In the yearly Peace Proposals that President Ikeda has been sending to the UN since 1983 the strategic role of the United Nations is always highlighted. According to Ikeda, the UN should be strengthened and become an actual “Parliament of humanity”, giving a voice to the civil society including ordinary people. What is the role of the UNHCR in the UN context?
Among UN agencies, the UNHCR is a bit special because it is deeply rooted in the territory. It is guided by the General Assembly and it coordinates and responds to the protection needs of refugees around the world, as well as stateless and displaced persons. It aims at supporting those who have lost the protection of their country. Therefore it is a humanitarian organization that intends to provide concrete answers.
We are living in extremely complex times at social, political and economic level: how would you describe the perception of refugees and their situation that we have in Italy?
Reality is one thing, the perception of that reality is a different thing. There are more than 100 million displaced people in the world, which is a huge number, in a very difficult period full of conflicts and wars. As a consequence, more and more people are forced to leave their countries or leave their land and homes.
Italy has always been a country where people arrive seeking protection and a better life. It is a welcoming country and lately it has shown an unprecedented ability to unite around Ukrainian refugees: not only families have opened their houses and offered help, but the whole society, even the private sector, has stepped up to give concrete help, food or even financial support.
This aptitude to help others is a resource that we should keep fostering, and we shouldn’t let these “fragile objectives” be exploited at a political level to gain votes.
Integration is the main goal for the refugees’ new life, yet it is still extremely difficult to reach. The Community Matching project operates in this context. What is the idea at the basis of this project and what are its objectives?
There is a widespread perception that a huge number of people are coming to look for a better life and, in a way, they seem a burden on our society, but reality is completely different: many of them have a strong desire to roll up their sleeves, they are extremely resilient and surely want to rebuild their lives. When they arrive in Italy, however, the integration process is not always easy because it requires to create inclusive social connections. Integration is complex everywhere in the world, but in Italy it is particularly difficult because it is complicated by bureaucracy.
That is why we have developed a project with our various partners, including the Soka Gakkai, to facilitate the inclusion of refugees in our society.
We think it is important to work not only on practical aspects, such as access to documents and the job market, but also on mutual understanding, both for the foreigners who arrive in Italy and for the people who welcome them.
So we had the idea of pairing refugees with volunteers to help them understand our country, how to behave in certain situations, how to make friends, how to find a job, etc. Just as importantly, Italian volunteers understand what it means when somebody arrives in a country and has to start all over again, what experiences and suffering refugees go through, the painful memories they carry but also the culture they can share and the many stories they can tell.
The heart of the project is the idea of combating the fear of one another through an experience that enriches both. The bond that is created between the two is an antidote for racism and xenophobia.
Many people have volunteered and we are very happy to see the project’s concrete results: when those bonds are created, the integration process becomes much faster and more effective. This will surely make our country more inclusive and welcoming.
One of the strengths of the project is that refugees and volunteers are at the same level within the relationship: in fact they are both called “buddies”.
This is in line with the Buddhist vision of life based on interconnection and the knowledge of the value and resources of every individual.
Could you further explain this aspect?
In many countries in the world, not only in Italy, I have seen that when two people or two families share their challenges and their growth, this becomes a source of strength for both refugees and those who host them.
Community Matching is a very important tool. It’s not just about helping: it’s about deeply understanding others. Indeed, unless we understand the person in front of us, it is very difficult to feel empathy, and without knowing their situation it is easy to jump to hasty conclusions.
I would like to thank the Soka Gakkai for supporting the UNHCR and the organizations we work with for this project. I hope it can be expanded to promote a concept of support not limited to the material help we can give to refugees when they come to our country.
On the one hand, young people today are very aware of these issues but, on the other hand, they feel they can’t really shape the change they would like to see. Is there something you would like to tell them to encourage them to win over inertia, not to lose hope as regards the change that each of them can bring about in the world?
In such a complex world we can’t really afford inertia, considering that so many young people are fleeing from wars, violence and persecution today.
Youth in Italy, in Europe, in those countries that have at least some stability and peace, also have the responsibility to share their experience, and projects such as Community Matching are a concrete way to be part of the solution. Because solutions cannot simply be left in the hands of governments, states, or the United Nations.
Each of us can do something to facilitate refugees’ inclusion.
We need to try and understand how to meet the needs of those who are seeking help, support, somebody to make them feel less alone today.
You have been working at the forefront of people’s protection for years. What does this job mean to you?
This is not a job, it’s a mission, as it requires countless sacrifices and it exposes you to a very complex reality that is hard to manage.
If you do it, it’s because you have decided that you want to give your small contribution to this world where, today more than yesterday, so many people—too many people – are suffering.
I was lucky because I began working at the UNHCR at a moment when conflicts got solved and people did go home, and my role was precisely to help them get home. Nothing is more wonderful than seeing children and women going back to their villages and their lives.
Unfortunately today we no longer have the possibility to bring people home. We have more and more emergencies, extremely violent situations to manage and governments are more and more difficult to talk to.
It is complex work but also very rewarding when you realize that you can offer your competences to concretely contribute to improving people’s lives. It’s almost impossible to keep doing it if you lack this passion, this awareness that it is your mission.