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Africa Refugee Day 2002 - World Refugee Day 2002 20 June Commemoration in Lesotho | ||||||
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Africa Refugee Day, 20 June 2002 was commemorated in Lesotho at the headquarters of the Ministry of Home Affairs in Maseru same day, Thursday, 20. This is the first time Lesotho celebrates the Africa Refugee Day. Present at the occasion were, among others, the refugee community in Lesotho, staff of the United Nations (UN) office in Lesotho, staff of the Ministry of Home Affairs and members of the press. Speeches for the Day went as follows:
* Explanation of rationale for celebrating this day in Lesotho - by Commissioner of Refugees in Lesotho, Mr. T. F. Sefali:
Introduction
Africa
Refugee Day, 20 June, is a day chosen by the Organisation of
Africa Unity (OAU) pursuant to its 1969 Convention Governing the Specific
Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and duly adopted by the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The OAU Convention became effective on 20 June 1974, since then, the day has been celebrated as the Africa Refugee Day. The Aim for the Day This day has been set to ameliorate efforts in articulating the refugee rights, plight, need for protection as well as need to reduce public hostilities African refugees experiences from their hosts. Key in this hostilities include xenophobia which is define as an intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries. Refugees are usually the victims of this monster. Refugees are usually mistaken for economic migrants partly due to ignorance of the host country’s population and also as a result of declining economies in the African countries. All these acts prompted the OAU to set aside this day for public awareness of the distinction between refugees and economic migrants, strengthening relations with the media and the general public with particular emphasis on sensitising the latter on refugees and it is also worth noting that, these sensitisation efforts also assist in curbing abuse of refugees by law and order authorities. During this day, it is often the first time the general public become aware of their governments obligation under the international law. It is often the first time they know that their country is a partly to certain conventions such as refugee’s conventions. African Refugee Population Peculiarity
It
is worth noting that Africa hosts 3.3 million refugees making up 28% of the
world refugee population. This
is quite an enormous burden on the continent with an extremely ailing
economy. It is apparent therefore
that, in a day like this, Africa has to take stock of its failures and
seriously seek lasting solutions. Last
year in December, the UNHCR noted with concern that Africa has the most
protracted refugee problem, with the Great Lakes and other parts forming the
longest refugee problems. The
Ministerial Meeting noted that there is increased awareness that the
underlying causes of some refugee situations in Africa are so complex and
often deep-rooted that it may take considerable time to resolve.
This means Africa is yet to grapple with the issue of refugees. This year’s theme and focus
This
year’s theme is refugee women. The
theme derives from 'Dialogue wit??? refugee women' and the Higher
Commissioner for refugees in Geneva, Switzerland on 20-22 June 2001.
The dialogue highlighted refugee women’s issues of concern, inter
alia,
·
.
Sexual
and Gender based violence
·
Domestic
violence
·
Documentation
and freedom of movement
·
Detention
·
Access
to asylum procedures
·
Rights
to Access employment
·
Right
to education
·
Land
and property rights
The
theme strives for empowerment of women refugee who usually are the largest
group in any refugee producing situation.
Women are usually targets of persecution in situations of ethnic
cleansing as experienced in Rwanda, Burundi Yugoslavia and elsewhere. Celebration of this day in Lesotho
Lesotho
is a party to both 1951 United Nations Convention in the Status of
Refugees, its 1967 Protocol and the 1969 OAU Convention on Refugees
and as such is obliged internationally to host refugees as defined in these
instruments. Moreover, our
country also has its own Act of
Parliament administering refugees issues.
The 1983 Refugees Act No. 18 and its 1986 Refugee Regulations are
internationally acclaimed as the exemplary pieces of refugee law in a host
country. Therefore, Lesotho has
the mandate to celebrate this day.
However,
our celebration is not mainly focused or refugee women but also on the
following objectives:
(b)
To
inform the general public of our accession to the UN and OAU Conventions
Lesotho is a State party, which means despite the significant drop in
refugees numbers we are still internationally obliged to host them.
(c) To
let management of the Ministry of Home Affairs know the numbers and presence
of refugees Lesotho is hosting. This
would help guide policies the Ministry may be envisaging.
(d) To
let the refugee community in Lesotho to know its members.
