DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BEAR A GREATER REFUGEE BURDEN

Despite Australia's claim of being second only to Canada in the number of refugees it takes, the refugee burden on poorer countries near war zones demonstrates a major global inequality that needs to be addressed, according to Eileen Pittaway, Director of the Centre for Refugee Research at the University of New South Wales.

War and other root causes of refugee generation, such as the arms trade, the negative effects of globalisation and structural racism, is currently being discussed at an international conference on refugees at the University of New South Wales till Sunday.

The conference, attended by almost 500 delegates including policy makers, refugees and experts, is debating the issues surrounding refugees. Recommendations arising from this conference will be submitted directly to next week's United Nations meeting of the 1951 Refugee Convention, to which the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Mr Philip Ruddock, will be putting the Australian Government's position.

Ms Pittaway believes that current mechanisms for refugee distribution, and international obligations for refugee intake must be urgently reviewed.

A study by Pascale Allotey and Daniel Reidpath, titled, "Refugee intake and reflections on inequality", will be presented at the conference on Saturday. Data on the number of refugees was obtained from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The study reveals that when economic capacity is taken into account, the poorest countries bear the greatest burden, highlighting the fact that the actual distribution of refugees is in stark contrast to the humanitarian rhetoric of industrialised countries.

The paper states: "It is deeply ironic that under the current mechanisms that favour refugees going to proximate countries, wealthy countries can be directly involved in the creation of a refugee crisis in poor and far-removed countries, without any risk of having to be responsible for the support of those refugees. This is presently the case in Afghanistan, where the United States and Great Britain (and Australia) are involved in military action, without any risk of the large numbers of refugees and internally displaced people (counted in the million), arriving within their borders."

Conference program:

Friday 7 December

11.00am - 1.00pm UNSW - session on women and children with refugee women telling their story - 80% of the refugee population today is women and children.

4.30 - 6.00pm Moot Court held at Wesley Centre, Pitt St, Sydney Legal aspects of the Refugee Convention will be explored by some of Australia's foremost legal practitioners in a Moot Court at which a hypothetical country stands accused of not fulfilling its obligations under International refugee law (not Australia of course!!!!) Participants include: The Hon Justice Margaret Beazley, The Hon Justice John Dowd AO, Elizabeth Evatt AC, John Basten QC, Dr Gavin Andrews QC, Kate Eastman and Nick Poynder.

Saturday 8 December

Venue: Mathews A, University of NSW

9.00 - 10.00am Keynote speakers: - "Asylum Considerations after 11 September" by Michel Gabauden, Regional Representative, UNHCR - "International Issues: Refugee Women's Human Rights" by Nelia Sancho, Asian Women Human Rights Council - "Refugee Intake: Reflections on Inequality" by Pascale Allotey and Daniel Reidpath

What: Conference: "The Refugee Convention - where to from here?"

When: continues until Sunday 9 December - the results of this convention will go directly to a Geneva Convention next week

Where: UNSW, Gate 9, High Street, Randwick.

Contact details: Sarah Martin, Public Affairs and Development, tel. 9385 3192 or 0408 113 407 for interviews with speakers, refugees from Iran, Sudan, East Timor etc. or a full conference program.