1981: UN High Commissioner for Refugees: renewed recognition as testament to its success - The Nobel Prize

UN Chronicle, Sept-Nov, 2003

It is quite remarkable that the definition of a refugee, formulated in 1950 in an essentially European context and marked by the traumatic experience of the Second World War and the period of the cold war, should still apply today to situaLions which ... could not have been foreseen 30 years ago." Thus spoke Poul Hartling, in his Nobel Lecture of 11 December 1981, as Head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The UN refugee agency was honoured for the second time--having the unique distinction of winning the Nobel Peace Prize twice in less than three decades, in 1954 and in 1981.

The agency has evolved and seen its focus shift from its initial post-Second World War mandate to the suffering generated by tire often violent birth of new nations. Uneven power developments worldwide, resulting in increased tensions, disturbances and conflicts, continue to cause massive upheavals in populations. Tire sheer increase in the numbers of refugees forced to flee injustice, persecution, oppression and even extermination in their native land, leaving behind familiar cultures and peoples, has forced UNHCR to adapt to new situations, adding to its mandate the voluntary repatriation and rehabilitation of refugees in their country of origin.

UNHCR participates with other development and humanitarian agencies in consolidating newly acquired peace in warring lands and helps find solutions to the problems of internally displaced persons in intra-State conflicts. A snapshot of its activities over thirty years spans many continents and civilizations. It has facilitated the return of 250,000 Algerian refugees in 1962, repatriated 10 million Bangladeshis and 150,000 Sudanese in 1972, and organized one of history's largest airlift population exchanges--a two-way movement of large numbers of people between Bangladesh and Pakistan in 1973.

From 1974 onwards, its focus shifted to Africa--Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Angola--where hundreds of thousands were repatriated. In fact, in 1975 the UN General Assembly requested the UN High Commissioner to intensify his efforts on behalf of African refugees, notably those returning to their countries. The year 1978 saw the agency interceding on behalf of 200,000 Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, as well as 150,000 from Zaire who had taken refuge in Angola. The following year, the return of 50,000 Angolans from Zaire and the repatriation of 100,000 Nicaraguan refugees from Costa Rica and Honduras were facilitated. Equatorial Guinea, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Uganda, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Chad are some of the areas where UNHCR activities have helped displaced populations.

In 1954, when UNHCR was first awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, its three-year tenure had just been extended. It was struggling to provide protection and assistance to Europe's 2.2 million displaced people on a budget of $5 million and a staff of I00. In 1981, the refugee problem had grown exponentially--to almost 10 million--but so had the agency's success record. The fact that many millions had been helped and were no longer refugees, tackling many problems that appeared insoluble, was a testament to its success.

As one flood or refugees is replaced by another, the majority is no longer found in Europe, but in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Operating in the face of political impediments, UNHCR efforts are supported and supplemented by the large-scale contributions made by other international organizations, particularly those of developing countries of Asia and Africa that have borne the strain of receiving and accommodating huge streams of refugees.

Based on respect for human rights, the agency seeks to find humanitarian solutions at the international and national levels, for those who dare not return to their native land by giving them the opportunity to start a fresh life in their host country. "Today, the voices of millions of refugees in the world are being heard. Voices seeking belief in man, in human dignity, in basic human rights", Mr. Hartling said. "We are face to face with a veritable flood of human catastrophe and suffering, both physical and psychological", stated the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

The two Nobel Peace Prizes for UNHCR, in the words of the Committee, "represent both a symbol and a practical instrument in the long-term work carried out to ensure that the fundamental principles for this refugee work will achieve universal recognition and validity". The Committee stressed that "the stream of refugees creates serious problems in relations between States", and for this reason recognized that the activities of the agency "serve the interest of humanity and peace".