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Speech: World Refugee Day 2007
28 June, BMICH Banquet Hall, Colombo 07
The following is an address made by Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure for me to be once again with many of you to commemorate World Refugee Day.
Sometimes, I must admit, I am a little sceptical of days we identify to mark or commemorate an issue, although today marks the day we need to consider the plight of all refugees and displaced persons around the world who, due to circumstances beyond their control such as conflict, have had to flee their homes. I feel that the plight of such persons should be with us every day of the year.
I do however feel that World Refugee Day presents the opportunity to raise awareness on the issue and remind people of our responsibility to assist those who find themselves deprived of their homes, property and livelihood – many are never able to return to their original habitats.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) was originally formed to assist and protect people who had sought refuge status beyond their own country’s borders. As we all know, there are thousands of people, including in our own country, who are internally displaced. We therefore need to address the issue of displacement – be it across borders or within them. The real issue globally is therefore to protect vulnerable people on the move – be they refugees or IDPs.
Both manmade and natural disasters can cause the phenomena of IDPs; my ministry is mandated to address the issue of disaster management through the lens of human rights. This, I feel is the key challenge, to ensure that the protection of IDPs is not just confined to the realm of humanitarianism but is addressed as a key human rights issue. The issue of IDPs is one that I have personally been very involved in. I chair two government mechanisms – the Consultative Committee on Humanitarian Assistance and the IDP Coordination Meeting – which brings together both government and non – government stakeholders to sit down together and discuss issues in relation to humanitarian and development assistance such as access for humanitarian agencies, delivery of essential goods and services and security concerns on the ground. I also take every opportunity to discuss issues relating to IDPs and international for a, in fact I was recently in Geneva and had pleasure of meeting High Commissioner Guterres, who emphasized UNHCR commitment to help.
The issue of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) is one of the most serious human rights issues we face in Sri Lanka today. The Government of Sri Lanka is making a concerted effort to resettle these IDPs, and is committed to a policy of voluntary resettlement of IDPs as a sustainable solution. UNHCR has been involved in the return process and has stated that returns were not voluntary and in line with international protection standards.
Other initiatives the government is pursuing in collaboration with UNHCR is to formulate an action plan to operationalise Confidence-Building and Stabilisation Measures (CBSM) for Internally Displaced Persons. I am pleased to note that the action plan is currently being finalized. I look forward to working with UNHCR to implement the activities identified. Although focusing on IDPs, it is envisaged that the action plan will lead to a broad framework of protection for all conflict-affected communities. I am very keen that we start implementing these confidence-building measures in Vaharai and West Batticaloa so that the immediate needs of people resettled in these areas, such as livelihood development and reconstruction, are met.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank UNHCR and particular Representative Amin Awad, (and Axel Bischop, Elizabeth Tan) for the support you have extended to the Government of Sri Lanka and particularly my ministry – the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights. I view our relationship with UNHCR very much as a partnership; your continued support is much appreciated.
