May 21, 1996:
UNHCR to Bring GLOBE to Refugee Camps
On May 17, 1996, the GLOBE Program signed an agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN organization responsible for protecting 15 million refugees in 125 countries. Refugees are people who have fled their homelands because of a well-founded fear of persecution or because of war in their countries. Major environmental problems often come to be associated with refugee situations, including deforestation, soil erosion and depletion, and degradation of water resources. UNHCR has come to recognize that refugee camp management must address the environmental impact of the presence of refugees and that environmental education must be integrated into camp activities.
With this agreement, UNHCR can now use the GLOBE Program to enhance the environmental awareness of refugee children. Refugee children will become more conscious of their connections with the rest of the world, as they provide real data to the world's scientists and contribute to the understanding of our environment.