the Republic of Chechnya (Chechnya) and the Republic of Dagestan (Dagestan) displaced thousands of people: 215,000 are currently in the Republic of Ingushetia (Ingushetia) and about 100,000 persons were compelled to move inside Chechnya itself.

Fighting continues in the southern parts of the republic. Extreme insecurity persists, threatening the civilian population and the staff of aid organisations carrying out emergency programmes.

In November 1999, the United Nations outlined its emergency response in the UN Inter-agency Flash Appeal for the Northern Caucasus: 1 December 1999 – 29 February 2000 (flash appeal). The UN aimed to provide assistance to avert the loss of life amongst the displaced population. Coupled with the work of the Russian Government, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and its partners, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the UN met its objective with timely contributions from the donor community.

During the first week of February 2000, the UN, with participants from the Russian Government and the NGO community, reviewed its programmes, re-assessed needs, and planned future action. The mission concluded that the primary needs of food, shelter, health, and water and sanitation are being met and must continue to be covered until the political situation improves, if unnecessary suffering is to be avoided.

The United Nations met the international donor community in Moscow on 10 March 2000 and in Geneva on 15 March 2000 to issue the UN Consolidated Inter-agency Appeal for the Northern Caucasus: 1 December 1999 - 30 June 2000 (appeal). The appeal requests US $19.2 million from the donor community for UN programmes from 1 March to 30 June 2000.

As of late March 2000, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and UK had pledged some 25% of the financial requirements.

The appeal outlines the humanitarian situation in the northern Caucasus and describes the emergency programmes required to sustain the population, as well as to address additional needs such as education and psychosocial rehabilitation. The appeal’s activities focus on internally displaced persons (IDPs) living with host families, members of host families, and IDPs in spontaneous settlements and camps.

UN humanitarian action targets different numbers of people in each sector, ranging from 70,000 members of host families in Ingushetia receiving food aid to water and sanitation projects targeting most of Ingushetia’s population.

In the case of Chechnya, the UN plans to assess the situation and deliver assistance in Chechnya in light of the obvious needs of civilians caught in the republic as well as the desire of much of the displaced population to return home. UN humanitarian action inside Chechnya depends, however, on assurances of security for beneficiaries and aid agency staff, independent access, and programmes being based on assessed needs.