| Date | May 2021 | Marks available | 4 | Reference code | 21M.1.BP.TZ0.18 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Analyse | Question number | 18 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Source Q Philippe Lamair, a Belgian journalist specializing in international politics, writing in the article “Cooperation crucial in Rwanda crisis” for the UNHCR’s Refugees Magazine (September 1994).
On 28 April 1994, some 250000 Rwandese flooded into Tanzania in one single human wave—at the time, it was the biggest and fastest refugee movement the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had ever witnessed …
Jacques Franquin, coordinator of UNHCR activities in Ngara, Tanzania remembers his initial reaction was to call his non-governmental organization (NGO) colleagues. “I rushed to my radio and called Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to quickly send us reinforcements, supplies and, above all, a water provision specialist. MSF worked all night in Benaco (a refugee camp in Tanzania) to provide a minimum of drinking water to the refugees.”
Thanks to constant cooperation from NGOs, UNHCR managed to cope with the arrival of this human tide and saved many lives.
“The cooperation between UNHCR and the NGOs in this emergency situation was almost perfect,” said Franquin …
More than 15 NGOs work at the Benaco site. Each one is part of a complex project managed by the UNHCR, and each one has its speciality …
Despite the early successes, the battle has not yet been won. Big problems are an everyday fact of life here. Just to avoid starvation, some 200 tons of food must be shipped to Benaco each and every day … Add to that the problems of hygiene, the prevention of epidemics, the search for new sources of water, and the security problems inevitable in a population of hundreds of thousands of refugees …
So the work goes on, day by day, problem by problem. So far, UNHCR and its NGO partners have exceeded expectation.
[Source: Adapted from Lamair, P., 1994. (NGOs and UNHCR) - Cooperation crucial in Rwanda crisis. Refugee Magazine, Issue 97, 1 September 1994. UNHCR does not warrant in any way the accuracy of the information reproduced and may not be held liable for any loss caused by reliance on the accuracy or reliability thereof.]
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of Source Q for an historian studying the Rwandan refugee crisis of 1994–1996.
Markscheme
Value:
- It provides information on the magnitude of the crisis and actions undertaken by UNHCR officials.
- It offers a contemporary assessment of the UNHCR’s performance in dealing with the refugee crisis.
- It offers the UNHCR's views on the role played by NGOs.
Limitations:
- Published by the UNHCR, the source may exaggerate its success in dealing with the crisis.
- It was written at a time when the crisis was unfolding.
- The source focuses on one refugee camp only and therefore information on the Rwandan crisis may be limited.
The focus of the question is on the value and limitations of the source. If only value or limitations are discussed, award a maximum of [2]. Origin, purpose and content should be used as supporting evidence to make relevant comments on the value and limitations. For [4] there must be at least one reference to each of them in either the value or the limitations.
Examiners report
Most candidates analysed the origin, purpose and content of the source to find some value and limitations. In general, candidates seem to have a better understanding of what is required and how to approach this question. Stronger responses gave clear and specific explanations of value and limitations. However, there were a proportion of responses that merely described the origin and purpose and others that described the provenance at length before going on to explain value and limitations which wasted valuable time. Some candidates did not refer to one of the elements in their response, for example no reference to purpose or to content. To attain full marks, candidates should be aware that they need to make valid comments on the value and limitations of the source drawn from its origin, purpose and content.
