United Nations Country Team in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan refugee return figures fall in 2011, amidst suspension of ferry service

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The number of Sri Lankan refugees returning home has seen a marked drop in 2011 when compared with the previous year, latest UNHCR statistics show.

A total of 1,728 Sri Lankan refugees returned under UNHCR’s facilitated voluntary repatriation programme last year while higher numbers were recorded in 2010 during which the agency helped some 2,054 Sri Lankan refugees come home. In 2009, UNHCR facilitated the voluntary return of some 818 individuals.

“Although we introduced new measures to make the voluntary repatriation process easier, the pace of returns last year was slower than initially expected. This could be due to the delay in the launch, and subsequent suspension of the Colombo-Tuticorin ferry service,” says UNHCR Representative in Sri Lanka Michael Zwack.

In October 2011, UNHCR opened up the return of Sri Lankan refugees from India to Colombo by ferry, adding a new dimension to its voluntary repatriation programme. Until then, all returns took place by air. However the ferry service was suspended one month later.

“Passengers on the ferry can bring up to five times more luggage than those traveling by flight so many refugees were waiting until the ferry service started so that they could bring their belongings. Following the suspension of the service, some refugees are once again opting to return by air but a substantial number say they would rather wait until it resumes,” added Zwack.

Many of the returns so far are from camps in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Small numbers have also returned from Malaysia, Georgia and the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia.

Sri Lankan refugees returning under UNHCR's voluntary repatriation programme receive a standard reintegration grant as a first step towards helping them restart their lives. Each individual is also provided with a modest transport grant to help them arrange their own transportation back to their villages. Once at their destination in Sri Lanka, these returnees can approach one of UNHCR's five offices in the north and east to obtain a kit of basic household supplies.

A majority of the returns are taking place to Sri Lanka’s eastern district of Trincomalee. A substantial number of Sri Lankan refugees are also going back to the Mannar and Vavuniya districts in the country’s north while small groups are returning to Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Batticaloa, Colombo, Ampara, Puttalam and Kandy.

UNHCR carries out regular monitoring in these areas and seeks to ensure that returnees receive mine risk education and are included in the food ration lists and become considered as beneficiaries to the many government, UN and other projects taking place to reestablish the lives of Sri Lankans in the North and East of the country. In addition, UNHCR refers persons with special needs (persons with disabilities, elderly persons etc) to specialized institutions and those in need of legal counseling to the relevant government authority or other organizations that can provide targeted assistance.

Sri Lankan refugees abroad who wish to return home can approach the closest UNHCR office for assistance in their country of asylum.

UNHCR's most recent statistics, gathered from governments, show that as of end- 2010 there are some 141,063 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with a majority -some 69,000 in 112 refugee camps and another 32,000 living outside camps in
Tamil Nadu, India. The other main countries with Sri Lankan refugees are France, Canada, Germany, UK, Switzerland, Australia, Malaysia, the United States and Italy.

For further information on these topics, please contact:

Sulakshani Perera
External Relations Associate
UNHCR Colombo
pereras@unhcr.org
www.unhcr.lk

UNDP Sri Lanka launches the 2011 Human Development Report (HDR) with review of implications of sustainability and equity on Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka launch of the 2011 HDR titled, “Sustainability and Equity: A better Future for All,” was held on November 22, 2011 at the Auditorium of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in the presence of Hon. Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Minister of Environment who delivered the keynote address.

The Report was launched globally in Copenhagen by UNDP Administrator Helen Clark with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt. With H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasizing on the importance of environment in the context of rapid economic development, findings of this report has direct relevance to Sri Lanka.

This year’s report focuses on the challenge of sustainable and equitable progress, and shows how environmental degradation intensifies inequality through adverse impacts on already disadvantaged people and how inequalities and human development amplify environmental degradation.

The report argues that environmental sustainability can be most fairly and effectively achieved by addressing health, education, income, and gender disparities together with the need for global action on energy production and ecosystem protection. It identifies indoor air pollution, climate change and inadequate access to clean water and sanitation as some of the key environmental threats to human development.

The report ranks Sri Lanka at the 97th position out of 187 countries in terms of human development and first in South Asia. Sri Lanka’s Human Development Index (HDI) has progressively increased up to 0.691 in 2011 compared to 0.658 in 2010. The HDI of South Asia as a region increased from 0.356 in 1980 to 0.548 this year. India ranked 134th while Pakistan was two positions below in their HDI, while Bangladesh (146), Nepal (157), Bhutan (141) and Afghanistan (172) were also featured in the Report.

Mr. Subinay Nandy, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka noted that mitigating environment risks of the future, while ensuring that today’s poor are not adversely affected will be a key priority in the future. Sri Lanka has shown a clear commitment to environment sustainability. Yet, ensuring environment sustainability, which is Goal 7 of the Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015, is the MDG most at risk of not being met due to issues such as deforestation. As such, there is a need for different stakeholders to unite for Sri Lanka’s future, he added.

The findings of this report come at a significant juncture with world leaders preparing for the UNFCC Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa from November 29 to December 9 this year and the Rio+20 Summit in June 2012, both of which will provide an opportunity for the world community to put sustainability and equity concerns at the heart of the post-2015 international development agenda.

In his introduction to the report, Mr. Douglas Keh, Country Director of UNDP highlighted patterns, trends, progress and prospects of human development, noting that in most cases the most disadvantaged people will bear the repercussions of environmental deterioration, even if they contribute little to the problem.

Three eminent speakers, Dr. B. M. S. Batagoda, Director General of the Department of National Planning, presented a review of sustainability aspects in relation to Sri Lanka, while Dr. Dileni Gunawardena, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Peradeniya presented an insight into the equity aspects of poverty and human development and Dr. Saman Kelegama, Executive Director, Institute of Policy Studies shed light on their economic implications and also deliberated on the proposed currency transaction tax with regard to Sri Lanka.

For more Information on the 2010 Human Development Report please contact

Communications Unit - United Nations Development Programme,

202 – 204 Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7

Tel: 2580691 (Ext: 367)

15 November 2011

WFP DONATIONS SUPPORT POST-HARVEST AND FOOD PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES

COLOMBO – More than 900 households in 22 villages across northern Sri Lanka have today received rice paddy storage units, parboiling vessels and rice flour mills from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support post-harvest stock management and food processing activities.

The items – with a total value of approximately US$230,000 – will enable families to store rice stocks more efficiently, limiting post-harvest losses and thus improving longer-term food security.

“This project is entering a dynamic new phase where a combination of initiatives can make a tangible and lasting impact on the livelihoods of the people we assist,” said WFP Sri Lanka Country Director Adnan Khan. “Training in processing techniques which add value to household food crops will help farmers access a wider range of markets and to secure better prices for their produce.”

WF’P’s donation launches the second phase of its post-harvest initiative, which follows on from earlier assistance to the Government to increase its in-country post-harvest storage capacity.

Supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Institute of Post Harvest Technology, the second phase also seeks to support capacity building through training for women in food processing, packaging and agro-based entrepreneurship in re-settled provinces in the northern areas.