We currently have refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Rwanda,
the Sudan and
Zimbabwe. By knowing each other
they can network and collectively tackle some of their problems, we hope.
(e)
We
wish to create a dialogue between refugee community and our Government with
the aim of articulating the obligation this community has to fulfill and the
Governments obligation towards this community.
(f)
Although
the problem of xenophobia has not reached alarming rates as experienced in
other countries we wish to become proactive and curb it by raising public
awareness about refugees and their rights, obligations to both the latter
and the host country. We wish
to maintain a unity in diversity principle that the people of Lesotho so fondly cherish.
The presence of a representative of the
UNDP in our midst on this
occasion is indicative of the fact that the UN and state parties to the
International Conventions on Refugee Protection are indispensable partners
in ensuring minimum
common standards in the protection of asylum seekers and towards preserving
their personal dignity and basic human rights. We know that the UN through
the UNHCR is mandated with overseeing the implementation of the 1951 UN Convention
relating to the status of Refugees and its subsequent 1967 Protocol. These
two pieces of International Humanitarian law remain the corner stone of the
International Refugee Protection Regime. Other regional and sub-regional
instruments as well as National Legislation concerning refugees largely
complement this main International Law and facilitate its implementation in
the context of various legal and political environments.
Since the demise of Apartheid which was the main cause of the refugee
problem in our sub-region, Lesotho is experiencing significantly reduced
refugee influx into the country. Yet the Government of Lesotho remains fully
committed to the 1951 UN Convention as well as to other
regional Conventions on the protection of refugees to which Lesotho
is party. A few months ago, on
the occasion marking the 50th Anniversary of the 1951 UN
Convention relating to the status of refugees, Lesotho did
participate at a meeting of the states parties to the convention in
Geneva and used that opportunity to renew its commitment to the convention
and to contribute to the International discussion on what might comprise a
joint agenda in the protection activities for states parties, UNHCR and
other protection partners in the period ahead.
At the beginning of this year,
the Ministry of Home Affairs held a
workshop whose main purpose was to develop the necessary skills for
our officers in handling asylum seekers and to build a common understanding
on issues related to refugee protection as enshrined in the 1951 UN
Convention and other related International instruments.
The 1951 UN Convention is today facing challenges which were not
fully foreseen when the Convention came into force fifty years ago. High on
the list of these challenges are the now familiar phenomena of Xenophobia
and International Terrorism. The features of the evolving
international environment in which refugee protection has to be provided
have become more complex because of the increasing sophistication of
criminals, some of which opt to pose as refugees to achieve their criminal
ends. Similarly, countries are beginning to witness
the emergence of “Economic Refugees” which is a development
unlike any that were experienced in the past.
But by inviting the Refugees resident in Lesotho and their families
to be with the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs on this occasion that
marks the OAU Refugee Day, we are demonstrating the determination of the
people and Government of Lesotho not to succumb to the temptation of using
Xenophobia or any other excuse as a pretext for denying asylum to those who
deserve. On the other hand we are determined to join hands with all
stakeholders including the UNHCR to frustrate those who seek to abuse asylum
to achieve criminal objectives.
