NCSMUN21 Study Guide

NCSMUN 2021
STUDY GUIDE
UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR
REFUGEES
Letter from the Executive Board
Respected Delegates,
First of all, we would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to
the simulation of UNHCR, NCSMUN 2021. We hope that these two days
of discussions and deliberations turn out to be fruitful in all aspects.
This study guide shall serve as the starting point of research. At no
point of time consider it to be the only sphere of discussion, kindly
explore other fronts as well. This guide is just to provide you with a
basic idea of what the agenda is. We expect debate and analysis from
you. We do not expect you to speak out facts in the committee;
however analysis of situations and argumentation shall help you
proceed forward in the committee. Also, any case study in this study
guide is based on a compilation of various reports and does not
necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Board. Keep in mind the
foreign policy of your country since it is an essential parameter of
judgment. In case there are any doubts regarding the committee
proceedings, feel free to contact us. All the best for the conference and
we hope we are able to make the two days a learning experience.
Regards,
Ananya Dixit (Alumna), Divya Ilankumaran (XII), Swayamjeet Dash (XII)
Executive Board Members, NCSMUN 2021
AGENDA
CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISPLACEMENT OF REFUGEES IN A
POST COVID-19 WORLD WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON FINDING
A DURABLE SOLUTION FOR REFUGEES STRANDED BETWEEN
BELARUS AND POLAND.
Defining Displacement:
The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a
result of persecution, conflict, generalized violence or human rights
violations".
Who is a Refugee?
Refugees are people who have fled war, violence, conflict or
persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in
another country.
Refugees are defined and protected in international law. The 1951
Refugees Convention is a key legal document and defines a refugee
as:
“someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of
origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of
race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or
political opinion.”
Who is an Internally Displaced Person?

Internally displaced people (IDPs) have not crossed a border to find
safety. Unlike refugees, they are on the run at home. IDPs stay within
their own country and remain under the protection of its government,
even if that government is the reason for their displacement. They
often move to areas where it is difficult to deliver humanitarian
assistance and as a result, these people are among the most
vulnerable in the world.
Defining Climate Change:
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and
weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through
variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have
been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil
fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Climate Change and Refugees:

Climate change is the defining crisis of our time and disaster
displacement is one of its most devastating consequences. Some
people are forced to displace in the context of climate change and
disasters and may in some circumstances be in need of international
protection.
People already displaced for reasons other than disasters linked to

hazards – including refugees, stateless people, and the internally
displaced – often reside in climate change “hotspots” where they may
be exposed to secondary displacement and reduced chances of being
able to return home as these areas may have been made
uninhabitable by drought, floods or rising sea levels.
The impacts of climate change are numerous. Limited natural

resources, such as drinking water, are becoming even scarcer in many
parts of the world that host refugees. Crops and livestock struggle to
survive where conditions become too hot and dry, or too cold and wet,
threatening livelihoods. In such conditions, climate change can act as
a threat multiplier, exacerbating existing tensions and adding to the
potential for conflicts.
Hazards resulting from the increasing intensity and frequency of

extreme weather events, such as abnormally heavy rainfalls, prolonged
droughts, desertification, environmental degradation, all sea level rise
and cyclones are already causing an average of more than 20 million
people to leave their homes and move to other areas in their countries
each year.
The UNHCR plays a key role in helping those affected by such crises.
For instance, when Tropical Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique, Zimbabwe
and Malawi in March 2019, UNHCR relocated refugee families to safer
shelters and provided them with tents, plastic sheeting, sanitation
equipment and clean water. Similarly, UNHCR has been helping
Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh to mitigate the effects of
monsoon storms, flooding and landslides.
Case Study: Central America and Mexico

Rising temperatures are changing rainfall patterns at the global level.
In Central America, climate change is increasing the intensity of both
rain and droughts, particularly across the region known as the “dry
corridor”. Such phenomena can exacerbate poverty and conditions of
insecurity which continue to drive people to flee their communities.
In early November 2020, a deadly and erratic Category 4 hurricane,

