By Elizabeth Gibson*
 |
| Deputy High Commissioner T. Alexander Aleinikoff |
The United Nations’ refugee
agency knows how to set up refugee camps, but finding long-term solutions to
get refugees out of those camps is not easy.
The Deputy High Commissioner of
UNHCR, T. Alexander Aleinikoff,**
presented the 34th
Annual Thomas F. Ryan Lecture at the Georgetown University Law Center yesterday, and he emphasized that the international community needs to rethink
its response to refugee situations.
“Non-solutions
have become the norm and literally hundreds of thousands of refugees have
become forgotten people,” he said. “We have to move away from the paradigm of
dependence that currently defines the refugee regime.”
Protecting
the rights of refugees and providing for their basic needs is the bread and
butter of UNHCR’s work—and it’s crucial, lifesaving work. However, no matter
how much of a success you might consider Thai camps that provide shelter, food,
medical attention, and education for families fleeing persecution in Myanmar,
it is worrisome that the camp is 35 years old and still relying on food aid, Prof. Aleinikoff said.
