June 1998 Thank you Mr. Chairman. By way of introduction, I direct the Forced Migration Projects of the Open Society Institute, a non-profit organization with offices in New York and Budapest. The legacy of significant population movements within the former Soviet Union continues to reflect individual hardship and undermine stability in the region.
Humanitarian action is hindered by a variety of factors.
In particular, the kidnapping and killing of aid workers threatens access by humanitarian organizations to the most vulnerable and needy displaced persons. Meanwhile, the response of CIS governments suffers from a lack of capacity and sometimes the political will, to manage migration in a humane fashion, and to respect the human rights of refugees and displaced persons. The CIS Conference in 1996 created a Program of Action that aimed to produce a foundation for a comprehensive approach governing migration, population displacements and related issues. National implementation plans have been prepared, focusing on the need to build governmental capacities to manage migration. Given the magnitude of needs, there must be greater reliance on the nongovernmental sector.