[UNHCR] Can Law and Education Solve the Refugee Crisis?

Written by Buzzfeed

In UNHCR, long-term solutions are intensively debated upon, while short-term measures see little progress.

As the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) commenced to discuss issues regarding refugee abuse and exploitation, various solutions have been proposed by delegates to relieve refugees from poverty. While a proposal for incorporating more refugees into the labor force was met with opposition, education and law enforcements saw the most consensus within the council. 

The delegate of Syria raised the solution of implementing a standardised selection test to enable the refugees to enter the workforce of their host country. The proposal was opposed by other delegates regarding its low feasibility. Regarding the effectiveness of the selection test, the delegate of Syria responded, “A selection test may not be able to save all refugees from Syria. However, it can improve the living conditions of other refugees who are capable of contributing to a country’s economy. They can be accepted into other countries’ easily after they pass this selection test. After we have filtered out the refugees who are able to help themselves, we can allocate more resources to those who cannot pass the selection test. Moreover, this selection test’s main purpose is to help refugees move to other countries so that they can escape from where they are living. The certificate can also reduce the time taken for a refugee to integrate into another society. Although we can not make a standardised one for all countries, we can still make standardised selection tests for certain areas.”, according to an interview with Buzzfeed News. 

While the rationale of the delegate’s solution is understandable, its practicality is low, especially in countries where conflicts are rampant. Other delegates also pointed out that the solution might not be effective in the foreseeable future, thus calling for more discussions about short-term solutions.

Ironically, the two measures which are mostly agreed upon by the council, education and law enforcement, are still long-term solutions. Notably, the delegate of Uganda was vocal in her proposal for educating refugees, delving into the details of the syllabus taught. She also proposed a separate entity under UNHCR to be set up. However, issues regarding the source of teaching personnelles and the feasibility of conducting education in war-torn countries were not thoroughly discussed. Similarly, when the delegate of Croatia proposed amendments on criminal laws and legislative reforms, she failed to recognise the feasibility of the plan. And although she later pointed out herself that the failure to prevent refugee abuse and exploitation was due to the successful implementation of such laws, no solution was proposed to tackle the issue. 

As the conference proceeded, more and more delegates agreed to the view that education and law enforcement should go hand in hand in tackling the issue of refugee abuse and exploitation. However, such measures merely treat the symptoms of the refugee crisis, while the root-causes of the crisis were not clearly identified and debated upon. Pressing issues such as the corruption of certain countries’ governments and the misconduct of officials were not properly addressed. It is crucial for the council to focus more on immediate issues at hand and short-term solutions, otherwise they are merely wishful thinking about the future and making empty promises.