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Nora Skelly, External Relations Associate at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regional office in Washington, DC, spoke to a crowd of 140 students at Muhlenberg College on October 30, focusing on the crisis of record numbers of unaccompanied minors at the US-Mexican border. The lecture, entitled "Protecting Syrian Refugees and Beyond: The Work of UNHCR", is part of an initiative at Muhlenberg College to bring more international programming to its campus through the Humpty Dumpty Institute’s Higher Education Alliance.

Before the lecture, HDI’s Distinguished Fellow Morgan DeNicola gave a short presentation on the United Nations Boot Camp program for the Summer of 2016. She talked about how the program reignited her interest in international affairs and encouraged Muhlenberg students to enroll for the opportunity to learn from practitioners in international diplomacy and make new friends from around the world. The UN Boot Camp is a unique occasion for elite international relations students to experience and learn about multi-lateral diplomacy at the United Nations.

In her lecture, Ms. Skelly first defined the term "refugee". Based on the 1951 Convention establishing UNHCR, a refugee is any individual, who: "owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his (or her) nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself (or herself) of the protection of that country..." She then explained the work of UNHCR and the context under which it operates to provide protection to vulnerable displaced populations. International protocols govern the responsibility of states to protect not only its own citizens but also those with refugee status. Ms. Skelly noted that at present the number of refugees has skyrocketed from approximately 20 million in 2005 to almost 60 million in 2015, of which UNHCR protects and assists nearly 47 million, including more than 13 million refugees, 26 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 3.5 million stateless individuals, asylum seekers, refugee returnees, and IDP returnees. The largest refugee groups are from Syria and Afghanistan with a combined total of over 7 million, with 7.6 million internally displaced Syrians as well. What future do these refugees face? Unfortunately, they wait, oftentimes for years in refugee camps, settlements, or urban areas.

Turning to Syria, Ms. Skelly said that after more than six years of conflict, the situation inside Syria continues to be dire. Governments and humanitarian actors in the region have come to the realization that the situation is not going to be short lived and we have entered a “failed state” cycle of permanent emergency. Humanitarian needs are growing and the enormity of the impact on neighboring countries is deepening as the risk of insecurity and spill-over continues to grow. Large scale violence in Iraq and Syria has caused mass displacement, further eroding the political and socio-economic fabric of the Middle East causing unprecedented socioeconomic pressure on local communities and national systems. Over 4.1 million refugees are awaiting registration in the Middle East alone. She then outlined UNHCR’s role in the crisis which includes: safeguarding international protection for refugees (access to territory, registration, legal documentation); assisting refugees through provision of core relief items, basic services, cash assistance; maintaining and increasing access to national services (health care, education, etc.); strengthening social safety nets; and pushing governments to recognize the longevity of the crisis. She then finished her presentation offering UNHCR’s recommendations on solving the crisis. The first and foremost of these would of course be a peaceful resolution to the conflicts in the region. This along with strong political and financial support for the countries in the region hosting refugees, and financial support for the humanitarian actors working with refugees and IDPs in the region would go a long way in alleviating the humanitarian crisis.

Nora Skelly currently works as an external relations associate for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), representing the agency’s global operations to the US government and non-governmental organizations. Previously, she was a policy advocate for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), a national organization serving migrants, refugees, unaccompanied children and their families through over 60 grassroots legal and social service partners across the United States. As Assistant Director for Advocacy, Ms. Skelly drafted policy recommendations and support letters, represented policy positions on Capitol Hill and in coalition meetings, and coordinated advocacy trainings and conferences for faith leaders, former refugees and network partners. She served as chair of the Advocacy Committee for Refugee Council USA and led the inclusion and passage of improved protections for refugees in the Senate’s Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (S. 744). Ms. Skelly holds a Master of Public Administration from the George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Grinnell College. A fluent Spanish speaker, she has also volunteered with Spanish-speaking communities both in the United States and abroad on a number of social justice causes.