The Evolution of Humanitarian Action
* The author was a UNHCR staff member from 1973 to 2001. Headquarters assignments included appointments as the first Chief of the UNHCR Emergency Unit, as Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, and as Director of the Division of Programmes and Operational Support. He served as the High Commissioner's Special Envoy for the Gulf emergency (1991), for repatriation to Afghanistan (1992–3), for the former Yugoslavia (1993–4), and for the former Yugoslavia and Albania (1998–9). Prior to retirement, he was the UNHCR Inspector General. This article reflects his speech given at the oral history round-table organized during the "UNHCR and the Global Cold War" conference, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, 19 October 2007.
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Abstract |
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A brief review of overall trends in humanitarian action following the end of the Cold War is followed by examination of UNHCR's evolution from a narrowly focused, non-operational organization to one with a wide field presence and whose concerns are not limited to refugees. Three changes are highlighted: the increase in the range of UNHCR's interlocutors; the shift from never questioning causes to an explicit concern with them; and the impact of the field presence. The conclusion suggests that humanitarian action that is not accompanied by political action to address causes may eventually face insurmountable problems, and that while UNHCR will continue operate in unstable environments and for mixed caseloads, its unique responsibility for refugees must override wider interests and concerns.