Topic: The Rights and Status of Refugees
Country: India
Delegate Name: Jack Rossbach
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All India position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
The status of refugees has always been unclear in the eyes of the United Nations. India under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not officially recognize them as refugees, but India does allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to run a programme for them. India doesn't have a refugee crisis at the moment, but it is surrounded by countries that unfortunately do suffer from them. The rights of refugees has become a global issue over the past decade, with a majority of countries becoming directly or indirectly affected. India had received 60,000 Afghan refugees in the years following the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan War. Even though India has programmes in place to help displaced refugees, there are countries that do not officially recognize refugees nor do they have programmes in place to help process them, and this must change.
India may not be the poster child when it comes to handling and processing refugees, but it does exhibit the prime example of a starting point for countries who have no programmes in place. India would also be able to provide funding and assistance to any developing countries who are suffering from an influx of refugees from struggling countries. India under the BJP party does respect the actions that the UNHCR has taken in the past when it comes to the topic of giving asylum to refugees fleeing from neighboring countries. Even though we do have programmes in place to assist refugees, there are still steps that we could take as a country to give these refugees the rights and status they deserve as citizens fleeing from a dangerous place, and as human beings.
India proposes that the United Nations work directly with the UNHCR to mandate that all countries officially recognize them as refugees and provide to them the basic human rights that go with the status of refugee. The UNHCR would also mandate that countries that do not have programmes for refugees and encourage them to start programmes, if necessary for benefits whether it be monetary or otherwise. This mandate would be flexible for countries based on the amount of refugees coming in and going out of their country and would cater towards more developing countries who are currently struggling to accept and find asylum for these refugees. Hopefully with this type of mandate set in place, India and the United Nations as a whole can work towards a safer world for these refugees.
