The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund: Stories

Geneva and Kosovo: Not your usual tour August 30, 2006

Carolyn Vanderlip

Carolyn Vanderlip

Refugee Coordinator shares insight from travel

Geneva and then Kosovo -- not your typical summer tour of Europe.  But if you happen to have an opportunity to attend meetings at the United Nations in Geneva, and if you also happen to have a friend who is vacationing in Kosovo for the summer to visit her family, it might seem ideal!

It did to me. And so on June 20 (appropriately, World Refugee Day), I found myself at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Switzerland. I was there on behalf of the Canadian Council for Refugees to attend the Annual Tripartite Consultation (ATC) -- a meeting between governments from around the world who accept refugees for resettlement, Non Governmental Organizations (NGO's) from those countries, and the UNHCR, who plans to refer approximately 61,000 refugees to begin new lives in 2007 in countries such as Canada, Australia, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, the USA, and many others. Out of 9 million refugees worldwide, those who are resettled represent a mere drop in the bucket.

The NGO's had an opportunity at the opening of the ATC to make a statement, and we put that to good use. Our representative spoke about our concern over the fact that UNHCR refers refugees for resettlement based on their capacity to process cases, not on the actual need, which is much greater than 61,000 places worldwide. We welcomed the opportunity to discuss the resettlement needs of refugees living with HIV/AIDS who are often particularly vulnerable. We reiterated the need for family reunification, and for building welcoming communities in resettlement countries.

One area of particular concern to the NGO's is a relatively new policy in the United States barring anyone from admission if they have provided any form of material support to a terrorist or terrorist-like organization. This policy has denied resettlement to genuine refugees who were forced to pay money or provide goods or services under duress. For example, a ransom paid to rescue a kidnapped child, a 'war tax' imposed by a guerilla group where failure to pay would result in death, a letter delivered under duress even if the contents were unknown, and even livestock taken from a refugee's property by a guerilla group could be considered 'material support'. This policy has drastically cut the number of refugees the United States will accept for resettlement, and both UNHCR and NGO's are gravely concerned about the worldwide implications.

The ATC itself was an opportunity to hear updates on UNHCR operations and current refugee situations worldwide, and for governments and NGO's to respond with questions and concerns. NGO's had an opportunity on Day 2 to make presentations on resettlement in their countries, and we were left inspired by the wonderful work being done to help integrate refugees, many of whom have been traumatized by their experiences.

Following the ATC, it was on to Kosovo. As Prishtina, the capital city of Kosovo, came into view through the airplane window, I thought back over the last six years. I remembered my first meeting with Mervete and Sabri Dermaku and their children after they arrived in Canada from their war-torn country. I relived the shock when just a few weeks later, Sabri suffered a massive stroke. And I smiled at the memory of standing at the airport, watching as Mervete was reunited with her brother and sister-in-law and their children, after St John's Ancaster (my home parish) sponsored them to come to Canada as refugees. Now, I was the one being awaited at the airport, this time by Mervete and Sabri, and Sabri's brother Lirim, in Prishtina.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to finally see the country I had heard so much about, and meet the families of my Albanian/Canadian friends.
 
Lirim was our driver for most of my visit, and it was lucky for us that he was. Driving in Kosovo is haphazard at best, and you must be both very cautious and extremely brave to be able to pull it off. We arrived safely at our first destination - Sabri's parent's house, which was to be my home away from home for the next few days. I had met them when they visited Canada a couple of years ago, and it was wonderful to see them again. I received a very warm welcome, and Mervete was kept busy translating as we got re-acquainted!
 
The next few days were spent sightseeing around Kosovo. The country is very beautiful, with picturesque villages surrounded by mountains. We enjoyed wonderful lunches and dinners at lovely restaurants where meals cost only a few Euros. We drove up a mountain to relax over coffee while enjoying an expansive view of the countryside. We followed trails to waterfalls, and even took a tour in an underground cave.
 
But in spite of the beauty, reminders of the war are everywhere. Destroyed homes dot the landscape, and peacekeeping troops, tanks, and trucks are seen frequently. The United Nations is still in control of Kosovo, and peacekeepers from around the world ensure that hostilities don't break out again. Landmines are still being cleared, and cemeteries are full of the graves of men, women, and children, all bearing the year of death 1998 or 1999.
 
Albanian people are said to be known for their wonderful hospitality to guests. This would be an understatement. I was welcomed like a member of the family, each and every time we visited someone, which was frequently. Family is very important in Kosovo, and during each visit there was always a combination of parents, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews to meet. Mervete was kept on her toes translating, which sometimes proved impossible as everyone tried to talk at once.
 
Everyone was anxious to make sure that I was enjoying my visit to Kosovo. To my great surprise, just before leaving I was presented with gifts by some of Sabri and Mervete's family members, as a reminder of my visit to their country. Knowing that most people in Kosovo are not working and incomes are extremely low made these gifts all the more touching. Combined with the bounty from a whirlwind shopping trip with Mervete, my luggage was overflowing as I boarded my flight back to Switzerland. My heart was overflowing too, with sadness at having to leave so soon, with memories of such a beautiful country and thoughts of what had taken place there only seven years earlier, and mostly with respect and admiration for the wonderful people I had met.
 
I'll never forget my short trip to Kosovo, and hope that someday I'll have an opportunity to return. Important decisions are being considered right now about Kosovo's future, and whether the region will become independent from Serbia, as Montenegro recently voted to do. Please keep all of the people of Kosovo in your thoughts and prayers!

Many thanks to the Division of Outreach, and to the Primates World Relief and Development Fund, for their generous support which helped make this trip possible. 

Carolyn Vanderlip is the Refugee Coordinator for the Diocese of Niagara and sits on the PWRDF Refugee Network. She recently visited Geneva and Kosovo where she attended the Annual Tripartite Consultation (ATC) at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on behalf of the Canadian Council for Refugees.