TORONTO, March 30, 1998 -- York University's Centre for Refugee Studies has been awarded a $300,000 US grant from the prestigious New York-based Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant will allow the Centre to research and reveal how the United Nations and non-governmental organizations could better protect refugees.

The need for the grant, which will strengthen the Centre's role as an international leader in refugee and human rights issues, is obvious as the world watches and reflects on the plight of people forced to flee from conflict in regions around the world, including the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and many others.

"This grant will reinforce the Centre's leading-edge research on issues of major interest to Canadians: the treatment of refugees and the capacity of international organizations and states to respond to human rights violations resulting in forced displacement," said Professor Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Centre -- which is already a CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) Centre of Excellence.

"The projects we will conduct through the Mellon grant will concentrate on promoting inter-disciplinary and inter-organization dialogue so vital for dealing with the maze of issues surrounding refugees and human rights," said Bayefsky.

The donation -- $200,000 US now, and another $100,000 US following the finalizing of plans for the digitalization of the Centre's library holdings -- will be devoted to three projects: an international conference, workshops and research with the goal of coordinating the many actors from the United Nations and non-governmental organizations who deal with refugees and the issue of human rights; a training project for refugee judges around the world to expand their knowledge of international refugee and human rights standards; and a project that would digitize and mount onto web pages the almost half a million pages of documents and research in the Centre's collection.

The Mellon Foundation is an American not-for-profit organization founded in 1969 with the goal of aiding and promoting scientific, literary, religious, charitable and educational activities that are "in the furtherance of the public welfare or tend to promote the well-doing or well-being of mankind." Each year, the Foundation awards grants to only a small percentage of the organizations and individuals that request them.

The first project begins with an international conference, already planned for May 7 to 9, 1998 at York.

CONFERENCE TO HELP COORDINATE ROLES/FIND SOLUTIONS FOR PROTECTING REFUGEES

"This conference is an important starting point in trying to coordinate the efforts of the many actors involved in the international refugee and human rights fields," said Bayefsky. "Right now, in situations where human rights issues and refugee issues overlap, scores of international organizations and workers play a role: from the UN High Commissioner on Refugees, to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to the Red Cross. This conference will initiate a discussion on how to coordinate the very important work being done by these organizations."

The conference will be followed by workshops and in-depth discussion drawing upon the experience of field workers from various UN bodies and leading NGOs. The Centre for Refugee Studies will then sponsor research and writing coming out of these discussions, examining areas of potential discord between various bodies, and presenting potential solutions.

JUDGES TO RECEIVE TRAINING IN INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE/HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS

The second project will provide much-needed assistance to judges around the world. It will expand their knowledge of international human rights and refugee standards, and encourage greater involvement of the judicial process in refugee issues. This training program is a response to growing requests for assistance from judges around the world, but particularly in emerging democracies (such as Eastern Europe and South Africa), and in less developed countries.

The Centre plans to design and deliver a professional course specifically for the judiciary. It will co-ordinate the development of this course with other organizations currently involved in training judges in this area.

REFUGEE/FORCED MIGRATION DOCUMENTS TO BE AMASSED, AVAILABLE ON SPECIAL WEB SITE

The final project to be funded by the Mellon Foundation grant, The Resource Centre Digitalization Project, will digitize, convert and mount on web pages almost half a million pages of documentary material donated by a range of organizations and individuals who have been associated with the Centre over the past decade.

Most of this collection is previously unpublished material from non-governmental organizations which have had a role in refugee policy development in Canada.

"The Digitalization Project is an excellent example of how to make valuable information more accessible. We hope that by making this collection available on the Internet, we will stimulate international debate and research into refugee and human rights issues," said Bayefsky.

The Centre for Refugee Studies at York was formally inaugurated in 1988 as the successor to the Refugee Documentation Project, a project which arose from the Indochine Boat People Crisis in the 1970s. In 1991, the Centre was designated a Centre of Excellence by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The Centre's primary focus is to advance the effective enforcement of refugee and international human rights standards through research, networking, education and training.

For more information, please contact:

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
email: sinem@yorku.ca

Anne Bayefsky
Director, Centre for Refugee Studies
(416) 736-2100, ext. 66662
YU/028/98