Yusuf Hassan is with the UN s refugee Agency in Islamabad. Mr. Hassan is reluctant to comment on this recent political development but says the sanctions will make the Agency s work more difficult. In fact, he says in order to meet the increased demands, the UN has launched a global appeal of 44.5 million dollars to help provide for 3.1 refugees in Southwest Asia and the 900 who are internally displaced. Unfortunately, he says donors are reluctant to donate to those who need it the most. Listen Learning solutions for conflicts from history.
History can be a great teacher when it comes to finding solutions for conflicts.
Such is the case when examining conflict in Sierra Leone, and the refugee crisis in Guinea. Margaret Vogt of the UN Department of Political Affairs says both crises can be traced back to Liberia s civil war in the early 90 s and the subsequent formation of rebel groups. Listen At the end of the first International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, there are still 17 non independent countries in the world. Anguilla, Bermuda, the Caymen Islands, Turks and Caicos, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, and the US Virgin Islands. Besides the fact that they are all wonderful tourist destinations in the Caribbean, they are also all non independent countries on the UN's decolonization list.