World Refugee Day

Floor Speech

Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, tomorrow is World Refugee Day, a day to pause and recognize the millions of people who have been forced from their homes by natural disaster, conflict, or in some cases persecution. They often only carry with them the clothes on their backs and the new burdens and trauma that accompany the title of ``refugee.'' Yet as we acknowledge the tragedy of their loss, we can also celebrate their enduring resilience. Even after years of suffering and hopelessness, many refugees never give up hope that they will return to their homes to be allowed to live peaceful and full lives. They continue to struggle to ensure that their basic rights are protected and basic needs met.

Today, the overall number of refugees and internally displaced people is estimated at 42 million. The refugee experience cuts across borders and countries, but the circumstances that give rise to displacement are often unique. There are so many crises to talk about--in Colombia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Zimbabwe, for example--but I want to briefly highlight three in particular.

First, in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, a humanitarian crisis continues to unfold as more than 2 million Pakistanis have been displaced from their homes due to fighting between militants and the Pakistani Government. The Pakistani people have borne additional hardship as friends, families, and strangers--already strained by the global economic crisis--have opened their homes and lives to many of the displaced. We must do more to encourage this generosity through creative means as well as providing traditional aid to the hundreds of thousands in camps.

I also wish to highlight the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting between the Congolese military and armed groups in eastern Congo, forcing people into squalid camps where children are subject to forced recruitment and women suffer unspeakable levels of sexual violence. In eastern Congo and so many other conflict zones, rape and other forms of gender-based violence have become not just outgrowths of war and its brutality--they are used as weapons of war. We must do more to stop this horrifying practice, to provide protection to these vulnerable refugee populations, and to address the underlying causes of eastern Congo's conflicts.

Third, there continue to be more than 250,000 refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan in eastern Chad in addition to some 190,000 internally displaced people--Chadians--in the area. Moreover, millions of people remain internally displaced in Darfur. These people do not have access to many basic humanitarian needs such as water, health care, and education, and they continue to be subject to attacks by government forces and armed rebel groups. We need to address their needs and enhance civilian protection, while working to stand up a viable peace process for Darfur and the wider region.

Finally, World Refugee Day is also an occasion to celebrate the work of donor governments including our own, private individuals, nongovernmental organizations, and agencies like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that are working to meet the needs of the displaced. To those who have given generously, to those who have lived among the displaced, and to those who report their stories and refuse to allow them to be forgotten, I say, thank you.

Nonetheless, we must do more to bring attention to the plight of the tens of millions of refugees around the world and to ensure their fundamental right to be safe. The theme of this year's World Refugee Day is ``Real People, Real Needs''--a reminder of the human face of refugee crises around the world. Today, let us see that face and commit ourselves to meeting the real needs of refugees and IDPs around the world.

Source