Training is being provided in coordination with the Government, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and retail company Cargills Ceylon.

At today’s hand-over event, the donated items were presented to the Minister of Agriculture, Honourable Mahinda Yappa Abeywardena, during a ceremony attended by WFP representatives and government officials. Donor representatives from AusAid, Norway and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, whose governments have provided funding support for the project initiative, were also present.

This latest WFP donation is in addition to 155 six-metre-high storage containers and 52 sets of weighing scales that were provided in 2010.

To date, WFP Sri Lanka has presented some US$650,000 of storage and agricultural equipment to the government.

# # #

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries.

WFP now provides RSS feeds to help journalists keep up with the latest press releases, videos and photos as they are published on WFP.org. For more details see: http://www.wfp.org/rss

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):

Paulette Jones, WFP/Sri Lanka, Tel. +94 11 4 740350/1/3, Cell + 94 0 7729 10076

Diluka Piyasena, WFP/ Sri Lanka, Tel. +94 11 4 740350/1/3, Cell + 94 07731 78244

For more information on WFP activities: http://www.wfp.org/

‘Peer helper’ workshop in Sri Lanka aims to help staff cope with stress

COLOMBO, 18 November 2011 – Each day, UNHCR staff across the world endure difficult conditions to help people most in need. Scenes of displacement, suffering of survivors, intense pressure surrounding the assistance effort or changes in the operation can take its toll on staff.

These factors can contribute towards a build-up of stress which – if unaddressed – could impact the physical and mental well-being of staff members both in their professional and personal life.

With this in mind, a workshop is currently underway in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, to help capacitate staff to deal with stress and stress-related issues. This ‘Peer Helper-Peer Support Personnel Training’, which started on Monday is jointly organized by UNHCR and the UN Department for Security and Safety (UNDSS). Some ten staff members representing UNHCR offices across the country along with three staff from other agencies are participating in the training.

“The participant selection was carried out very carefully. There are several essential qualities or attributes that a staff member need to have to become a peer helper including emotional integrity, maturity and a strong sense of responsibility,” says UNHCR Deputy Representative in Sri Lanka Jennifer Pagonis, who was instrumental in getting the process off the ground. “Above all, they must be excellent listeners and good communicators.”

Over a six day period, participants are trained to help colleagues cope functionally with everyday stress in their work and personal lives and to make individual and confidential interventions when and where needed. At the end of the training, these ‘peer helpers’ will also be able to identify staff members displaying signs of distress and initiate first contact as needed.

The training is facilitated by UNHCR’s staff welfare officers Misko Mimica and Regan Shercliffe along with UNDSS’s Stress Counsellor in Sri Lanka Nilusha Doranegama.

“During the course of the training, we have seen that colleagues in Sri Lanka are motivated and very interested which makes all the difference. The fact that they were chosen by their peers for this role means that they are individuals that have a certain presence in the office,” Shercliffe says.

One of the participants, Ragushankar Kulanthaivelu, a UNHCR staff member working in a field office in the north, says for him, the training has been an eye-opener.

“It’s a really great training and we now have a better understanding of what peer support really means. We are being trained to identify and help people going through stress, not simply through advice and advocacy but also by showing compassion. Basically our role is to guide them through the process of helping themselves.”

The term Peer Helper or Peer Support Personnel refers to UN staff members who are trained to provide non-professional psychosocial assistance to UN staff and their direct dependents. UNHCR’s Staff Welfare Section has been developing a Peer Support Personnel (PSP) service since 2001, as a mechanism which offers support to colleagues in dealing with personal and work related problems.

Geneva-based Mimica says an evaluation of the PSP network shows an indisputable need for it within UNHCR.

“It’s an important aspect in any operation,” he says. “A survey carried out by the Global Learning Center this year on the impact of the PSP system shows that not many staff members use the network but a majority of those who do, are satisfied with the results.”

Since it started, some 200 PSPs have been trained and are active in many offices across the world.

ENDS/

World of Work Report 2011- ILO says world heading for a new and deeper jobs recession, warns of more social unrest

In a grim analysis issued on the eve of the G20 leaders summit, the International Labour Organization (ILO) says the global economy is on the verge of a new and deeper jobs recession that will further delay the global economic recovery and may ignite more social unrest in scores of countries.

Press release | October 31, 2011

GENEVA (ILO News) – In a grim analysis issued on the eve of the G20 leaders summit, the International Labour Organization (ILO) says the global economy is on the verge of a new and deeper jobs recession that will further delay the global economic recovery and may ignite more social unrest in scores of countries.

“We have reached the moment of truth. We have a brief window of opportunity to avoid a major double-dip in employment,” said Raymond Torres, Director of the ILO International Institute for Labour Studies that issued the report.

The new “World of Work Report 2011: Making markets work for jobs” says a stalled global economic recovery has begun to dramatically affect labour markets. On current trends, it will take at least five years to return employment in advanced economies to pre-crisis levels, one year later than projected in last year’s report.

Noting that the current labour market is already within the confines of the usual six-month lag between an economic slowdown and its impact on employment, the report indicates that 80 million jobs need to be created over the next two years to return to pre-crisis employment rates. However, the recent slowdown in growth suggests that the world economy is likely to create only half of the jobs needed.

The report also features a new “social unrest” index that shows levels of discontent over the lack of jobs and anger over perceptions that the burden of the crisis is not being shared fairly. It notes that in over 45 of the 119 countries examined, the risk of social unrest is rising. This is especially the case in advanced economies, notably the EU, the Arab region and to a lesser extent Asia. By contrast, there is a stagnant or lower risk of social unrest in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

The study shows that nearly two-thirds of advanced economies and half of emerging and developing economies with recent available data are once again experiencing a slowdown in employment. This comes on top of an already precarious employment situation in which global unemployment is at its highest point ever, surpassing 200 million worldwide.

The report cites three reasons why the ongoing economic slowdown may have a particularly strong impact on the employment panorama: first, compared to the start of the crisis, enterprises are now in a weaker position to retain workers; second, as pressure to adopt fiscal austerity measures mount, governments are less inclined to maintain or adopt new job- and income-support programmes; and third, countries are left to act in isolation due to lack of international policy coordination.

The report’s other main findings include:

- Approximately 80 million net new jobs will be needed over the next two years to re-attain pre-crisis employment rates (27 million in advanced economies and the remainder in emerging and developing countries).

- Out of 118 countries with available data, 69 countries show an increase in the percentage of people reporting a worsening of living standards in 2010 compared to 2006.

- Respondents in half of 99 countries surveyed say they do not have confidence in their national governments.

- In 2010, more than 50 per cent of people in developed countries report being dissatisfied with the availability of decent jobs (in countries such as Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain, more than 70 per cent of survey respondents reported dissatisfaction).

- The share of profit in GDP increased in 83 per cent of the countries analyzed between 2000 and 2009. Productive investment, however, stagnated globally during the same period.

