Page 45 - Bulletin, Vol.83 No.1, April 2024

In Argentina, there were thousands of refugees from various Latin American countries
who had previously taken refuge in Chile, which gave them asylum under the
presidency of Allende. At the time, Chile had a positive image, with a socialist
government. Following Pinochet's seizure of power in 1973, these refugees left or were
expelled. A large number emigrated to Argentina, where President Perón pursued a
liberal reception policy. When he died, his wife became President. She had a more
restrictive policy and the entire refugee population wanted to leave the country.

A few months later, General Videla's coup d'état established a dictatorship. Refugees
and Argentines opposed to the regime were arrested and persecuted. The UNHCR's
mandate was to protect refugees and find them a country of destination.

4. What was the most significant event in your career?

While I was in Argentina. There was an uprising among refugees who felt that the
UNHCR was not finding a solution to their problems quickly enough. A dozen or so of
them took UNHCR staff hostage in the belief that this would make it easier for them to
obtain resettlement visas in other countries. The hostage-takers agreed to release the
women fairly quickly, but there were still 8 male UNHCR staff held for 3 days in my
office, at constant gunpoint.

It took negotiations between the President of Algeria and the then UN Secretary
General, Kurt Waldheim, to resolve the crisis and get Algeria to agree to grant visas to
these refugees.

5. Do you feel, and do you still feel, an attachment to the Organisation?

Of course, the UNHCR has never been so useful. For an organisation that was
supposed to disappear after managing refugees from the Second World War, the
UNHCR has always been called upon to manage the population movements created by
new tensions around the world. In fact, it is the only organisation that is not under fire.

The UNHCR should not be confused with UNRWA
(https://www.un.org/fr/events/unrwa_at_60/pdf/info.pdf), which was set up to deal solely
with the problems of the Palestinian refugees expelled in 1948 when Israel was created.
These refugees have never managed to rebuild their lives and are still dependent on
aid.

6. Has the organisation changed over the years, and if so, in what direction?

It cannot be said that the UNHCR has changed. It is its staff who make up the UNHCR,
through their involvement. The 5 regions set out their needs during a grand oral and the
countries accept the needs. You may ask why 5 regions: the Americas, Europe, Africa,
Europe and also the Near and Middle East.

Perhaps what has changed is the sheer number of refugees - some 20 million, I think. It
was unthinkable...

AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 83 No.1, 2024-04 44

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