SEMINAR ON PROTECTION

Global Food Situation

Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction

Humanitarian Space and Military Operations

Future Protection Challenges

STRATEGY PROCESS

LINKS TO PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

Watch all the key note speeches on video, or see photos from the conference 4 June 2008. Photo Gallery 1 and Photo Gallery 2.

Future Protection Challenges - Responding to Conflict and Forced Displacement

A more targeted and flexible humanitarian response is needed

On Wednesday 4 June 2008, the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Ulla Tørnæs and The Danish Refugee Council jointly hosted United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in Copenhagen.

Guterres was invited as the keynote speaker on the conference titled ‘Future Protection Challenges: Responding to Conflict and Forced Displacement.’
The conference was the first of a series of events under the banner “Humanitarian Space for Improved Response” which the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with humanitarian agencies, hosted during 2008. The events lay the groundwork for the revision of Denmark’s Strategy on Humanitarian Aid.

The conference shed light on the changing, and still more complex patterns that humanitarian agencies operate with. Guterres emphasised that questions related to access are becoming more and more urgent due to the rising number of internal conflicts.

Whereas less people are fleeing over borders, more people are becoming displaced within their own countries. The changed refugee pattern is challenging the traditional ways of protecting refugees. New solutions need to be found, said Guterres.

Guturres expressed his gratitude for a long and effective partnership between Denmark and UNHCR.

Guterres said: “Today Denmark is not just the third largest contributor to UNHCR, the country also plays an active role in finding sustainable solutions for refugees overall the world.”

Dr. Peter Walker (The Feinstein Institute) and James Darcy (Overseas Development Institute), both known and recognised for their work within the humanitarian sector, also spoke at the conference.

They both highlighted the increasing need of responding specifically to local situations and to making the humanitarian response more flexible.

The main conclusion was that it is vital to attain political consensus about the international institutions’ mandate with regard to securing protection and humanitarian aid for internally displaced people. At present, guidelines and tools on how and when the international community can intervene in situations where states do not protect their own civil population are absent.

National supremacy goes hand in hand with the responsibility to protect the civil population. In cases where the states are not capable or are unwilling to act, the international community must step in.

Watch videos of all the key note speakers here.

See photos of the conference here: Photo Gallery 1 and Photo Gallery 2.

OUR PARTNERS:

RELEVANT LINKS:

Berlingske Tidende: Ris og Ros til Danmarks humanitære indsats

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

The Danish Refugee Council

United Nations High Commission for Refugees

Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)

The Brookings - Bern Project on Internal Displacement

Forced Migration Online -
University of Oxford

International Crisis Group

DOWNLOAD:

Summary of the Conference 4 June 2008

Speech by Antònio Guterres, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees

Speech by Minister for Development Cooperation Ulla Tørnæs

Speech by Secretary-General of Danish Refugee Council Andreas Kamm

Presentation by Dr. Peter Walker

Presentation by James Darcy

Programme

Concept Paper for the event

List of participants

Synopsis by keynote speaker Dr. Peter Walker

Find more documents for download here

Videos
- Future Protection Challenges - Responding to Conflict and Forced Displacement
4 June 2008

Participants' Voices: During the break, António Guterres was interviewed. At the same time we opened the microphone to the participants. Watch the live interview of Guterres and listen to the many remarkable comments of six participants of the conference, 4 June 2008.

James Darcy characterises future protection challenges as a variant of what we face today. We will see increased conflict over land and resources, and the changes in the climate will force millions people to flee from their present communities. James Darcy gave his impressions on which instruments and strategies he believes are needed to tackle today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. In line with Guterres, he called for a clear definition of protection.
Speech by James Darcy, Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

Ulla Tørnæs, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation opened the conference, and thus the Humanitarian Space.

Building standards is only half the story. According to Dr. Peter Walker, it is a necessity that aid agencies, in order to play a meaningful role, should develop a greater understanding of the complexity and context of the communities they work within. The deliveries have to be tailored to the environment.
Speech by Dr. Peter Walker, Feinstein International Center, Tufts University: "The complexity of crisis: Learning from history, challenging the present."

The humanitarian sector must stay independent. DRC sees a greater need to emphasise the sector’s neutral role as new actors are entering the humanitarian field. Speech by Secretary-General of the Danish Refugee Council, Andreas Kamm

Space2debate: Sharp and clarifying questions to the panel from Thomas Ravn-Pedersen and participants of the conference. From the left: James Darcy (ODI), Dr. Peter Walker (Feinstein International Center, Tufts University) and Thomas Ravn-Pedersen

New strategies and instruments are needed. António Guterres called for solutions to the changing, more complex, conflict patterns the humanitarian actors work within. Speech by António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees

António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, meeting the Danish media. Press Conference, 4 June 2008

Space2debate: How can the international community ensure their ‘responsibility to protect’? Which new instruments are needed for the protection of forcibly displaced people? The debate is facilitated by Thomas Ravn- Pedersen. The panel consists of James Darcy, Andreas Kamm, António Guterres, Ulla Tørnæs and Peter Walker.