You can help us to achieve this by doing your best to develop a good
relations with the communities whom you live with and to avoid being involved in
criminal activities, but rather, each one to contribute to the achievement of
the ideals and aspirations that humanity shares in common, such as peace,
prosperity and development. On this second World Refugee Day, we look back on a year that gave many refugees a new lease on life. In Afghanistan, UNHCR has helped a million refugees return home. In East Timor, more than 200,000 refugees returned home in time to celebrate their country's independence and to vote in its first presidential election. Refugees from Sierra Leone and Angola also have new reason to hope that their long years of exile may soon be over. But in some parts of the world, the situation of refugees has taken an alarming turn for the worse. An increasing number of countries appear determined to close their borders to refugees, breaking with half a century of accumulated international norms and practices. In several countries in the industrialised world, asylum-seekers are being stigmatised as potential criminals. Those who have fled violence and persecution deserve protection and assistance, not suspicion and contempt. Let us not forget that the great majority of the world's refugees and asylum-seekers are women and children. That is why the focus of this year's World Refugee Day is on refugee women. These women face tremendous challenges. Yet they show enormous courage and determination in holding their families together. Today is a day to pay tribute to their vital role and contributions. On this World Refugee Day, let us remember that, like those of us fortunate enough to have a home, refugees and asylum-seekers have families and feelings -- but they often have little else. And let us remind ourselves that one day, any one of us could be knocking at someone else's door, asking for help. Message by: Secretary-General of the UN Kofi A. Annan
Minister Motsoahae Thabane highlighted the significance of the Africa Refugee Day to mankind hence of careful note by the international community with, among others, conventions aimed at building a common understanding on issues related to the protection of refugees as are enshrined in the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Convention governing the specific Refugee problems in Africa as well as the 1983 Lesotho Refugee Act. Thabane indicated that, ever since the demise of apartheid, which was the main cause of the refugee problem in the South African region, Lesotho is experiencing significantly reduced refugee influx into it, yet the Government of Lesotho remains fully committed to the 1951 UN Convention as well as to other regional conventions to which Lesotho is party. Thabane continued that, the 1951 UN Convention is today facing challenges which were not fully foreseen when the Convention came into force fifty years ago, such as Xenophobia and International Terrorism. Further, Minister Thabane reiterated on a note by Principal Secretary Metsing that (above), the International Community must demonstrate its determination not to succumb to the temptation of using xenophobia or any other excuse as a pretext for denying asylum to those who deserve it, rather, join hands with all stakeholders including the UNHCR to frustrate those who seek to abuse asylum to achieve criminal objectives.
Honourable Minister for Home Affairs, the Principal Secretary for Home Affairs, the Commissioner for Refugees, Members of the NGO’s and of the UN, Diplomatic bodies, fellow refugees, ladies and gentleman. I
am greatly honoured to address this occasion commemorating Africa Refugee
day on behalf of all refugees and asylum seekers community in Lesotho. We are deeply honoured to have been granted asylum in this peace loving Kingdom of Lesotho. We have lived in peace since our arrival and have really enjoyed the hospitality offered to us by His Majesty The King and his people of Lesotho. This hospitality started from the foundation of Basutoland, by the founder of Lesotho nation, His Majesty, King Moshoeshoe I. We are really grateful of his initiative to the whole nation; today Lesotho is known for her hospitality. Honourable Minister
for Home Affairs, the Principal Secretary, the
Commissioner for Refugees, Members of the NGO’s, Diplomatic bodies, ladies
and gentlemen, I would like to bring to your attention, some of the general
grievances affecting our community. Allow
me to quote a few phrases from the 1951, 1954 Convention relating to the
status of refugees and the 1966 protocols: States
parties should apply to refugee treatment at least favourably, as that is accorded their own nationals with regard to certain rights such as freedom
of religion, access to courts, elementary education and public relief.
As to other rights such as wage earning, employment and the right of
association, refugees are entitled to the most favourable treatment accorded
to nationals of a foreign country. In
other respects such as self-employment and education other than elementary
education, they receive treatment as favourable as possible and not less
favourable than that accorded to aliens generally. Although
the UNHCR is no longer active in Lesotho, the little the Ministry of Home
Affairs has done for us is highly appreciated. We still believe there is more the Ministry can do to alleviate some
of our problems. First,
is the issue of travel document. Some
of us are in Lesotho more than 10 years now and feel that we are entitled to be
granted citizenship. We are
requesting your office to give us that chance once our files reach your
office. We have doctors,
engineers, teachers, etc who are serving the Lesotho nation more
than 10 years and are quite good in the local language and quite
knowledgeable of the country and its culture. Second,
is the problem of education and scholarship, if we think of the fee in the
University for foreigners, we see no future for our children; once
more as
quoted above, the treatment we get from some of the places is not what one
would expect. This is for our
children and some of us who want to pursue their studies; we are hereby requesting your office to consider this
matter. Honourable
Minister, these are the two points which we feel should be addressed
directly to you as this is the first chance given to us after 11 years that
we are here in Lesotho. Other
matters will be dealt with by the Commissioner and we know that you will be
notified with all. We
hope that every year this chance would be given to us. Honourable
Minister, Principal Secretary and Commissioner for Refugees, on behalf of all
the Community, I would like to thank you once more for giving your valuable time
to listen to our speech. May the Lord of the universe bless you and everyone
around your job. Khotso! Pula! Nala! - Peace! Rain! Plenty!
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| SOURCE: THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS |