UNHCR Representation in India

UNHCR India
Coordinates 28°33′56.08″N 77°9′45.56″E / 28.5655778°N 77.1626556°E / 28.5655778; 77.1626556Coordinates: 28°33′56.08″N 77°9′45.56″E / 28.5655778°N 77.1626556°E / 28.5655778; 77.1626556
Location Vasant Vihar, Delhi
Address B2/16, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, India
Website http://unhcr.org.in/

The head office of UNHCR's mission in India is located in Delhi, with a field office in Chennai. UNHCR also has registration services in Jammu, besides a registration and mobile refugee status determination center at Hyderabad. Actor John Abraham is a celebrity supporter for UNHCR in India. The current chief of mission is Yasuko Shimizu. UNHCR won the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development in 2015.[1][2][3]

History

India was the venue for the single largest influx of refugees since the Second World War, when an estimated 10 million people crossed over from East Pakistan to India in 1971. The majority of refugees were in West Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam. The majority of the refugees were repatriated after the war, with the UNHCR Dhaka office's support. UNHCR has been allowed to operate in India since 1995, even though India has not signed the 1951 Refugee Status Convention or the 1967 Refugee Status Protocol.[4][5][6]

Work

UNHCR works with several NGOs including Bosco, the Socio Legal Information Centre (SLIC), the Gandhi National Memorial Society, the Confederation of Voluntary Agencies and Development And Justice Initiative (DAJI), ACCESS, and Save the Children (SCF) to support refugees and asylum seekers. Most of the Sri Lankan and Tibetan refugees are directly assisted by the India Government. UNHCR strives to improve the lives of refugees under its mandate, the majority of whom are refugees from Myanmar and Afghanis.[7][8][9][10]

The 'Ilham' project, a catering service run by Afghan refugee women with the help of UNHCR India and its partner ACCESS Development Services, has been receiving rave reviews. The project has given a new ray of hope for the women, who have found a reliable means of supporting their families, besides coping with the physical and psychological problems of refugee life.[11][12]

Funding

UNHCR India had a budget of $15.1 million for 2016, of which only $608,500 has been met as of October 2016. UNIQLO has been the only major donor for the funding round.[13]

Refugee numbers in India

The World Refugee Survey by US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants estimate the number of refugees in India at 456,000. The number of refugees who have registered with UNHCR are however around 200,000.[14]

See Also

References

  1. ↑ "Plight of refugees moves UNHCR ambassador John Abraham - The Hindu". thehindu.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  2. ↑ "UNHCR unveils new campaign to solicit support for refugees | The Indian Express". indianexpress.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  3. ↑ "UNHCR to be Awarded 2015 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace". ndtv.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  4. ↑ "Is The Government's Aim To Integrate Neighbouring Minority Asylum Seekers Hindu-Centric?". swarajyamag.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  5. ↑ http://blogs.mcgill.ca/humanrightsinterns/2014/07/28/india-and-its-1971-refugee-problem/
  6. ↑ http://www.unhcr.org/3ebf9bab0.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.unhcr.org/50001ec69.pdf
  8. ↑ "BOSCO, UNHCR'S initiative helping Afghan students in education | The Indian Express". indianexpress.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  9. ↑ S.N. "India's only school for Rohingya refugee holds out hope for a better life for stateless community". scroll.in. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  10. ↑ "Afghan refugees are cooking up a better future in India | Global Development Professionals Network | The Guardian". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  11. ↑ http://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/courage-of-these-afghani-women-will-make-you-salute-them/story-7r2QprxSZfU9Vgaoj1vxZP.html
  12. ↑ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghan-refugees-build-new-lives-new-delhi-india-with-food/
  13. ↑ http://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/South%20Asia%20Funding%20Update%2025%20October%202016.pdf
  14. ↑ "The Statesman: A question of fair play". thestatesman.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  15. ↑ "UNHCR Population Statistics - Data - Persons Of Concern". popstats.unhcr.org. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
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