UNHCR official to discuss global forced displacement for RAS Korea lecture

Stefan Maier hopes to see millions of refugees in long-term displacement move beyond dependence on humanitarian assistance over the next nine years, under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) "50 by 35" vision.

"By 2035, we want to halve the number of refugees who have been displaced for prolonged periods and remain unable to meet their basic needs without humanitarian assistance," Maier, deputy representative for the UNHCR in Korea, told The Korea Times in a recent written interview.

"We live in an intensely interconnected world," the Austrian national said. "Forced displacement may begin locally, but its consequences rarely remain local. Conflicts and persecution can uproot millions of people and have repercussions far beyond the countries and regions in which they originate."

He cited the arrival of around 550 Yemenis on Jeju in 2018. "I relate to that episode quite personally because I worked in Yemen from 2015 to 2017, at the height of a devastating war and humanitarian crisis," he said. "It illustrates how a conflict that may initially seem geographically distant can suddenly become part of the public conversation here in Korea."

After arriving in Korea last November, Maier oversees the UNHCR's Protection Unit, which works on how refugees and asylum-seekers are protected in practice in Korea.

"This includes the asylum process itself, but also broader issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers in Korea: Can they develop their skills and find opportunities to work? Are children and other people in particularly vulnerable situations adequately protected?" he said.

"The idea is quite simple: protection must not only mean helping people survive. Wherever possible, it should also help people regain independence and build a future."

He said that while attitudes here toward refugees "can sometimes be more cautious," these feelings are not unique to Korea.

"In many societies, people are more comfortable with humanitarian issues at a distance than with social change close to home, particularly when they have had relatively little direct contact with refugees," he said.

"That is why encounters and information matter. Refugees are not an abstract category; they are individuals with very different histories, professions, families and aspirations."

Regardless, he praised the high level of individual support for UNHCR in Korea, describing its government as an important partner in humanitarian and development assistance around the world, as well as other forms of engagement.

In 2012, Korea became one of the first countries in the region to adopt a dedicated Refugee Act. To date, the country has granted refugee status or humanitarian status to 4,400 people, Maier said.

"They come from many different countries and backgrounds, but they share something fundamental: Korea has recognized that they are in need of international protection," he said. "Their experiences also reflect a broader reality: responding effectively to forced displacement requires international cooperation."

He added that many Koreans have their own direct historical experience with displacement.

"In conversations here, I have met people — particularly from older generations — for whom displacement is not an abstract concept," he said. "Memories of the 1950-53 Korean War and of families being uprooted within the peninsula remain part of Korea’s collective experience."

Maier has served as an international staff member with UNHCR since 2007, holding a wide range of protection, legal and policy positions across the Maghreb, Central Africa, Western Europe and the Middle East.

"Refugee protection is a field I have worked in for almost two decades, and one that I also care about deeply on a personal level," he said. "I grew up in Austria conscious of the scars left by persecution and forced displacement in Europe, but also of how easily fear of those perceived as different can take hold in societies. That has stayed with me. I have come to see forced displacement and how we respond to people seeking safety from persecution, conflict or violence as one of the defining human questions of our century."

Maier will give a lecture for Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea introducing the issues of forced displacement. The lecture will be held Oct. 6 at 7:20 p.m. in the basement of the Seoul Public Activities Center near Exit 8 of Samgakji Station on Seoul Metro lines 4 and 6. Entry costs 10,000 won, or 5,000 won for students of all ages with valid student ID, and is free for RAS Korea members. Visit raskb.com for more information.