- In advanced countries, the growth in corporate profits among non-financial firms was translated into a substantial increase in dividend payouts (from 29 per cent of profits in 2000 to 36 per cent in 2009) and financial investment (from 81.2 per cent of GDP in 1995 to 132.2 per cent in 2007). The crisis reversed slightly these trends, which resumed in 2010.

- Food price volatility doubled during the period 2006-2010 relative to the preceding five years, affecting decent work prospects in developing countries. Financial investors benefit more from price volatility than food producers, especially small ones.

The report calls for maintaining and in some cases strengthening pro-employment programmes, warning that efforts to reduce public debt and deficits have often disproportionately focused on labour market and social measures. For example, it shows that increasing active labour market spending by only half a per cent of GDP would increase employment by between 0.4 per cent and 0.8 per cent, depending on the country.

The study also calls for supporting investment in the real economy through financial reform and pro-investment measures.

Finally, it says that the adage that wage moderation leads to job creation is a myth, and calls for a comprehensive income-led recovery strategy. This would also help stimulate investment while reducing excessive income inequalities.

For more information, please contact the ILO Department of Communication and Public Information on +4122/799-7912 communication@ilo.org

The United Nations in Sri Lanka Marks the 66th UN Day

October 24, 2011

As the UN and its member states mark 66 years since the UN Charter came into being, promoting a world of peace, equality and development, the UN Secretary General urged the world to “unite, seven billion strong, in the name of the global common good”.

Marking the occasion locally, the UN in Sri Lanka held a reception for its partners where the UN Resident Coordinator recognized Sri Lanka’s Contribution to the UN system. Since 2000, more than 14,000 Sri Lankan peacekeeping troops have been deployed to serve in nine countries and many distinguished Sri Lankans have also served with the UN, including at the level of Under Secretary General.

The UN Resident Coordinator also thanked the international community for providing over $600 million to support UN activities in Sri Lanka since 2008. During the last year, this support has been directed towards resettlement and recovery in the former conflict affected areas, response to the 2011 floods and promotion of the MDGs, especially at the local level. The UN has also been working with national partners to address new challenges such as ageing, the spread of on-communicable diseases and climate change.

Gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest, H.E Prime Minister Mr. D.M. Jayaratne launched the 7 billion campaign by signing a world map as one of 7 billion. During his Statement he spoke of Sri Lanka’s unwavering commitment to the foundations of the UN Charter and the mutually beneficial partnership existing between the UN and the Government. He went on to explain how the UN is in a unique position to support common action to address today’s challenges including financial instability and climate change.

In line with the theme of this year’s UN Day, ‘The Ways the United Nations Makes a Difference in Everyday Life’, an exhibition showcased the continuum of the UN’s work in Sri Lanka from emergency response, to fighting poverty and disease, ensuring access to education, empowerment of women, sustainable livelihoods, and mitigation of climate change impacts.

Looking to the future, the UN Resident Coordinator noted that with the end of the war now more than two years behind us, the work of the United Nations in Sri Lanka is itself in the midst of a transition. He encouraged the UN and partners to work together, with an emphasis on shared values, to promote a prosperous future and the creation of a society where every Sri Lankan finds their place.

--- Ends ---

Press release

18th October 2011

From Poverty to Sustainability in Sri Lanka

On the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Honorable Minister Amunugama invited everyone to look at issues of poverty alleviation from the perspective of the poor: emphasizing the importance of enhancing the capabilities of the poor to lift themselves out of poverty.

These remarks were made during the inaugural session of a Policy Dialogue, hosted jointly by the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), Ministry of Economic Development and the United Nations in Sri Lanka under the theme “From Poverty to Sustainability – People at the Center of Inclusive Development”. The Honorable Minister went on to highlight Sri Lanka's success in poverty alleviation but also called for more detailed research and analysis of current social welfare practices to better define future programs factoring in issues of inventive, proper targeting as well structural issues of labour mobility in the context of need and demands in Sri Lanka and globally.

Mr. Ajay Chhibber, the UN Assistant Secretary General, Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific and Chair of the UN Development Group, Asia and the Pacific, in a pre-recorded message, welcomed the theme in the context of Asia where many countries have sustained high rates of growth for a number of years and are now looking at how to ensure the growth translates into reducing poverty for a much higher proportion of people.

Indeed, a key focus of the dialogue was how partners could collectively support the implementation of the Mahinda Chinthana vision of “Balanced Regional Development with Diversity” – the intention to transform all regions to ensure every household has the opportunity to benefit from economic development.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Mr. Subinay Nandy highlighted the opportunity presented by the end of the war and the strength of the economy, and encouraged partners to jointly look for new and bold ways of improving the lives of those that continue to live in hardship. He noted that available data on per capita income, health and education shows lower levels in the North and the East when compared to national averages, and also drew attention to pockets of vulnerability elsewhere in the country most noticeably among plantation workers, female headed households, the disabled and elderly.

The IPS Executive Director stated that the Institute prepared the Millennium Development Goals Country Report 2008/2009 and in the process of preparing the National Human Development Report for Sri Lanka and always facilitate discussions and debates on poverty and human development.

Presenting new data revealing a strong causal link between health indicators and multi-dimensional poverty, IPS went on to advocate for a sustained focus on pervasive issues such as malnutrition, and increased attention to modern day challenges presented by non-communicable diseases and an aging population.

The full day event took place in the IPS auditorium and was webcast live. Speakers included representatives from Government, the Jaffna University, the Private Sector and experts from the regional and Sri Lanka country offices of ILO, UNDP, UNICEF, and WFP. Datuk Dr Jayasooria from the University Kebangsaan Malaysia delivered the keynote regional address.

WFP News Release

14 October 2011

FOOD ASSISTANCE BUILDS BRIDGE BETWEEN HUNGER AND HOPE AS MILLIONS MARK WORLD FOOD DAY

ROME – The World Food Programme (WFP) today marks World Food Day by highlighting the vital role that food assistance plays during humanitarian crises, supporting recovery in the immediate aftermath of disasters, and building the resilience that is necessary to ensure food security.

“Across the world, we are the bridge between hunger and hope for millions of people,” said WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran. “WFP is providing life-saving food assistance in the midst of crises like the drought in the Horn of Africa. In countries like Libya, we are supporting communities that are striving to recover from crisis, and in places like Haiti, we continue to work with governments and civil society to build resilience so that the vulnerable are better able to cope when the next disaster strikes.”

Relief, recovery and resilience are the three defining pillars of WFP’s work in more than 70 countries around the world, where we are bringing the most effective and appropriate food assistance to close to 100 million people this year.

“Here in Sri Lanka, WFP is partnering with the government to provide nutritional food, principally to returnee and flood affected communities, school children and pregnant and nursing mothers and their young infants,” said WFP Sri Lanka Country Director, Adnan Khan.

“Our interventions aim to make a real contribution to improving the food security, livelihoods and nutrition of our beneficiaries. We are unwavering in our determination to bring about lasting transition and sustainability for those food insecure men, women and children in the country whom we currently assist.”

For more information on the WFP’s work in Sri Lanka, visit our dedicated country page:
http://www.wfp.org/insertcountrypagenamehere.

