Refugees International

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Refugees International
Type Non-profit
NGO
Founded 1979 by Sue Morton in Washington, DC.
Headquarters
Key people Dr. Michel Gabaudan, President
Area served Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kuwait, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan
Method(s) Media attention,advocating,research through missions to locations of displacement
Motto Advocating for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises.
Website www.refugeesinternational.org

Refugees International is an independent humanitarian organization that advocates for better support for displaced people (including refugees and internally displaced people) and stateless people. It does not accept any United Nations or government funding. It publishes longer reports, as well as approximately twenty-five field reports throughout the year on displacement issues, as well as comments on international aid issues around the world.[1][2][3] Some notable Board members have included Queen Noor, John Danforth, Matt Dillon, Sam Waterston, George Soros and Richard Holbrooke. It is based in Washington, D.C. with offices also located in New York City and London.

Priorities and campaigns

According to its mission statement, "Refugees International advocates for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises."

Refugees, peacekeeping, statelessness

According to its website, Refugees International was founded by Sue Morton in 1979 as a citizens’ movement to protect Indochinese refugees. It grew to expand its scope beyond SouthEast Asia in 1990 and advocated for protection for Liberian refugees in Guinea and Kuwaitis in the Iraq-Jordan desert. Each year, Refugees International conducts 15 to 20 field missions to identify displaced people’s needs for basic services such as food, water, health care, housing, access to education and protection from harm. Based on their field-based knowledge of humanitarian emergencies, they successfully challenge policy makers and aid agencies to improve the lives of displaced people around the world and frequently defend the strategic benefits of a continuation of US funding for foreign aid most recently in the 2011 budget debates.[4][5]They currently focus their work on Iraq, South Sudan, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Libya, Burma, Haiti and Colombia.

Funding

According to their website, "RI's advocacy generates increases in resources and policy changes by governments and UN agencies that improve conditions for refugees and displaced people. RI does not accept any government or UN funding allowing their advocates to be independent. Rather, RI leverages donations from individuals, foundations and corporations."

Leadership

  • Lionel Rosenblatt, a former U.S. State Department desk officer for Asia - first president; still serves as president emeritus
  • Kenneth Bacon, became president in 2001 and led the organization until he died in August 2009
  • Dan Glickman, was president for only three months, from April 1, 2010, until June 2010, when he resigned; former United States Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Representative, Chairman/CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America[6]
  • Michel Gabaudan, president since September 2010; previously served in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as the Regional Representative for the United States and the Caribbean.

References

  1. ↑ Powell, Sian (2011-05-11). "Refugees on a hiding to nothing in the Australian". www.theaustralian.com. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
  2. ↑ "The plight of the refugees in The Economist". www.economist.com. 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
  3. ↑ "NATO airstrikes, night raids blamed for Afghan IDP crisis –report". Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
  4. ↑ "Opinion piece by Refugee International President in Washington DC Newspaper the Hill". www.thehill.com. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
  5. ↑ "http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/50506.html#ixzz1FXvjVZBn". www.politico.com. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
  6. ↑ Dan Glickman leaves Refugees International after only three months

External links

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