Hurricane Eta, had hit Central America, which is considered to be one
of the worst weather-related disasters in the region in the past two
decades.
The UNHCR had deployed teams to assist relief efforts in the areas
affected, where an estimated 3 million people had been affected by
the hurricane. The UNHCR’s response to the effects of Eta was in line
with its commitment to support the Comprehensive Regional
Protection and Solutions Framework – MIRPS — to help states address
the needs of forcibly displaced people and the communities that
welcome them.
The impact of the storm came amid an already critical economic

contraction in the region as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and
thus brought further hardship to the forcibly displaced people. Heavy
winds and rains had damaged homes, roads, energy infrastructure
and health centers. Entire crops had been destroyed and with them,
many sources of livelihoods had disappeared. Over 120,000 people
were forced to evacuate their homes across Central America, where
brutal gang violence and persecution had already forced nearly 1
million people to flee.
Across the region UNHCR had assisted by stepping up shelter capacity,

and providing facemasks, hygiene kits, soap, food kits, thermal
blankets, mosquito nets, and solar lamps, among others.
UNHCR had also offered assistance in southeastern Mexico where at

least 27 people had died and an estimated 180,000 people had been
affected by flooding. The states of Chiapas and Tabasco, which are
host to large numbers of asylum-seekers and refugees, mostly from
the north of Central America, were particularly hard-hit. UNHCR teams
had coordinated with local authorities to provide affected
communities with 3,300 sleeping mats and food assistance for 700
families.
COVID-19 Pandemic:
COVID-19, also called Coronavirus, is an infectious disease caused by
the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The outbreak of the virus was declared as a
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the
World Health Organization (WHO) on 30th January 2020, and as a
pandemic on 11th March 2020.
COVID-19 and the Refugees:

Refugees and other displaced people belong to the most marginalized
and vulnerable sections of society. They are particularly at risk during
this COVID-19 pandemic because they often have limited access to
water, sanitation systems and health facilities.
Over 80 per cent of the world’s refugees and nearly all the world’s
internally displaced people are hosted in low- and middle-income
countries, such as Jordan, Colombia, Iraq, Lebanon and Bangladesh.
Many refugees live in poor urban areas or densely populated camps
with inadequate health infrastructure, making physical distancing
very difficult. The lack of access to face masks, protective gear, clean
water and soap also make refugees more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Refugees also have limited access to public health services and often
lack the funds to obtain adequate treatment if infected with the virus.
Total or partial lockdowns prevent refugees from earning their daily

income, especially since many refugees do not have stable jobs. The
decrease in the income of refugees is also an obstacle to getting
adequate treatment if infected with COVID-19.
At the peak of COVID-19, 168 countries fully or partially closed their

borders and around 100 of those countries did not make an exception
for individuals seeking asylum. Individuals have in some cases been
forced to return to danger and persecution.
COVID-19 Pandemic and UNHCR:

After the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNHCR
operations responded to the enormous humanitarian needs. These
efforts complement those of the UN agencies and partner
organizations. UNHCR has focused on responding to the health and
economic needs of refugees.
The UNHCR focused on boosting water and sanitation facilities,

increasing access to public health and hygiene as well as airlifting
emergency supplies and establishing isolation units. It also distributed
soap, shelter material and other core relief items.
The UNHCR also expanded cash assistance to mitigate the

socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and also supported governments
with medical equipment and supplies. It also enhanced monitoring to
ensure the rights of refugees are respected and advocated for the
inclusion of refugees in national health systems and recovery plans.
Belarus-Poland Conflict:
The Belarus-Poland conflict is a geopolitical refugee crisis between
Belarus and its neighboring states of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The
crisis began in the summer of 2021 when, according to reports,
migrants were lured by relaxed visa rules to Belarus and false adverts
from travel agencies in Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey promising easy
passage to the E.U.
Poland and the E.U. allegedly said Belarus has engineered a migrant
surge at the border to pressure the bloc into lifting sanctions imposed
on Minsk and to punish E.U. states for hosting exiled opposition
figures. Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian President, has denied
the accusation and said the E.U. was trying to divert attention from its
own domestic problems.
Thousands of migrants have been stranded on the Belarus-Poland

