2006 Global Trends
Source:
2006 UNHCR statistical yearbook in
http://www.unhcr.org/statistics/STATISTICS/478ce0532.pdf
Introduction1
The 2006 Global Trends report is the fourth edition
in the series. It is published ahead of the 2006 Statistical Yearbook, to
be issued later in the year, which will provide a more detailed analysis of the
2006 data. It reviews the trends and changes in
The report also does not address mixed migration flows, even though, global migration intersects with and results in a range of dilemmas and challenges for asylum and refugee management. So as to ensure that protection space continues to be available for those who deserve to be dealt with under refugee obligations, UNHCR has increasingly had to concern itself with this phenomenon. The lack of precise statistical data, however, could not allow an evidence-based analysis of theproblem in this report.
Unless otherwise specified, the report does not refer to events occurring after 31 ecember 2006. The statistics reflected in it have for the most part been reported by UNHCR country offices, which have in turn drawn the figures from Government sources, selected non-governmental organizations and UNHCR’s own registration programmes. In all cases, they have been rounded to the closest hundredth or thousandth, as the case may be, for the purposes of this report. As some adjustments may yet be made to the figures in the publication of the 2006 Statistical Yearbook referred to earlier, they should therefore be considered as provisional.
The report shows that, at a total of 32.9 million, there has
been a significant increase in the global population of persons of concern to
UNHCR in 2006 as compared with 2005. The principal reasons for this apparent
spike, as indeed the other key changes, are outlined in detail in the
respective parts of the report, and are otherwise summarized in the table on
page 15. Attention is however drawn to the fact that there have been changes in
the way in which UNHCR statistics have been reported in 2006 which have had an
impact on the overall figures. In the first instance, the Annual Statistical
Report2 was substantially
revised to reflect better the results of individual refugee registration in
UNHCR operations. Secondly, as UNHCR has enhanced its involvement with IDPs following the institutionalization of the
“Cluster Approach”, the scope of its data collection with respect
to IDP operations has expanded steadily throughout the year. Finally, as signalled already in last year’s Global Refugee
Trends and Statistical Yearbook, the active refugee caseload in some
developed countries, most notably the
parameters, resulting in significantly increased figures. In fact, these and several other
parameters for the statistical analysis, computation and reporting are presently under review, the impact of which will be seen in the forthcoming 2006 Statistical Yearbook and, more comprehensively, in subsequent years.
Who is included in the statistics?
The persons of concern included in this report comprise seven different groups of persons
namely (a) refugees; (b) asylum-seekers; (c) internally displaced persons (IDPs); (d) refugees who have returned home (returnees); (e) IDPs who have returned home; (f) stateless persons; and (g) a category for other persons in a refugee or returnee-like situation.
Refugees include persons recognized under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of
Refugees; its 1967 Protocol; the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of
Refugee Problems in Africa; those recognized in accordance with the UNHCR Statute; persons granted complementary forms of protection3; or, those enjoying “temporary protection”4. UNHCR has a mandated responsibility to extend protection to all refugees wherever they may be, unless this role is otherwise specifically excepted. Thus, as indicated already, some 4.3 million Palestinian refugees in the areas of operation of UNRWA are normally not considered as falling under UNHCR’s mandate.
Asylum-seekers are persons whose applications for asylum or refugee status are pending a final decision. Those covered in this report refer particularly to claimants whose applications were pending as of the end of 2006, irrespective of when they may have been lodged (the so-called “backlog” of undecided or “pending cases”).
Internally displaced persons, for purposes of UNHCR’s statistics, are limited to conflictgenerated IDPs to whom the Office extends protection and/or assistance. Nevertheless, IDPs referred to as persons of concern to UNHCR do not include all conflict-related IDPs.
Returned refugees (returnees) refer to refugees who have returned voluntarily to their country of origin or place of habitual residence. For purposes of this report, only refugees who so returned between January and December 2006 are covered.
Returned IDPs, for purposes of this report, refer to those internally displaced persons who, being beneficiaries of UNHCR’s protection and assistance activities returned to their areas of origin or habitual residence between January and December 2006.
Stateless persons are persons not considered as nationals by any State under the relevant
national laws. The statistics in this report on statelessness include persons with undetermined nationality. UNHCR has been called upon by the General Assembly to contribute to the prevention of and reduction of statelessness and to report regularly on the magnitude of the phenomenon. It has been tasked to fulfil the functions under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and act as an intermediary between States and stateless persons.
Other persons of concern, refers, first, to persons who, while they may fall under any of the preceding categories, have not formally been determined or agreed to be so for one or another reason, but benefit from the protection, assistance or other activities of UNHCR. Also included are persons who may not necessarily fall directly into any of those groups but to whom UNHCR may extend its services for humanitarian or other special reasons.
For more see:
http://www.unhcr.org/statistics/STATISTICS/478ce0532.pdf