Immigration Article of the Day: Rights, Needs or Assistance? The Role of the UNHCR in Refugee Protection in the Middle East by Dallal E. Stevens
Rights, Needs or Assistance? The Role of the UNHCR in Refugee Protection in the Middle East by Dallal E. Stevens, University of Warwick – School of Law January 16, 2015 International Journal of Human Rights, Forthcoming Warwick School of Law Research Paper No. 2015/2
Abstract: This article examines the meaning of ‘protection’ as applied by the UNHCR in its policy in the Middle East, with particular reference to Jordan and Lebanon. It traces the move by human rights and development agencies to adopt a “rights-based approach” in their activities, and critiques the adoption of such an approach by the UNHCR (and NGOs) in the definition of “(international) protection”. The article then proceeds to explore how this interpretation of protection manifests itself in the context of Iraqi and Syrian flight to neighbouring states. It concludes by arguing that the language of protection continues to be confusing and that a rights-based definition not only does not reflect the reality of assistance on the ground, but may, in fact, impede the willingness of states in the region to support refugees in the long-term.
KJ