REFUGEE STATISTICS: VOICE OF PEOPLE WITHOUT VOICE Mr. Jean-François Durieux Director, Division of Programme Support and Management UNHCR

UNHCR responsibilities for statistics UNHCR’s responsibilities are defined in international legal instruments 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees 1950 Statute of the Office of the UNHCR UNHCR’s statistics are unique Refugee and statelessness figures are not included in official statistics of most countries Global statistics on refugees are provided only by UNHCR

43 million displaced by conflict or violence –16 million refugees and asylum-seekers –27 million internally displaced persons 12 million stateless persons How many globally end 2009?

Individual registration Population censuses Surveys and estimation Participatory assessment methods How do we obtain the data?

5.5 million refugees in a protracted situation Unaccompanied and separated children seeking asylum may be at risk of trafficking Child soldiers are often recruited from displaced populations Over 50% of the world’s refugees live in urban or semi-urban environments Topics seen only through statistics on displaced persons Topics seen only through statistics on displaced persons

Impact of ignoring displaced persons in figures? Displaced persons can be a significant share of the de facto population of some countries Are often one of most vulnerable group of people Millennium Development Goals need to include these groups to be achieved Refugee camps never appear as official locations in country maps and development plans (e.g. refugee complex Dadaab in Kenya = 4 th largest pop. center)

Uses of Statistics Advocacy and raising awareness Results based management Prioritization of interventions based on gap assessment and statistical trends Finding durable solutions for refugees Fundraising Meeting special needs of certain groups

Thank you