Tag Archives: refugees

U.S., Mexico Unite Against Drugs / “Heavy” Team Aids after NZ Quake / 50 Years of the Peace Corps

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The U.S. and Mexico vow to work together to fight drug trafficking. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls for a new nuclear weapons treaty. The U.S. and international relief organizations are increasing their efforts to airlift those fleeing from the violence in Libya. The Los Angeles “heavy” team has flown to New Zealand to help after the earthquake. And, the Peace Corps turns 50.

U.S.-Mexico relations

U.S., Mexico Anti-Drug Efforts
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President Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon pledged to work more closely to thwart continuing illicit drug trafficking and its related violence. “As I’ve said before, President Calderon and the Mexican people have shown extraordinary courage in the fight for their country,” Obama said during a joint press conference at the White House.

A Nuclear Materials Treaty
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls for the Conference on Disarmament to move ahead quickly on a proposed multilateral treaty that would ban the production of nuclear-weapons using fissile materials. “Our long-term goal, our vision, is a world without nuclear weapons,” says Clinton.

Airlifting Libyan Refugees
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President Obama announced that U.S. planes will fly Egyptian citizens home from Tunisia, where they fled to escape weeks of violence in Libya. Obama’s announcement came as an internationally-backed airlift began, with more than 50 flights carrying migrant workers home.

“Heavy” Team Aids after NZ Quake
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After the February 22 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, The U.S. Agency for International Development called the Los Angeles County Urban Search and Rescue “heavy” team. Within about 30 hours, the 74-member unit and all their equipment were flying across the Pacific. Explains Los Angeles Battalion Chief Larry Collins, “It’s heavy muscle coming in.”

Peace Corps Marks 50 Years
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On March 1, the Peace Corps celebrated 50 years of service. President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps as a challenge to American college students to give up two years of their lives to help people in countries in the developing world. Over five decades, more than 200,000 volunteers have served 139 host countries. At right, the community of Likpe Todome in the Volta region of Ghana with their Peace Corps volunteer, Leanne Polachek.

A Libyan Refugee Crisis / Libya Ousted From Human Rights Council / Green Dentists

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A refugee crisis is boiling over at Libya’s border. The United Nations votes Libya out of the the U.N. Human Rights Council. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urges Congress to approve the administration’s budget for the State Department. The U.S. and China must cooperate on a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. Some U.S. dentists are going green. And, finally, International Women’s Day is March 8.

Refugee Crisis at Libya Borders
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The situation in Libya has become not just a political crisis, but a potential humanitarian crisis as well, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says. Foreign workers and frightened Libyans are pouring to the borders to escape the turmoil, and international aid agencies are gearing up resources to cope with needs for food, shelter and clothing.

UNGA Suspends Libya
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All 192 member nations of the United Nations General Assembly have voted to suspend Libya from the U.N. Human Rights Council due to its government’s violent attacks on protesters opposed to Muammar Qadhafi’s rule. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan Rice describes the vote as “unprecedented” and “a harsh rebuke – but one that Libya’s leaders have brought down upon themselves.”

Pass Obama Budget, Clinton Says
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urges Congress to approve President Obama’s budget request for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and warned that cutting funding could harm key investments in countries across the Middle East. “The entire region is changing, and a strong and strategic American response is essential,” Clinton says in testimony to the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.

North Korea’s Nuclear Activities
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Senior State Department officials say China and the United States share the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons programs from the Korean Peninsula and that both countries will need to work together to resolve North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state. North Korean nuclear activity “is an issue which is at the very center of the U.S.-China relationship,” says Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth.

When Your Dentist Turns Green
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A movement is building to “green” America’s 125,000-plus dental offices. Since Ina and Fred Pockrass founded the Eco-Dentistry Association in 2008, dental offices in 45 states and 13 other countries have pledged to reduce their impact on the environment.

Shirley Chisolm “Broad Shouldered” Women
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This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first , which recognizes women’s past struggles and accomplishments and focuses on what needs to be done to provide greater opportunities for women today. At right, Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 became the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress.

Clinton on Iran / $125 Million for Refugees / A Concert for Flood Recovery

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The United States supports the Iranian people as they seek to fulfill their democratic aspirations. The United States will contribute $125 million in aid for refugees. The U.S. government is preparing for a sustained war against HIV/AIDS. As the 10th Cricket World Cup approaches this weekend, the popularity of cricket in the U.S. remains a well-kept sporting secret. And finally, a concert at Carnegie Hall benefits the flood survivors of Pakistan’s Indus Valley.

Clinton Says U.S. Supports Iranian Aspirations
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the Obama administration’s support for the aspirations of the Egyptian people is also true for Iran. She adds that protests under way in Iran are “a testament to the courage of the Iranian people.”

