“Historically, on average international wars have lasted only six months. In contrast, the average civil war has been much longer, with estimates ranging from seven to fifteen years. If a family are going to be refugees for over a decade, their priority is not emergency food and shelter. It is to re-establish the threads of normal famiy life, anchored materially by a capacity of whoever is the breadwinner to earn a living. The camps run by UNHCR met the basic material needs of refugees, but they provided few opportunities to earn a living. Consequently, they left families bereft of autonomy.” WarCivil WarRefugeeUnited NationsRefugeesRefugee CrisisUnhcrInternational Warfare Book:Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System Source: Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System
“Although UNHCR has an Urban Refugee Policy, it offers very little assistance in practice, with most urban refugees receiving no tangible help. By moving to cities, most refugees relinquish all formal support but also end up locked out of the formal economy.” RefugeRefugeeUnited NationsRefugeesRefugee CrisisUnhcr Book:Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System Source: Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System
“UNHCR staff numbers grew from 500 to over 9,000 between 1950 and 2016. Camps provided jobs: just not for refugees.” JobsRefugeeUnited NationsRefugeesRefugee CrisisRefugee CampsUnhcr Book:Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System Source: Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System