Part four: Conclusions and recommendations Underlag till styrelsemöte 1-2 maj 1997

PART FOUR: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


I FUNCTlONS OF THE REFUGEE DOCUMENTATlON CENTRE

1.1 It is recommended that within al a refugee documentation centre be order to provide access to information and documentation to allow its users assessments of risks for refugees.
established in to make

1.2 i The functions of the centre will be to gather, store and retrieve information and to make this information available in the most user-friendly manner. It will also draft
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assessments and be involved in the identification and analysis of themes and trends relating to refugee work.

1.3 The centre will not replace or duplicate work preseni~tly assigned to the IS and/or sections and will not change the basic set-up of and divisi9n of responsibilities in al's refugee work.
1.3.1 The centre will not do its own research into the human rights situation in countries of origin independent from IS research teams.
1.3.2 The IS Refugee Team will remain in charge of developing al's policy on major issues in our refugee work.
1.3.3 Sections will continue to lobby their governments and legislatures on fair and efficient asylum procedures. assess individual claims of asylum-seekers and support them in ways feasible.


2. TYPES AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION

2.1 The centre should primarily gather country of origin information in the form of general background material! facts relating to human rights violations and information specifically relevant to refugee work.

2.2 To a lesser extent, the centre should gather information on issues and concepts relating to refugee protection and some important jurisprudence, in particular decisions and opinions rendered by international human rights bodies.

2.3 Collecting national juri$prudience concerning refugees from different countries will not be a primary function~of the centre.

2.4. Information should be Qbtaifled from both aland external sources.
2.4.1 al information will comprise al external dbcuments and al internal information.
2.4.2 Sources of external information include the Umited Nations and iri particular UNHCRi, governments and NGO's, journals and the press, other documentation and information centres, as well as the Internet and other on-line services.

2.5 The centre should try to reflect and address the specific information needs of its users in an efficient way.

2.6 Emphasis should be put on direct access to the database.

2.7 The centre should produce in collaboration and coordination with relevant IS teams its own papers on subjects of particular interest in the field of refugee work, including iiq~e5ti~n5 not otherwise covered by al's research. i

2.8. To some extent and in close cooperation with relevant~IS teams the centre should draft assessments of risks to refugees.


3. USERS AND PROVIDERS

3.1 At least initially the documentation centre should not make its information accessible externally (beyond al) nor respond directly to external requests.

3.2 The centre should be the information link between the different actors in al's refugee work. It should develop into the focal point and clearing house for refugee-related information and communication.
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3.3 Section status or extensive prior experience in refugee work should, in principle, not
be preconditions to use the services of the centre, but the centre needs to be 'in the position
to control access to its database.

3.4 A system of cooperation and exchange of information and experiences should be
developed with other information and documentation centres in the field of refugees and human rights.


4. ORGANIZATIONal STRUCTURE

4.1 It is recomended that the refugee documentation centre be set up as a fully staffed operation in one central location.

4.2 It is envisaged that the documentation centre will eventually employ up to five staff.

4.3 The choice of the location depends on a number of criteria, the most important being: accessibility of the centre by phone, fax and e-mail; availability of suitable office space and the costs for rental of office premises; the costs for personnel, in particular staff salaries, and the general standard of living in the country.

4.4 It should be investigated whether an al section is willing and in a position to offer to the centre office space free of charge or at a reduced rate, or in a similar way contribute to the reduction of costs.

4.5 It is recomm~nded that tfte documentation centre should be established as a separate entity distinct from the IS.

4.6 The function should no~be allocated to existing structuresi (sec tionsior a section groupings 6r a grouping), but anew structure ~hQuId.;be created~for~is purpose.

4.7 It is recommended that the refugee documentation centre be set up as a "modified decentralized structure", that is the centre would be largely decentralized, but the IS would be represented on the governing board elected by an AGM representing the movement. The structure would report to the IEC and be accountable to the movement via the IEC and
1CM.

4.8 Clear and formal agreements between the centre, the IS/IEC and sections on accountability and the division of tasks and responsibilities need to be drawn up.

4.9 The documentation centre should initially be set up for a three-year period, at the
i end of which the project should be reviewed.
5. FUNDING

5.1 The movement will have to make a clear and conscious decision to invest substantially in the refugee documentation centre.

5.2 The centre should be funded through a system of section contributions and a modest contribution from the international budget.

5.3 A number of larger sections should be asked to formally commit themselves to fund the project for the initial three-year period.

5.4 Opportunities for external funding, in particular relating to set-up costs, should be further explored with IGO's, foundations and universities.