This year’s theme for World Food Day, “Food Prices – from Crisis to Stability”, underlines the role that food assistance can play in protecting vulnerable communities that are affected by food price volatility.

WFP is deploying an increasingly sophisticated array of innovative tools to address the needs of people who are struggling to access the nutrition they need for their families on a daily basis – including those in many developing countries who have borne the brunt of the turbulence on global food markets.

• NUTRITION – Working with governments and the private sector, WFP is building the capacity in developing countries to produce home-grown solutions to hunger, such as the highly nutritious supplementary food products for children that we are helping to produce in Pakistan, and planning to produce in Ethiopia.

• CASH OR VOUCHERS – When the biggest challenge is access to food, rather than availability, WFP is increasingly deploying innovative tools such as e-vouchers, or cash to help families who are unable to afford the food that is sold in their shops and markets.

• SUPPORTING SMALL FARMERS – Food security in developing countries can be strengthened by empowering smallholder farmers. WFP’s Purchase for Progress (P4P) initiative is a pilot programme in 21 countries that is providing farmers with the expertise to improve the quality and size of their yields, and better connect them to markets.

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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries.

WFP now provides RSS feeds to help journalists keep up with the latest press releases, videos and photos as they are published on WFP.org. For more details see: http://www.wfp.org/rss

WFP has a dedicated ISDN line in Italy for quality two-way interviews with WFP officials.

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Paulette Jones, Donor Relations Officer, WFP Sri Lanka, Tel. +94 11 4740350 ext. 2480
Diluka Piyasena, Public Information Assistant, WFP Sri Lanka, Tel. +94 11 4740350 ext. 2481

Monday 26 September 2011

UNHCR urges Sri Lankan refugee awareness of new land regulations

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is urging Sri Lankan refugees abroad to make themselves fully aware of new procedures aimed at resolving land documentation and property ownership issues in Sri Lanka’s north and east.

“It is important for Sri Lankan refugees to inform themselves as soon as possible about these new measures so they don’t risk losing out on claiming or re-registering land and property,” said UNHCR’s Representative in Sri Lanka Michael Zwack. “Although the circular primarily focuses on state land, some provisions may have implications for private land as well, including properties belonging to people still in displacement and Sri Lankan refugees overseas,” he added.

The procedures were introduced by the Sri Lankan Government in a circular titled ‘Regulating the Management of Lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces’ in July 2011. It outlines the process in which land and property claims/ disputes and documentation issues in the northern and eastern provinces will be handled.

UNHCR welcomes the circular as a positive step towards resolving complex land/property issues facing many internally displaced and refugee families returning to their villages in former conflict areas of the north and east. However, UNHCR
considers several provisions in the circular require further clarification and that an awareness campaign in English, Tamil and Sinhala languages is necessary to reach all those affected whether they are currently in Sri Lanka or abroad.

According to UNHCR’s most recent statistics at the end of 2010, there are some 141,063 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries. The majority of refugees live in Tamil Nadu, in neighbouring India, with 69,998 Sri Lankan refugees residing in 112 government-run camps and 32,467 living outside the camps.

The English (http://www.unhcr.lk/pdf/land_circular_2011-04_english.pdf) and Tamil (http://www.unhcr.lk/pdf/land_circular_2011-04_tamil.pdf) versions of the circular are posted on the UNHCR Sri Lanka website for easy reference.

ENDS

Sulakshani Perera
External Relations Associate

UNHCR helps light up return areas in Sri Lanka’s north

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The UN Refugee Agency yesterday donated a consignment of solar lamps to help light up some of the most remote areas in the northern district of Jaffna.

The consignment was handed over by UNHCR to Jaffna local government officials at a short ceremony on Monday. The solar lamps will be set up in six locations in Jaffna’s Vadamarachchi East division which are currently not connected to the national electricity grid.

“Our assessments show that these returnee families face many difficulties because of lack of light,” says UNHCR’s Representative Michael Zwack. “Women are afraid to go out at night or to use sanitation facilities and children can’t study in the
evening. We hope the solar lamps will go some way to improving this situation.”

The solar lamps systems will be installed in a pre-school or common hall in each of the six locations. This will allow the communities including teachers and students to either work longer hours or meet in the evenings for recreational activities. UNHCR will train the technical teams responsible for the maintenance of the lamps.

Families from Vadamarachchi East, who have suffered multiple displacements since the 1990’s and were also hit by the 2004 tsunami, have been gradually returning to the area since it was opened in September 2010. Many areas are yet to be connected to the national power grid and are situated in the midst of thick jungle, far away from the nearest towns.

This is the third batch of solar lamps UNHCR has donated to help light up Vadamarachchi East. The agency made similar donations in June and July this year and will continue to support renewable energy projects in return areas.

ENDS

For further information on these topics, please contact:
Sulakshani Perera
External Relations Associate
UNHCR Colombo
Tel : +94 11 2683968
Mobile: +94 777 272494
pereras@unhcr.org
www.unhcr.lk

8 August 2011

Vavuniya, Sri Lanka: The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) of Vavuniya North have joined forces to re-tool a major rice milling operation damaged during the years of Sri Lanka’s civil conflict.

The agreement, worth Rupees 10,768,000, was formally signed by the ILO and MPCS to cover the costs of procurement and installation of the rice milling equipment.

When completed in January 2012, the rice mill at Nedunkeni, Vavuniya North will be capable of processing 4,000 metric tons of raw paddy per annum. This will directly create 20 new jobs at the mill and will have a direct and positive impact on the incomes of an estimated 2,000 paddy farmers in the area.

This agreement is viewed by the ILO as a first step in a long term integrated support package to the cooperative movement in the Northern Province.

Technical Support for the selection, procurement and installation of equipment is being provided by the Institute of Post-Harvest Technology Research and Development in Anuradhapura.

The three-year Local Empowerment through Economic Development Project (LEED) is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations and the ILO. It is funded by the Government of Australia.

The cooperative sector is viewed by the ILO as a key stakeholder and partner in the Government’s reconstruction efforts in the Northern Province. The ILO is supporting cooperatives as a partner in empowering communities to seek new and sustainable approaches that respond to their aspirations for decent work.

For further information, please contact:

Sandra Senaratne

ILO Office Colombo

sandra@ilo.org

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is thanking the international community for its support to help protect and assist hundreds of thousands of people affected by Sri Lanka’s conflict.

Recent donations by a number of countries means that a critical funding crisis has been averted and the agency is now able to continue with much needed humanitarian efforts in the country’s north and east.

“Its important to understand that there are still many urgent humanitarian needs, mainly in the return areas of the north. But a lack of funding has been a critical issue,” says UNHCR Representative in Sri Lanka Michael Zwack. “We thank foreign governments that have recognised this and committed funds for humanitarian operations in the country.”

This year, a number of the governments - United States of America, Japan, France, Switzerland and Canada - have already provided financial support to UNHCR’s important work in Sri Lanka. The money has gone a long way towards meeting the urgent needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs), IDP returnees and Sri Lankan refugees returning home.

