The UNHCR-NGO Protection Reach Out Process
Information Note
ICVA, November 1999

The protection failures in the Great Lakes and elsewhere and the systematic and intentional violation of the most basic principles of refugee protection by States prompted UNHCR to embark upon a process to address these concerns. The result was the "Reach Out" initiative started at the end of 1997.

The Reach Out process was intended to reinvigorate support for the essential institutions of refugee protection and for UNHCR's protection mandate. UNHCR realised that the international refugee protection system depends on coalitions of like-minded actors and thus decided to reach out to several groups of actors.

The process began with bilateral consultations with member States of UNHCR's Executive Committee in January 1998. UNHCR tried to ascertain the views of members States on key issues and to gain increased support its efforts to strengthen the international protection regime.

NGOs were only brought into the second phase of the process, which was launched with a round-table discussion in March 1999 with representatives of 30 international humanitarian and human rights NGOs. Umbrella organisations of NGOs, other UN agencies, governments, and donors supporting the Reach Out process attended in an observer capacity.

UNHCR and participating NGOs will work on developing a common protection agenda. Several NGO-led task forces were set up to look further into the following issues:

• mechanisms for sharing and the use of sensitive information, including at the field level;
• staff training and staff exchanges;
• capacity-building and collaboration with NGOs from the South;
• cooperation and consultation in the context of standard-setting processes, including those of the Executive Committee;
• promoting accessions to and compliance with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, including the development of appropriate compliance mechanisms; and
• coordination and cooperation in advocacy activities.

These task forces are in the process of developing concrete proposals on these issues. A joint UNHCR-NGO Steering Committee will then decide on how best to take these proposals for concrete and operationally-focused partnerships in protection advocacy forward.

In addition, two regional meetings in Bangkok and Nairobi will be held to engage in in-depth discussions with advocacy-oriented national NGOs from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America that have a demonstrated interest in, and commitment to, refugee protection issues.

In future phases, UNHCR intends to expand the reach out process to other non-state actors, including sister UN agencies and bodies, international financial institutions, and the corporate sector. Initial meetings have taken place with representatives of these groups of actors.

For further information please contact ICVA: secretariat@icva.ch, tel.+41 22 950 9600.