ICARA II and refugee aid and development.

This article reviews the issues and changed conditions of 2 separate meetings dealing with assistance to refugees in developing countries--the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Conferences on Assistance to Refugees in Africa (ICARA). The 1979 UNHCR report states that African host countries were not receiving international assistance for 60% of their refugee burden. The donor countries emphasis on durable solutions represents the reverse perspective from the concerned countries emphasis on burden sharing; with international burden sharing host governments might have reduced sense of responsibility for the refugees thus impeding efforts to find durable solutions. As a result of these meetings the refugees and development discussion have developed important principles and issues the main line of reasoning is as follows: 1) refugee problems demand durable solutions because failure to act really means prolonged suffering dependence and higher costs to hosts and the international community 2) there is a need to avoid dependence and promote refugee productivity through self help activities and 3) the only alternative to permanent dependence on relief is to create income generating opportunities on a large scale. 7 key issues and principles of refugee assistance in developing countries have emerged: 1) equitable burden sharing 2) spontaneously settled refugees mixed among the local population are central to requests for new forms of refugee assistance 3) aid to both refugees and locals 4) projects should be additional to not at the expense of the countrys other development programs 5) development oriented assistance 6) durable solutions and 7) new institutional arrangements will be needed to put these new principles into action.