A big part of the financial contributions has helped UNHCR and partners support the Government of Sri Lanka with facilitating the safe and voluntary return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Sri Lankan refugees. Thanks to the funds , UNHCR is able to continue with important work on the ground such as monitoring of IDP sites and return areas, distribution of basic household items, disbursement of the UNHCR shelter cash grants/ reintegration grants and implementation of community based projects. UNHCR is also using some of the money to support IDPs still in camps and ensure the care and maintenance of a small numbers of refugees from other countries in Sri Lanka.

However serious funding constraints still remain. UNHCR’s total budget for 2011 is approximately US$27.1 Million but as the final quarter approaches, only less than half of this requirement has been met. UNHCR is encouraging governments across the world to step up and support the agency’s work in Sri Lanka, helping the most vulnerable communities affected by decades of conflict, provide durable solutions and prevent further displacement.

Photo caption: Japanese Ambassador Mr. Kunio Takahashi hands over signed letter to UNHCR Representative in Sri Lanka Michael Zwack marking contribution of 100 Million Japanese Yen for the agency's important work in Sri Lanka's north and east. ©UNHCR/S. Perera/ 2011

ENDS

For further information on these topics, please contact:

Sulakshani Perera

External Relations Associate

UNHCR Colombo

Tel : +94 11 2683968

Mobile: +94 777 272494

pereras@unhcr.org

www.unhcr.lk

KILINOCHCHI, SRI LANKA, 5 August – The newly-arrived chief of the United Nations in Sri Lanka is making his second familiarisation visit to the north of the country and says that there are many encouraging and notable signs of progress but substantial challenges remain ahead to improve the lives of those affected by the conflict.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka Subinay Nandy, arrived in Jaffna on Wednesday, visited Mullaitivu District on Thursday and is travelling in Kilinochchi on Friday where he will finish his three-day mission. He visited Vavuniya District in mid-July.

“Listening and talking to people in the post-conflict area is very important to me to gain a real understanding of the situation and needs. The UN agencies are working in many different areas to meet the still ongoing humanitarian as well as the more long-term development needs,” Mr. Nandy said.

Mr. Nandy said resettlement, reconciliation and longer term development need to go hand-in-hand to provide a durable foundation for a sustained improvement in people’s lives in the area and efforts need to continue for this.

During his mission Mr. Nandy visited Jaffna and the recently resettled areas in Tellipalai as well as Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullativu, where some communities had only returned this week. He saw first-hand a variety of UN humanitarian and development projects for housing, agriculture, health and livelihoods as well as meeting the Governor for the Northern Province, Major General GA Chandrasiri, and other key government and military officials, the UN team and NGO partners. On Friday in Kilinochchi District, Mr. Nandy is scheduled to visit various housing, agricultural and health projects.

“So far, I have been struck, particularly in the recently resettled areas, by the great desire and determination of people to restart their lives and get back to some kind of normality. But, there remain gaps and a lack of facilities, livelihood opportunities and adequate capacities for a well-functioning civilian administration.”

The situation of displaced people in Menik Farm from Mullaitivu whose areas of origin were not yet tasked for demining and could not return to their homes in the immediate future was of concern, Mr. Nandy said.

“I am looking forward to hearing from the Government the future plans for these people and we want to work with them so this group of displaced can begin to look forward to the future with some certainty and have a durable solution to their plight,” he said.

Mr. Nandy said the United Nations was working with the Government to improve lives in the north, but he noted that funding from donors for Sri Lanka was decreasing. The UN-Government Joint Plan of Assistance, launched in February this year, is only 23 percent funded, he noted.

Photo Caption: The UN Resident Coordinator hears how newly resettled families in Tellipalai are rebuilding their lives

UNAIDS and WHO hail new results showing that a once-daily pill for HIV-negative people can prevent them from acquiring HIV
New data from studies in Kenya, Uganda and Botswana confirm major role of antiretroviral medicine in preventing heterosexual HIV transmission

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GENEVA, 13 July 2011—Results announced today from two studies reveal that a daily antiretroviral tablet taken by people who do not have HIV infection can reduce their risk of acquiring HIV by up to 73%. Both daily tenofovir and daily tenofovir/emtricitabine taken as preventive medicine (PrEP - pre-exposure prophylaxis) can prevent heterosexual transmission of HIV from men to women and from women to men.

The Partners PrEP trial, conducted by the University of Washington’s International Clinical Research Center, followed 4758 sero-discordant couples (in which one person had HIV infection and the other did not) in Kenya and Uganda. Couples received counselling and free male and female condoms. The uninfected partner took a once-daily tenofovir tablet or a tenofovir/emtricitabine tablet or a placebo pill. There were 62% fewer HIV infections in the group receiving tenofovir and 73% fewer HIV infections in the group that took tenofovir /emtricitabine than in the group receiving the placebo.

The TDF2 trial, conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control, followed 1200 men and women in Botswana who received either a once-daily tenofovir/emtricitabine tablet or a placebo pill. The antiretroviral tablet reduced the risk of acquiring HIV infection by roughly 63% overall in the study population of uninfected heterosexual men and women.

“This is a major scientific breakthrough which re-confirms the essential role that antiretroviral medicine has to play in the AIDS response,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). “These studies could help us to reach the tipping point in the HIV epidemic.”

The medicines are available generically in many countries at prices as low as US$ 0.25 per tablet. In November 2010, the iPrEx trial among men who have sex with men in six countries reported a 44% reduction in HIV transmission among those who took a daily tenofovir/emtricitabine tablet.

"Effective new HIV prevention tools are urgently needed, and these studies could have enormous impact in preventing heterosexual transmission," said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO's Director-General. "WHO will be working with countries to use the new findings to protect more men and women from HIV infection."

UNAIDS and WHO have already been working with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia to explore the potential role of pre-exposure prophylaxis in HIV prevention. This news will encourage more people to get tested for HIV, discuss HIV prevention options with their partners and access essential HIV services.

It is currently estimated that only about half of the 33 million people living with HIV know their HIV status. An increase in the uptake of testing for HIV would have a significant impact on the AIDS response, particularly if more people gain access to new HIV prevention technologies in light of the new findings.

UNAIDS and WHO recommend that individuals and couples make evidence-informed decisions on which combination of HIV prevention options is best for them. No single method is fully protective against HIV. Antiretroviral drugs for prevention need to be combined with other HIV prevention options. These include correct and consistent use of male and female condoms, waiting longer before having sex for the first time, having fewer partners, medical male circumcision and avoiding penetrative sex.

Contact
UNAIDS Geneva | Sophie Barton-Knott
|tel. +41 22 791 1697 |bartonknotts@unaids.org

UNAIDS
UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative United Nations partnership that leads and inspires the world in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

Learn more at unaids.org.

Launch of National AIDS Policy on HIV and AIDS in the World of Work in Sri Lanka on the 18^th July at Taj Samudra

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On Monday 18 July the Minister of Labour and Labour Relations will launch Sri Lanka’s first National Policy on HIV and AIDS in the world of work.The Cabinet of Ministers officially endorsed the Policy in December 2010 and called for joint implementation between Labour Ministry and the Ministry of Health.

