Case 235 - Humanitarian Aid in the Midst of Conflict: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Former Yugoslavia

Jesse, Jolene K.

The collapse of Yugoslavia and the ethnic conflicts that it touched off in the early 1990s presented the international community with a number of challenges. Perhaps the most critical was the provision of humanitarian relief to millions of displaced persons and refugees. This case study assesses the efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to intervene in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This study is designed to foster discussion of the current international organizational structure of humanitarian relief and assess its adequacy. It can be used in general international relations courses, as well as more specialized classes dealing with international organizations, humanitarian intervention, or ethics in international affairs.