$125 Million in Refugee Aid
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The United States will contribute $125 million toward the 2011 budget of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The refugee contributions will support “the provision of water, shelter, food, healthcare and education to refugees, internally displaced persons and persons under UNHCR’s care and protection” in several different countries. At right, Sudanese refugees at a refugee camp in eastern Chad.

A U.S. War Against HIV/AIDS
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The U.S. government is preparing for a sustained war against HIV/AIDS, with a goal of reaching more people while reducing costs.

Cricket in America
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Cricket fans around the world — including millions of fans and thousands of players in the United States — are awaiting the February 19 start of the 10th Cricket World Cup. People have played cricket in the U.S. since the country was still a British colony, says Rohit Kulkarni, director of a new documentary, “Pitch of Dreams: Cricket in America.”

The interior of Carnegie Hall in New YorkA Concert for Flood Recovery
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Artistic director George Mathew chooses Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” for a recent Carnegie Hall concert to benefit the flood survivors of Pakistan’s Indus Valley. Through Beethoven’s music, Mathew seeks to convey the idea that “we become more human and more ourselves when we concern ourselves with the well-being of others.” At right, the inside of Carnegie Hall.

Against All Odds

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Recently I came across an online game called Against All Odds. The game, created by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as part of an educational site called the United Nations Cyberschoolbus, puts players in the position of a refugee.

Players face scenarios such as a police interrogation, a dangerous border crossing, and a job interview in a strange country. At any point in the game, players can take a break to watch videos or read stories about real refugees’ experiences. The mini-site also contains educational resources for teachers such as lesson plans, posters and Web links. Check it out!

Obama sets the latest refugee quotas

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President Obama has authorized up to 80,000 refugees to enter the United States during the 2010 fiscal year (FY), which begins today, October 1. In a presidential determination, he specified what is known as the “refugee ceiling” or the maximum number of refugees allowed from each world region. The figure includes an “unallocated reserve” designed to accommodate unforeseen crises, and specifies that immigrants from Cuba, the former Soviet Union, Iraq, and those identified by U.S. embassies as having “exceptional circumstances” will, “if otherwise qualified” to enter the U.S., also be considered refugees.

The president said his administration is “committed to maintaining a robust refugee admissions program,” which has been an important part of the overall U.S. effort in “support of vulnerable people around the world.” Citing the recent global economic downturn, Obama said an in-depth review of the program was done “with the goal of strengthening support to both the refugees and the communities in which they are being resettled.”

I decided to do a little review of my own, comparing the latest figures with those of a few previous years (FY 2007-FY2010). Not surprisingly, I found that presidents adjust the numbers and allocations for refugee admissions each year, perhaps to reflect the latest needs assessments from their advisers.

There were some interesting developments. For example, in FY 2008 then-President Bush increased the allowed number of refugees from 70,000 to the current 80,000 level, and much of that went towards allowing a dramatic increase in refugees (+22,500) from the Near East and South Asia. In FY 2009, an additional 9,000 were allowed from those regions and President Bush specified that those coming from Iraq would be considered refugees. But during both years, Bush made cuts to the numbers of refugees coming from Africa, Europe and Central Asia.

By comparison to the previous two years, President Obama’s adjustments today were fairly modest. He increased the number of those coming from Africa by 3,500, with the current level now at 15,500. The Latin America/Caribbean region was increased by 500 to 5,000. East Asia and the Near East/South Asia were both decreased by 2,000 for a total of 17,000 and 35,000, respectively, and the numbers for Europe/Central Asia and the unallocated reserve were unchanged at 2,500 and 5,000 respectively.

Marking World Refugee Day on June 20, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States is the world’s largest donor for refugee relief, contributing $1.4 billion in 2008, and “nearly 3 million refugees have made new homes in the United States, more than any other nation in the world.”

What are your thoughts on President Obama’s refugee quota? How do you think these kinds of decisions should be made?

Angelina Jolie at the Hague

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[image src="http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/4110/pod/052609_AP090519014675_300.jpg" caption="Angelina Jolie and International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo" align="left"]American actress Angelina Jolie, who was named a U.N. goodwill ambassador in 2001, recently traveled to the Hague, Netherlands, to observe the trial of a Congolese warlord charged with using child soldiers.

The newspaper where I read this story made fun of Jolie’s trip, titling the piece “Strong Cheekbones Intimidate Defense,” and describing Jolie and International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo as “both chiseled” in an accompanying photo caption.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) believes working with celebrities like Jolie helps raise awareness of the plight of refugees around the world. “These celebrities use their privileged access to mass media and other resources to give a voice to refugees, who are often victims of forgotten humanitarian crises and who often suffer from uninformed negative stereotyping. Our Goodwill Ambassadors are uniquely positioned to make direct representations to those with the power to effect change,” a statement on the UNHCR site says.

Do you think people pay more attention to refugees and human rights issues when celebrities are involved?  And if more people pay attention, does that attention lead to useful action?