The policy, which draws on international human rights instruments such as ILO labour standard on HIV in the workplace (Recommendation 200), prohibits discrimination of people based on real or perceived HIV status for purposes of recruitment or at any other stage of employment. Mr. Peiris from Lanka Plus said the right to work is a critical right for people with HIV.“We must work in order to remain healthy and take care of our families.We hope the labour department and enterprises will take steps to make sure that this policy is implemented well and people with HIV are not denied jobs or fired because of their HIV status.”

Prevention of new infections among workers is also a key feature of the policy, which calls on all Sri Lankan workplaces to educate workers on HIV and AIDS, promote voluntary testing and counselling services and establish linkages with government healthcare providers for HIV treatment and care.Donglin Li, Director of the International Labour Organization in Sri Lanka noted “prevention is critical at this early stage of the epidemic. The ILO partners, the Ministry of Labour, the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon and trade unions, have impressive delivery power that could reach nearly 8.5 million workers with lifesaving prevention.”

The ILO is currently working with partners carrying out prevention and rights protection programs in industrial sectors where workers are more vulnerable to HIV infection including international migration, maritime, fisheries and tourism.

The new policy also calls for targeted programs in the health sector to improved occupation health and safety in healthcare settings while increasing healthcare worker basic knowledge on HIV and AIDS.This effort will be critical to reducing stigma and discrimination in hospitals and clinics.A recent survey of people living with HIV commissioned by UNAIDS and implemented by Grassrooted Trust, showed that poor treatment towards people with HIV in health settings is a critical issue.For example, 49% of people in the survey said they had not had any constructive discussion with healthcare providers about HIV treatment programs, despite presence of a national treatment programme which provides free anti-retroviral medications for people who need them.

In April 2007, the Ministry of Health reported total estimated 3000 HIV cases, of which 80% were a result of heterosexual sex and 11% from men who have sex with men.

For more information, please contact:
Indira Hettiarachchi
National Program Coordinator on HIV and AIDS International Labour Organization Country Office for Sri Lanka
Tel :+ 94 11 2592525, 2580691 – 8 Fax: +94 11 2500865

UNHCR report: 80% of world’s refugees in developing countries

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GENEVA, 20 JUNE 2011 - A UNHCR report released today reveals deep imbalance in international support for the world’s forcibly displaced, with a full four-fifths of the world’s refugees being hosted by developing countries – and at a time of rising anti-refugee sentiment in many industrialized ones.

UNHCR’s 2010 Global Trends report shows that many of the world’s poorest countries are hosting huge refugee populations, both in absolute terms and in relation to the size of their economies. Pakistan, Iran, and Syria have the largest refugee populations at 1.9 million, 1.1 million, and 1 million respectively. Pakistan also has the biggest economic impact with 710 refugees for each dollar of its per capita GDP (PPP) followed by Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya with 475 and 247 refugees respectively. By comparison Germany, the industrialized country with the largest refugee population (594,000 people), has 17 refugees for each dollar of per capita GDP.

Overall, the picture presented by the 2010 report is of a drastically changed protection environment to that of 60 years ago when the UN refugee agency was founded. At that time UNHCR’s caseload was 2.1 million Europeans, uprooted by World War Two. Today, UNHCR’s work extends to more than 120 countries and encompasses people forced to flee across borders as well as those in flight within their own countries. The 2010 Global Trends report shows that 43.7 million people are now displaced worldwide – roughly equalling the entire populations of Colombia or South Korea, or of Scandinavia and Sri Lanka combined. Within this total are 15.4 million refugees (10.55 million under UNHCR’s care and 4.82 million registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), 27.5 million people displaced internally by conflict, and nearly 850,000 asylum-seekers, nearly one fifth of them in South Africa alone. Particularly distressing are the 15,500 asylum applications by unaccompanied or separated children, most of them Somali or Afghan. The report does not cover displacement seen during 2011, including from Libya, Côte d’Ivoire, and Syria.

“In today’s world there are worrying misperceptions about refugee movements and the international protection paradigm,” said António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees and head of UNHCR. “Fears about supposed floods of refugees in industrialized countries are being vastly overblown or mistakenly conflated with issues of migration. Meanwhile it’s poorer countries that are left having to pick up the burden.”

Extended wars mean extended exile

Reflecting the prolonged nature of several of today’s major international conflicts, the report finds that the refugee experience is becoming increasingly drawn-out for millions of people worldwide. UNHCR defines a protracted refugee situation as one in which a large number of people are stuck in exile for five years or longer. In 2010, and of the refugees under UNHCR’s mandate, 7.2 million people were in such a situation – more than at any time since 2001. Meanwhile only 197,600 people were able to return home, the lowest number since 1990.

Some refugees have been in exile for more than 30 years. Afghans, who first fled the Soviet invasion in 1979, accounted for a third of the world’s refugees in both 2001 and in 2010. Iraqis, Somalis, Congolese (DRC) and Sudanese were also among the top 10 nationalities of refugees at both the start and end of the decade.

“One refugee without hope is too many,” said High Commissioner Guterres. “The world is failing these people, leaving them to wait out the instability back home and put their lives on hold indefinitely. Developing countries cannot continue to bear this burden alone and the industrialized world must address this imbalance. We need to see increased resettlement quotas. We need accelerated peace initiatives in long-standing conflicts so that refugees can go home.”

Internally displaced – highest in a decade

Despite the low level of refugee returns last year, the situation for people displaced within their own countries – so-called Internally Displaced People – showed some movement. In 2010, more than 2.9 million IDPs returned home in countries including Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Kyrgyzstan. Nonetheless even with these return levels, at 27.5 million people the global number of internally displaced was the highest in a decade.

A further but harder-to-quantify group that UNHCR cares for is stateless people, or people lacking the basic safety-net of a nationality. The number of countries reporting stateless populations has increased steadily since 2004, but differences in definitions and methodologies still prevent reliable measurement of the problem. In 2010, the reported number of stateless people (3.5 million) was nearly half of that in 2009, but mainly due to methodological changes in some countries that supply data. Unofficial estimates put the global number closer to 12 million. UNHCR will be launching a worldwide campaign in August this year to bring better attention to the plight of the world’s stateless and to accelerate action to help them.

Angelina Jolie and UN refugee chief António Guterres in Lampedusa on eve of 2011 World Refugee Day

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LAMPEDUSA ISLAND, Italy, June 19 – UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie on Sunday afternoon joined UNHCR chief António Guterres on the Italian island of Lampedusa on the eve of this year’s World Refugee Day, where they met boat people who have fled unrest in North Africa.

More than 40,000 people, including refugees and asylum-seekers, have crossed the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats and descended on the small island since the beginning of the year. Many were economic migrants from Tunisia, but some are people in need of international protection, including refugees from sub-Saharan Africa and Libya.

Italy has moved most of them to the mainland, but some have been returned to Tunisia. Jolie and Guterres were visit detention facilities on Lampedusa on Sunday to see the crowded conditions faced by new arrivals.

The UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador flew to Lampedusa from Malta, which has also been a destination for people fleeing North Africa by boat. She visited Lyster Barracks, a former Royal Air Force facility and now a detention centre for asylum-seekers, many of whom who have fled the violence in Libya. They include Somalis, Ethiopians and others from sub-Saharan Africa.

“Malta has saved many lives, but it is the daily conditions on the ground that are of most concern,” Jolie said in Malta on Sunday morning. “We’ve spent time today speaking with the government and will spend more time talking about how, together, we can make the conditions more humane, especially for the children.

“We’ve spoken about our shared concerns about making sure asylum claims are processed as quickly as possible so no-one is sitting in a prison-like situation and waiting on a decision about their status, “she added. Many of the people Jolie met in the barracks told her that they had been working in Libya to make money to remit to their families back home. One man referred to Libya as the heart of Africa, where they were able to work. “Now it is on fire and Africa is crying,” he said. The people said they had never attempted to come to Europe before, they just wanted a place where they were safe and could work. But when the war escalated in Libya, they ran out of options. “They are not asking to go to any particular country, they just want to find safety to work, and to have freedom,” Jolie stressed.

Women thrust their hands through bars and shook hands with the actress. “I just want freedom,” they repeated. Jolie praised Malta’s coastguards, saying they had “saved thousands of lives over the years and should be commended for that. They should now be given support from the international community to handle this continuing situation.

”The Goodwill Ambassador also visited an open centre near Malta‘s main airport where vulnerable asylum-seekers are living in tents inside an old aircraft hangar while their asylum claims are assessed, The people she met there said living conditions were difficult and they were concerned about the pools of fuel on the ground and rats chewing their tents.

****

WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2011 June 20 is World Refugee Day. To mark the occasion and this year's 60th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention on 28 July, UNHCR is launching a six-month campaign aimed at promoting public awareness of the stories of individual refugees and other forcibly displaced people. The campaign features a number of media products including a video by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, a new online video experience called “1 Life, 1 Story” in which refugees tell their own stories, and related publicity materials inviting members of the public to get involved and Do 1 Thing to help refugees, such as follow UNHCR on Facebook and Twitter. UNHCR is inviting media organizations to also engage and support the campaign via their news and blog sites.

For interested media organizations, online digital banners are available for this purpose at http://www.unhcr.org/wrd-materials. Join us in letting others know that even one person forced to flee war or persecution, is one too many.

UNHCR marks World Refugee Day, Monday 20 June

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COLOMBO, 20 June -On Monday 20 June, UNHCR marks World Refugee Day. Some sixty years ago, Europe’s most destructive war left millions of traumatized people homeless and displaced. Realizing these vulnerable people needed special protection world leaders took action. Thousands were resettled to new countries -and the 1951 Refugee Convention was created. Today this convention is still protecting millions of people forced to flee war or persecution.

Currently more than 43 million people are displaced by violence around the world. Europe is no longer home to most of them. The vast majority -about 80 percent -are hosted and cared for in developing countries.

“It is little known by most Sri Lankans that there are refugees and people seeking asylum in Sri Lanka,” said UNHCR’s Representative Michael Zwack. “Although numbers are very small in comparison to most countries, Sri Lanka currently hosts 236 registered refugees and 141 asylum seekers. We appreciate that UNHCR has good cooperation from the government while these refugees are here awaiting a long-lasting solution to their plight,” he added.

This generosity recently has also recently been seen in the response of Tunisians and Egyptians to people escaping the violence in Libya. These two countries have received the majority of the almost 1 million people who have fled the violence-offering safety before they could be evacuated home or refuge if returning home was not possible.

This hospitality is nothing new. It’s been shown for years or even decades in countries like Bangladesh, Chad, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Nepal, Sudan and Syria.

This generosity is rooted in a shared humanity -and a shared belief that there are no tolerable levels of suffering. It’s a recognition that even one person forced to flee war or persecution, is one too many.

Today’s chronic conflicts are a cause for special concern: What we see is that as new conflicts flare old ones are left unresolved. This leads to new displacement on the one hand and millions of people being prevented from returning home on the other. Fewer than 200,000 refugees went home in 2010, the lowest number in 20 years.

Sri Lanka is one country refugees are slowly starting to return to after the conflict has ended. Since 2010, some 2,900 refugees, mainly from Tamil Nadu in India, have returned with the help of UNHCR, and they continue to arrive in steady numbers. In addition, over 2,000 refugees returned on their own accord. According to UNHCR’s latest Global Trends statistics for 2010 just released, there are 141,063 Sri Lankan refugees and 8,563 Sri Lankan asylum seekers in different countries around the world -the majority in India.

For refugees around the world, there are few options if they cannot return home, and many will languish in camps or in urban shantytowns. Today more than seven million refugees live in so-called protracted situations -living their lives in a virtual limbo. It’s a situation that can lead to desperation and a search for an escape, even if it means risking their lives.

UNHCR statistics show that 31 percent of asylum seekers are below the age of 18. And more than 15,000 of those are unaccompanied minors – children who traveled alone across borders.

It is necessary for the international community to step forward and act. Whether it be to keep borders open to those seeking safety from violence or persecution, or to provide solutions to long-term refugees. We need to invest in peace: people need to be helped to go home, or to be given a chance to start new lives.

The recent tragedies involving refugees fleeing Libya and the longer standing ones such as the mistreatment and drowning of Somali refugees crossing the Gulf of Aden also argue powerfully for more resettlement places in the developed world.

Through resettlement, the most vulnerable refugees are able to start new lives in new countries. It allows people in need of protection to move in an orderly and predictable way, removing the temptation to life-imperiling means and routes. At the same time, it is palpable proof to those countries which host large numbers of refugees, that other nations and peoples are willing to share the burden.

In a world where the forces of food insecurity, climate change and conflict combine to push people to move, it is developing countries which are disproportionately shouldering the weight. For instance Pakistan hosts almost two million refugees. These countries should be applauded and supported.

Accordingly, on this World Refugee Day, the High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, is asking States everywhere to reflect on the solidarity expressed 60 years ago -to help the most vulnerable -and to do one thing: -to ensure those fleeing danger -no matter what part of the world they are in -can still find refuge under the 1951 Convention. Because even one refugee without hope, is one too many.

For further information on World Refugee Day please check the UNHCR website www.unhcr.org, or call UNHCR’s communications officer Sulakshani Perera on 011-268 3968 or (mobile) 0777-272494

WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2011 June 20 is World Refugee Day. To mark the occasion and this year's 60th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention on 28 July, UNHCR is launching a six-month campaign aimed at promoting public awareness of the stories of individual refugees and other forcibly displaced people. The campaign features a number of media products including a video by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, a new online video experience called “1 Life, 1 Story” in which refugees tell their own stories, and related publicity materials inviting members of the public to get involved and Do 1 Thing to help refugees, such as follow UNHCR on Facebook and Twitter. UNHCR is inviting media organizations to also engage and support the campaign via their news and blog sites.

