NGO/UNHCR Reach Out Steering Committee Meeting

Summary
Introduction
Terms of Reference
Meetings with National NGOs
Task Forces
Situation in Kosovo
Next Steps

Summary:

Members of the NGO/UNHCR Reach Out Steering Committee met at UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva on 17 May, 1999. The agenda and list of participants are attached. The Steering Committee, formed at the request of the participants to the Reach-Out meeting held at the Council on Foreign Relations on 11-12 March (“New York meeting”), met to establish its Terms of Reference, as well as to determine how best to carry forward the NGO/UNHCR Reach-Out process. It elected to do this by establishing six Task Forces to take up the proposals put forward during the New York meeting. The Steering Committee also considered the structure and participation of the upcoming Regional Meetings, to be held in Bangkok and Nairobi later this year. Dr. Elizabeth Ferris, of the World Council of Churches, was elected as the NGO co-chair of the Steering Committee. Ms Erica Feller, Director of the Department of International Protection (“DIP”) will be the Co-Chair representing UNHCR. The next meeting will be Sunday, 27 June at the office of the World Council of Churches in Geneva.

Introduction:

Mr. Soren Jessen-Petersen, Assistant High Commissioner, opened the meeting by stressing UNHCR’s commitment to the Reach-Out process. Events in the Balkans underscore the need for good collaboration between NGOs and between NGOs and UNHCR.

The meeting co-chairs, Ms Erika Feller and Dr. Elizabeth Ferris emphasised that the meeting was not convened to discuss the substance of the proposals put forward during the New York meeting, but rather to further develop and implement the NGO Reach-Out process in a way that complements the PARinAC process.

The agenda was adopted without revision.

Terms of Reference:

The Committee formed its Terms of Reference:

1. The Steering Committee will be responsible for managing and guiding the further development of the NGO Reach-Out process and will not in itself engage in advocacy or any representational activities.

2. It will serve as the forum for organising efforts to implement the proposals put forward during the New York meeting, and will monitor and guide these efforts so as to ensure they are directed at and contribute to the central aims of Reach-Out: strengthening of the international refugee protection system.

3. While established during the New York meeting, its membership will be open to the NGOs which participate in the regional Reach-Out meetings.

Meetings with National NGOs:

CIS region: A half day of the upcoming NGO consultations held prior to the meeting of the CISCONF steering committee in Geneva will be devoted to discussing ways to strengthen protection collaboration among NGOs. Ms Isabelle Mihoubi, UNHCR, briefed the Committee on CISCONF and noted the important role NGOs have played in advocacy relating to Accession and the enactment of national enabling legislation. Ms Anne la Cour, of the Danish Refugee Council, described efforts made by the NGO Working Group on Protection. Their tasks include: analysing the quality of written information made available to refugees throughout the region; hosting a number of meetings throughout the region to consider issues such as Standards of Proof; establishing a core group of legal experts to advise the working group; identifying training needs and creating useful materials for border police, refugees and NGOs; and promoting sustainable cooperation between CIS NGOs, and between NGOs and government officials.

Committee members agreed that Reach-Out topics could be addressed during the NGO consultations prior to the CISCONF steering committee and that a separate meeting need not be convened. UNHCR announced that the new NGO Field Guide on Protection would be translated into Russian and would be made available as soon as possible. NGOs wishing to assist with this effort should contact DIP.

1. The agenda will be a suitably adapted version of the agenda that formed the basis of the New York meeting; additional workshops and/or training sessions could be added to the Reach-Out meetings.

2. Arnulv Torbjornsen, the new UNHCR NGO coordinator, will work with UNHCR field offices and PARinAC focal points to identify approximately 25 participants, representing both humanitarian assistance and human rights NGOs.

3. The NGOs that participated in the New York meeting will be asked to designate a humanitarian assistance NGO and a human rights NGO to serve as counterparts to UNHCR for planning and organising these meetings.

4. UNHCR Protection Officers located in field locations will meet with and help prepare participating NGOs in advance of the meeting.

5. Representatives of the international NGOs that attended the New York meeting could attend these Regional Meetings in an observer capacity. This decision reflects an interest in ensuring that the national NGOs are not overwhelmed by international NGOs.

Task Forces:

The Committee formed 6 Task Forces to initiate action on the proposals which emerged from the New York meeting (see attached summary). Members of each Task Force will review other relevant initiatives (e.g. protection training of NGOs by ICRC), as well as consider how the proposals relate to the PARinAC conclusions. UNHCR will identify appropriate focal points within the agency for each Task Force. Committee members of each Task Force will submit to the Steering Committee a description of their planned research, to be reviewed during the 27 June meeting. Participation in the following Task Forces remains open and interested members should contact the following point persons for additional information:

Task Force One:
Sharing and Use of Sensitive Information: Eve Lester/Jesuit Refugee Services.

Task Force Two:
Operationalisation of Protection/Field Practice: Rudolph von Bernuth/Save the Children-USA; Helena Mayer/Lutheran World Federation; Robbie Thomson/International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; Margaret Green/International Rescue Committee.

Task Force Three:
Capacity-Building and Collaboration with NGOs from the South: Gloria Wetzell/ICMC (TENTATIVE).

Task Force Four:
Standard-Setting Processes: Elizabeth Ferris/World Council of Churches.

Task Force Five:
Accessions to and Compliance with the 1951 Convention: Leanne MacMillan/Amnesty International.

Task Force Six:
Advocacy: Leanne MacMillan/Amnesty International (will circulate an initial memo, and seek a point person.)

Situation in Kosovo:

Mr. Neil Wright offered a description of the current UNHCR operation in Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania. He outlined many challenges and made several suggestions on how to improve collaboration between UNHCR and NGOs.

Next Steps:

1. The next Steering Committee meeting will be on Sunday, 27 June at the World Council of Churches, in Geneva.

2. The next meeting will review the plans of the Task Forces and review the plans for the Regional Meetings.

3. Ms Brita Sydhoff will locate relevant PARinAC papers for distribution to Steering Committee members.

4. Task Forces will circulate to all Steering Committee members an initial description of their research/plans prior to the 27 June meeting.