border in freezing temperatures and dire conditions with limited
access to food, clean water and shelter.
The majority said that, while in Belarus, they had been beaten or
threatened by security forces, and also alleged that the Belarusian
security forces forced them to cross the border, instructing them when
and where to cross, and prevented people from leaving the border
area to return to Minsk, the capital.
Most migrants were violently pushed back, though some managed to

make it to Warsaw after hiding out in the dense forests. It has been
alleged that Polish border guards fired water cannons and tear gas
after migrants threw stones and attempted to destroy a fence, and
over 100 migrants have been detained after attempting to cross the
Belarus border into Poland.
Pushbacks—state measures by which migrants are forced back over a
border without consideration of their individual circumstances and
without any possibility to apply for asylum—are a violation of human
rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. However,
the Polish Government recently passed a legislation legalizing
pushbacks.
Moreover, an emergency act passed by Warsaw in early September

has barred all non-residents, including aid workers, medics and
journalists from entering the two-mile deep strip of forest between
the two countries.
Recurring practices by the two countries of pushing people up to, or

across, the border meant many migrants and refugees had crossed
the border multiple times, in both directions. Additionally, those who
support refugees and other migrants, as well as journalists covering
the situation, have also reported challenges in doing their work,
including cases of harassment and intimidation.
Practices and policy choices are being made by both Belarus & Poland
that violate refugees' & migrants' rights. It is imperative to uphold the
safety, dignity, and human rights of migrants. Therefore, it is important
to move migrants to a safe place where they can be provided with
adequate assistance, and where humane solutions can be found
according to individuals’ personal situation and needs.
Closing Remarks:
Climate change and Covid 19 has led to new challenges faced by refugees for
which they call upon other countries to resolve this humanitarian crisis.
Bibliography:
How the Belarus-Poland Dispute Became a Geopolitical Crisis | Time
Who is benefitting from the Poland-Belarus border crisis? | Opinions | Al Jazeera
https://www.refugeesinternational.org/covid19-and-the-displaced
The Poland-Belarus border crisis is what happens when humans are treated as weapons |
Anna Iasmi Vallianatou | The Guardian
Environment, Disasters and Climate Change
UNHCR joins response to victims of hurricane in Central America and Mexico
Timeline: WHO's COVID-19 response

Humanitarian crisis at the Poland–Belarus border: politics is putting migrants at risk - The
Lancet Regional Health – Europe
Refugees and the impact of COVID-19
Record number of displaced people despite Covid: UN refugee agency - BBC News
Written by:
Ananya Dixit, Divya Ilankumaran, Swayamjeet Dash

NCSMUN21 Study Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

NCSMUN21 Study Guide

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

NCSMUN21 Study Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

NCSMUN 2021

Letter from the Executive Board

Who is an Internally Displaced Person?

Climate Change and Refugees:

People already displaced for reasons other than disasters linked to

The impacts of climate change are numerous. Limited natural

Hazards resulting from the increasing intensity and frequency of

Case Study: Central America and Mexico

In early November 2020, a deadly and erratic Category 4 hurricane,

The impact of the storm came amid an already critical economic

Across the region UNHCR had assisted by stepping up shelter capacity,

UNHCR had also offered assistance in southeastern Mexico where at

COVID-19 and the Refugees:

Total or partial lockdowns prevent refugees from earning their daily

At the peak of COVID-19, 168 countries fully or partially closed their

COVID-19 Pandemic and UNHCR:

The UNHCR focused on boosting water and sanitation facilities,

The UNHCR also expanded cash assistance to mitigate the

Thousands of migrants have been stranded on the Belarus-Poland

Most migrants were violently pushed back, though some managed to

Moreover, an emergency act passed by Warsaw in early September

Recurring practices by the two countries of pushing people up to, or

Timeline: WHO's COVID-19 response

You might also like