The UNWA November General Meeting was held at the American Club on November 22, followed by Iftar provided by members.

President Vanessa Brooks began by congratulating UN Ball chair Marika Vollmann and the Ball Committee for a job well done, saying the Ball had been a success.

Treasurer Allison Hessic gave a breakdown of the income and expenditure of the Ball.

Vanessa said that anyone who wanted to could write to Board members and give their opinions about the Ball. Marika said a handbook was being prepared with all the steps necessary to organize the Ball.

Vanessa announced that the children of Dreyfus School will do a clothes drive for the children of the Savar home for street children.

Liti asked for volunteers to help update “Settling in Bangladesh”.

The meeting’s speaker, UNHCR Representative Ms. Machiko Kondo, began by explaining that there are two UN agencies in Geneva: the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) and the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - that are linked by the common factor of providing human rights for refugees, of whom there are 50 million scattered around all five continents. Of these, UNHCR provides assistance to 20 million. Asia has the highest number followed by Africa, Europe and the US.

After World War II, the General Assembly formulated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to guarantee everyone the right to life, liberty and security. However, it became clear that there was a group of people whose human rights were being constantly abused. UNHCR was set up in 1950 to help them. Since then, UNHCR has helped 50 million people but the same number still need international help today. Women and children make up 40 to 50 percent of refugees.

Ms. Kondo explained that people become refugees when they fear for their lives and flee the country. They leave everything behind. Unlike someone going on holiday, they cannot return, they have no visa or passport or money. They have noone to meet them at the airport other than police or immigration officials.

UNHCR makes sure that refugees are not returned to a country where they do not feel safe. It provides food, shelter, clothing, education and medical facilities. It helps refugees to return home or to become integrated into the countries they have fled to. UNHCR operates in 115 countries with a staff of 6,000 and a budget of one billion dollars.

In Bangladesh, UNHCR takes care of 19,000 refugees from Myanmar who live in camps near the southern border. Although the government of Myanmar has lifted restrictions on the ethnic minority that makes up the refugees, many of them are reluctant to return unless further conditions are met.