The 50th Anniversary of the Refugee Convention
and the 20th Anniversary of its Ratification by Japan
Diego Rosero (UNHCR Tokyo Senior Legal Officer )

 

In the year 2001 the countries that adopted the Refugee Convention will celebrate its 50^th Anniversary. The Convention was a product of solidarity by the countries of the world towards foreigners who did not have any government protect them. This year Japan will also celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of the ratification of the 1951 Convention.

By the year 2000, Japan was hosting about 4,000 of the 12.9 million refugees and asylum-seekers around the world. Indochinese refugees have benefited from adequate reception and integration services. However, asylum-seeker and refugees of other nationalities have not and do not receive adequate material assistance from government sources that may allow them to meet their basic needs while the authorities are in the process of analyzing their claims for refugee status. As this process takes two years or more to complete ? If appeals are pursued, most of them are left to their own meager resources. Finding work is very difficult if they do not have a work permit and if they cannot understand the Japanese language. Refugee Headquarters (RHQ), an organization helping Indochinese refugees has a small assistance programme for non Indochinese, but the number of beneficiaries at any given time is relatively small.

The needs are considerable due to the high costs of living in Japan. How do other industrialized countries with similar costs deal with these humanitarian needs? Most do provide shelter, medical attention, food and language training to both asylum-seekers and refugees in the crucial first phase after their arrival. Unfortunately this is not the situation in Japan. As no shelter is provided, the high cost of any housing is one of the most serious problems they face; they hope not to fall sick as most do not qualify for medical insurance; they feel isolated as they cannot communicate.

In this context, UNHCR and various NGOs - ISSJ among them - have developed small programs to assist asylum-seekers and refugees including social counseling and orientation, help in finding accommodation, in dealing with various problems, job searching, etc. for those organizations cannot fulfill them. It is hoped that in the near future, the same humanitarian values that prompted the Government of Japan to adopt the Refugee Convention 20 years ago will be again reflected in comprehensive solutions to the problems faced by asylum-seekers and refugees, matching the generosity shown to help the integration of Indochinese refugees.