Tanzania withdraws from UN refugee programme

Context:

  • Tanzanian has announced a pull out of the UN’s “comprehensive refugee response framework”.
  • UN refugee programme provides lasting solutions for refugees, including integration into host communities.
  • Tanzania has decided to withdraw for reasons of security and lack of funds.
  • Tanzania has long been considered a safe haven for refugees, particularly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

About UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency)

  • It is a United Nations programme with the mandate to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people, and assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country.
  • UNHCR stands for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and was created in 1950, during the aftermath of World War II.
  • Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.

About New York Declaration for refugees (UN comprehensive refugee response framework)

  • In September 2016, the UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding political declaration, the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, pledging to uphold the rights of refugees, help them resettle and ensure they have access to education.
  • Recently US also announced to withdrawn from a United Nations pact to improve the handling of migrant and refugee situations, deeming it “inconsistent” with its policies.

Source:Indian Express

Leave a Reply