AMBASSADOR WAYNE'S MEETING WITH UNHCR REGIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 001972 SIPDIS SIPDIS PRM FOR KATHRYN PONGONIS WHA/AND FOR SHELBY SMITH-WILSON GENEVA FOR KATHERINE PERKINS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2017 TAGS: PREF AR BR CI UY BL PE SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR WAYNE'S MEETING WITH UNHCR REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE REF: 9/12-14/07 GOMEZ-PONGONIS E-MAILS Classified By: AMBASSADOR E. ANTHONY WAYNE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Summary. Cristian Koch-Castro, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Representative for Southern Latin America, called on the Ambassador to discuss UNHCR's activities in Argentina and the region. Koch-Castro explained that UNHCR has made it a priority to strengthen the capacity of "emerging resettlement countries" like Argentina and others in the region to accept refugees. He said Colombians now represent the single largest group of refugees granted asylum in Argentina, and that a small, but growing number of Africans from Sierra Leone, Senegal and Eritrea is beginning to request refugee status. ¶2. (C) Summary Continued: Koch-Castro noted that the Bolivian government has expressed a willingness to resettle refugees, and that UNHCR has submitted a proposal to the Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) for a technical assistance program that would develop GOB institutional capacity to resettle refugees. The Ambassador offered to look into the status of the proposal, and poloff queried the Department via e-mail (ref A) to determine the proposal's status. Per ref A's instructions, Poloff informed Koch-Castro on September 28 that PRM funds for FY08 have already been allocated, but encouraged UNHCR to resubmit the proposal through formal channels for consideration in FY09. Koch-Castro expressed appreciation for the information and said that he would pass this information on to UNHCR headquarters. End Summary. -------------- -------------- UNHCR: Cultivating Emerging Resettlement Countries -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) On September 12, Ambassador Wayne met with UNHCR Regional Representative for Southern Latin America Cristian Koch-Castro to discuss UNHCR's activities in Argentina and the region. Koch-Castro began by thanking the USG for its financial support of UNHCR programs. He noted that traditional refugee resettlement countries like the United States, while generously accepting tens of thousands of refugees each year, can not take in all of the world's refugees. As a result, UNHCR has made it a priority to cultivate "emerging resettlement countries", like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Since the 1990s, Argentina, Brazil and Chile have increased their efforts to resettle refugees, Koch-Castro explained, adding that he hopes that Argentina will accept 200 refugees for resettlement by the end of 2007. The Ambassador noted recent press articles announcing Brazil's and Chile's decision to each accept 100 Palestinian refugees. Koch-Castro said that the decision is a welcome development which will push the number of refugees accepted by Brazil and Chile to 300 by year's end. -------------- -------------- Colombian refugees are the largest group in Argentina... -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) The Ambassador asked which nationality represented the largest group of refugees in Argentina. Koch-Castro said Colombians now represent the single largest group of refugees granted asylum in Argentina due to a four-decades-long internal armed conflict in Colombia. He noted that in the early 2000s, Peruvians and Bolivians represented the largest groups of people requesting asylum in Argentina, but that there has been a steep drop-off in the number of applications from these countries now that Argentina has implemented its national plan to regularize the status of undocumented immigrants. As a result, Peruvians and Bolivians are now able to receive temporary residence in the country by virtue of their nationality, he explained. -------------- --- ...but the number of African refugees is growing -------------- --- ¶5. (C) Africans are requesting refugee status in Argentina in small but growing numbers. The asylum seekers are from Sierra Leone, Senegal and Eritrea, Koch-Castro continued. While some have legitimate claims to political asylum, others are more likely to have been smuggled into the country. Koch-Castro recounted that he recently received news from his ex-chauffeur in Eritrea alerting him to the detention of the chauffeur's daughter and husband in an Argentine prison close to the Bolivian border. Koch-Castro traveled to the prison and successfully secured their release after interviewing the Eritreans. The couple managed to escape Eritrea and entered Argentina via Khartoum, Cuba, and Bolivia, using a fake South African passport. UNHCR is currently in the process of developing an assistance program for African refugee applicants; however, given Argentina's largely homogenous population of European descendents, insertion and adaptation to this new environment will likely prove difficult, he indicated. -------------- -------------- UNHCR Building Regional Capacity to Accept Refugees -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) UNHCR has also been actively working with the National Refugee Committees in the region to help build the institutional capacity necessary to process asylum requests efficiently, Koch-Castro stated. UNHCR worked very closely with the GOA to pass legislation in November 2006 which made it easier for federal authorities to grant asylum or refugee status and for national, provincial, and municipal authorities to begin including refugees in their assistance programs. As a result of these efforts, UNHCR recently designated the Argentine cities Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and Rosario as "refugee-friendly", Koch-Castro stated. -------------- UNHCR Requests Status of Proposal Sent to PRM -------------- ¶7. (C) When asked about other activities in the region, Koch-Castro said UNHCR is also working closely with the governments of Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia to develop their institutional capacity to accept refugees. Uruguay and Paraguay have committed to accepting a small number of refugees this year, he indicated, and the Bolivian government has demonstrated a willingness to resettle refugees. To capitalize on the GOB's interest, Koch-Castro relayed that UNHCR had submitted a proposal via the U.S. Mission in Geneva to the Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) requesting funding for a technical assistance program focused on developing GOB institutional capacity to resettle refugees. When asked whether the Embassy could query the Department to determine the proposal's status, the Ambassador agreed to look into the matter. -------------- -------------- Post Informs UNHCR that FY08 Funds are already allocated and Encourages FY09 Application -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) Post relayed Koch-Castro's request to the Department (ref A). Per ref instructions, Poloff informed Koch-Castro on September 28 that the U.S. Mission in Geneva received the proposal informally, but never formally through UNHCR's Donor Relations Office in Geneva. She also informed Koch-Castro that PRM funds for FY08 have already been allocated, but encouraged UNHCR to resubmit the proposal through formal channels for consideration in FY09. Koch-Castro expressed appreciation for the information and stated that he would pass this information on to UNHCR headquarters. WAYNE