For interested media organizations, online digital banners are available for this purpose at http://www.unhcr.org/wrd-materials .Join us in letting others know that even one person forced to flee war or persecution, is one too many.

100^th ILO annual Conference decides to bring an estimated 53 to 100 million domestic workers worldwide under the realm of labour standards

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Thursday June 16 2011 GENEVA, (ILO News) – The government, worker and employer delegates at the 100^th annual Conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Thursday, 16 June adopted a historic set of international standards aimed at improving the working conditions of tens of millions of domestic workers worldwide.

“We are moving the standards system of the ILO into the informal economy for the first time, and this is a breakthrough of great significance,” said Juan Somavia, ILO Director-General. “History is being made.”

Conference delegates adopted the Convention on Domestic Workers (2011) by a vote of 396 to 16, with 63 abstentions and the accompanying Recommendation by a vote of 434 to 8, with 42 abstentions. The ILO is the only tripartite organization of the UN, and each of its 183 Member States is represented by two government delegates, and one employer and one worker delegate, with an independent vote.

The two standards will be the 189th Convention and the supplementing 201^st Recommendation adopted by the labour Organization since it was created in 1919. The Convention is an international treaty that is binding on Member States that ratify it, while the Recommendation provides more detailed guidance on how to apply the Convention.

The new ILO standards set out that domestic workers around the world who care for families and households, must have the same basic labour rights as those available to other workers: reasonable hours of work, weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours, a limit on in-kind payment, clear information on terms and conditions of employment, as well as respect for fundamental principles and rights at work including among others freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.

Recent ILO estimates based on national surveys and/or censuses of 117 countries place the number of domestic workers at a minimum of 53 million, but experts say there could be 100 million in the world, considering that this kind of work is often hidden and unregistered. In developing countries, they make up at least 4 to 12 per cent of wage employment. Around 83 per cent of these workers are women or girls and many are migrant workers.

The Convention defines domestic work as work performed in or for a household or households. While the new instruments cover all domestic workers, they provide for special measures to protect those workers who, because of their young age or nationality or live-in status, may be exposed to additional risks relative to their peers, among others.

According to ILO proceedings, the new Convention will come into force after two countries have ratified it.

“Bringing the domestic workers into the fold of our values is a strong move, for them and for all workers who aspire to decent work, but it also has strong implications for migration and of course for gender equality,” Mr. Somavia said.

In the introductory text, the new Convention says that “domestic work continues to be undervalued and invisible and is mainly carried out by women and girls, many of whom are migrants or members of disadvantaged communities and who are particularly vulnerable to discrimination in respect of conditions of employment and work, and to other abuses of human rights.”

Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, in her address to the Conference Committee, said that the deficit of decent work among domestic workers “can no longer be tolerated,” adding that UN Women would support the process of ratification and application of the new ILO instruments.

“We need effective and binding standards to provide decent work to our domestic workers, a clear framework to guide governments, employers and workers,” said Halimah Yacob, the Workers Vice-Chair from Singapore. She noted that the collective responsibility was to provide domestic workers with what they lacked most: recognition as workers; and respect and dignity as human beings.

Paul MacKay from New Zealand, the Employers Vice-Chair declared: “We all agree on the importance of bringing domestic work into the mainstream and responding to serious human rights concerns. All employers agree there are opportunities to do better by domestic workers and the households and families for whom they work”.

“Social dialogue has found its reflection in the results achieved here,” concluded the Chair of the Committee, Mr. H.L. Cacdac, Government delegate from the Philippines, when he closed the discussion.

“This is a truly major achievement,” said Manuela Tomei, Director of the ILO’s Conditions of Work and Employment Programme, calling the new standards “robust, yet flexible.” Ms. Tomei added that the new standards make clear that “domestic workers are neither servants nor ‘members of the family’, but workers. And after today they can no longer be considered second-class workers.”

The adoption of the new standards is the result of a decision taken in March 2008 by the ILO Governing Body to place the elaboration of an instrument on the agenda of the Conference. In 2010, the Conference held its first discussion and decided to proceed with the drafting of a Convention supplemented by a Recommendation adopted today.

Bold new AIDS targets set by world leaders for 2015 Unprecedented global participation at UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS leads to new commitments, targets and momentum in the AIDS response

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NEW YORK/GENEVA, 10 June 2011—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the bold new targets set by world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS which concluded in New York today. Countries agreed to advance efforts towards reducing sexual transmission of HIV and halving HIV infection among people who inject drugs by 2015.

They also agreed to push towards eliminating new HIV infections among children in the next five years. Leaders pledged to increase the number of people on life saving treatment to 15 million and to reduce tuberculosis related deaths in people living with HIV by half in the same time period.

“This Declaration is strong, the targets are time bound and set a clear and workable roadmap, not only for the next five years, but beyond,” said Joseph Deiss, President of the United Nations General Assembly. “UN Member States have recognized that HIV is one of the most formidable challenges of our time and have demonstrated true leadership through this Declaration in their commitments to work towards a world without AIDS.”

The bold targets come at a time when international assistance for the AIDS response has dropped for the first time since 2001. Member States agreed to increase AIDS-related spending to reach between US$ 22 billion and US$ 24 billion in low- and middle-income countries by 2015.

These far reaching goals are set in the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS: Intensifying our Efforts to eliminate HIV/AIDS adopted by the General Assembly on 10 June, 2011. The declaration notes that HIV prevention strategies inadequately focus on populations at higher risk—specifically men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and sex workers, and calls on countries to focus their response based on epidemiological and national contexts.

“These are concrete and real targets that will bring hope to the 34 million people living with HIV and their families,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Through shared responsibility, the world must invest sufficiently today, so we will not have to pay forever.”

The declaration calls on all UN Member States to redouble their efforts to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2015 as a critical step towards ending the global AIDS epidemic. A pledge to eliminate gender inequality, gender based abuse and violence, and to increase the capacity of women and adolescent girls to protect themselves from HIV infection was also made.

The Declaration recognizes that access to sexual and reproductive health has been and continues to be essential to the AIDS response and that governments have the responsibility of providing public health services focused on the needs of families, particularly women and children. Member states also agreed to review laws and policies that adversely impact on the successful, effective and equitable delivery of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programmes to people living with and affected by HIV.

With nearly 7000 new HIV infections each day, the declaration reaffirms that preventing HIV must be the cornerstone of national, regional and international responses to the AIDS epidemic. It calls for expanding access to essential HIV prevention commodities, particularly male and female condoms and sterile injecting equipment. Calling for intensifying national HIV testing campaigns; it urges countries to deploy new bio-medical interventions as soon as they are validated including earlier access to treatment as prevention.

Taking note of the UNAIDS strategy, the Declaration commends UNAIDS for its leadership role on AIDS policy coordination and support to countries and calls on the joint programme to revise indicators for success and support the Secretary-General of the United Nations in providing an annual report on the progress made by Member States in realizing the commitments made in the declaration.

Contact
UNAIDS | Saya Oka |tel. +41 79 540 8307 |okas@unaids.org

UNAIDS
UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative United Nations partnership that leads and inspires the world in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
Learn more at unaids.org