There has been much recent thinking by practitioners and academics on the role NGOs might play in the field of refugee protection. Human Rights Watch does not seek to summarize that discussion here, but rather calls for further consideration in some specific areas where NGOs may, and perhaps should, be more formally involved with UNHCR in problem-solving.
Human Rights Watch believes that there should be further discussion of how NGOs and UNHCR may work together in the process of determining whether conditions in a country of origin are sufficiently safe or stable for carrying out a repatriation. Human Rights Watch believes that UNHCR should ultimately make such decisions on the feasibility of repatriation only in conjunction with other international organizations, and only after consultations with NGOs working in the areas of return, or with refugees who have recently fled areas targeted for return. Such a process might, for example, have mitigated some of the most egregious problems with the repatriation of Rohingyas to Burma. (See above in "Neutral, Accurate and Objective Information.")
We welcome the Handbook on Voluntary Repatriation's opening declaration that "UNHCR, governments and private organizations (NGOs) have a joint role to play in voluntary repatriation."71 We also welcome the handbook's observation that "NGOs have a strong advocacy mandate and their involvement in policy formulation, as well as in the more practical aspects, can be helpful." However, we are concerned that such encouraging statements notwithstanding, the handbook does not discuss in any detail the nature of this "joint role." The Handbook on Voluntary Repatriation does provide references throughout to possible areas of cooperation between UNHCR and NGOs in the voluntary repatriation context. In particular, we encourage further development of the handbook's acknowledgment that with regard to the monitoring of returnees, "[r]egular information-sharing and networking between UNHCR and nongovernmental organizations operating in the country of origin are essential to work towards and verify acceptable standards of returnee protection."72 We also encourage further consideration of the handbook's suggestions that the profile of the country of origin be created "in liaison" with NGOs.73
NGOs and UNHCR do of course work jointly to provide assistance to refugees. We believe that NGOs' relief functions provide them a day-to-day interaction and experience that would yield valuable contributions to the protection of refugees as well. We welcome the Handbook on Voluntary Repatriation's references to and incorporation as an appendix of the Oslo Declaration and Plan of Action as part of the continual process of evaluating the role that NGOs may play in voluntary repatriation.
71 UNHCR, Handbook on Voluntary Repatriation, p. 2 (emphasis in original).