UNA-UK's Peace and Security Programmes Officer, Alexandra Buskie, travelled to Amman, Jordan, last month in order to take part in a workshop on atrocity prevention as well as meet with UN agencies and NGOs working in the region.
During her visit, Alex met with staff at the UN Refugee Agency's (UNHCR) refugee registration centre, where she learnt how the Agency works to assist and protect those fleeing the conflict in Syria and, increasingly, Iraq. The registration centre currently processes an average of 3,000 applications everyday, acting as a one-stop-shop for refugees' basic needs, ensuring they have access to cash assistance, shelter, medical services, education and information about how to get further support. The centre also examines the protection needs of individual refugees, such as those experiencing domestic violence or who have been brought to Jordan as a child-bride.
Alex also met with representatives from the UN's specialised agency for the assistance and protection of Palestinian refugees: the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The Agency manages to support over five million registered Palestinian refugees across the region, despite large gaps in funding. Having just launched its appeal for 2015, UNRWA hopes to gain more financial support for its essential work in response to the Syria crisis.
While in Amman, Alex also took part in a workshop on the prevention of atrocity crimes in the Middle East and North Africa region. Organised by the the UN Office for the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), the International Coalition for R2P and the Permanent Peace Movement, the workshop brought together human rights activists from Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to discuss the role of human rights protection in the prevention of atrocity crimes. Alex provided an introduction to the development of R2P. During the meeting, the UN Office walked participants through the UN's new Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes, asking those taking part to pinpoint potential areas of risk and brainstorm how their own organisations might have an effect in decreasing these risks.
Alex will be writing a more detailed report of her visit in the next edition of New World magazine.
