The Assembly,
Having regard to Resolution No. 1285 of 5th December 1958 of the General Assembly of the United Nations on the proposal to hold a World Refugee Year;
Noting that this proposal has two aims, namely :
Believing that European countries should seize this opportunity of giving renewed proof of their solidarity by associating themselves with this project and by a joint contribution to it,
Decides :
The Assembly,
Having regard to Resolution No. 1285 of 5th December 1958 of the General Assembly of the United Nations on the proposal to hold a World Refugee Year;
Noting that this proposal has two aims, namely :
Believing that European countries should seize this opportunity of giving renewed proof of their solidarity by associating themselves with this project and by a joint contribution to it,
Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :
propaganda through the media of press, radio and television;
co-operation with national television stations in producing short films made of cuttings from existing reels;
organisation, in conjunction with the Council of Europe Special Representative for National Refugees and Over-population, of a travelling exhibition, and subsequent sale by auction of original paintings on refugee themes produced by contemporary painters;
creation of a symbolic drawing, to be reproduced in various forms, for sale in member countries;
preparation of documentary material likely to arouse the interest of schools in World Refugee Year;
sale of " first-day covers " on the day of issue of new Council of Europe stamps;
possible preparation of several modest refugee re-classification schemes of interest to the member countries where this problem is most serious.
The Assembly,
Having regard to Resolution . .. and Recommendation on Council of Europe participation in World Refugee Year,
I. Instructs the President of the Assembly to ask the European Parliamentary Assem-bly :
II. Instructs the Secretary-General to place the appropriate departments of the Secretariat at the disposal of the Assembly and, in particular, of its Committee on Population and Refugees in order to assist them in planning and implementing the programme which constitutes the Assembly's contribution to World Refugee Year;
III. Instructs its Committee on Population and Refugees :
Early in 1958 the idea of World Refugee Year was first put forward by three Englishmen writing in a British magazine. Subsequently a conference of voluntary agencies was called by the United Nations Association in London, resulting in an appeal being made in some of the leading British newspapers.
The aims of the sponsors of " World Refugee Year " were as follows :
to raise funds for assistance to refugees, through Governments, voluntary agencies and the general public;
to encourage further opportunities for permanent solutions as defined in the UNHCR Statute.
Political parties soon took an interest in the proposal and raised the matter in the House of Commons. The British Government took up the idea, and on 31st July 1958 the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs announced that Her Majesty's Government fully approved of the scheme and would certainly give it their support in the United Nations General Assembly.
On 26th September 1958, on the proposal of the British Representative, the UNREF Executive Committee adopted a Resolution on " World Refugee Year " which appeared in the Seventh Progress Report dated 30th September 1958, addressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to the Council of Europe (Doc. 857).
On 7th November of the same year, after hearing a report by the High Commissioner, the Social Committee of the United Nations General Assembly approved the scheme.
The United Nations General Assembly finally decided, on 5th December 1958, by 59 votes to 9 and 7 abstentions, to recommend, in its Resolution No. 1285 (see Appendix), the organisation of World Refugee Year.
According to this Resolution, the aims of World Refugee Year are as follows :
A. The United Nations authorities have laid down a certain number of principles for the practical organisation of World Refugee Year.
B. In the light of these principles, what steps have been taken so far, at national level?
It is in Great Britain that plans have made most headway. The National Committee, under the presidency of Baroness Elliot of Harwood, has the patronage of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. Mr. Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister, Mr. Hugh Gaitskell, Leader of the Opposition, and Mr. Grimond, leader of the Liberal Party, are also members of the Committee. The Advisory Council is made up of 50 distinguished persons from all walks of life and, in fact, there is no aspect of British life which is not represented.
The U. K. Government have made a donation of £100,000, and the Committee hope to raise £2,000,000 to be used to assist the following categories of refugees : refugees in Europe, in and outside camps; European refugees from China, Chinese refugees in Hong Kong, Palestine refugees. The Committee have already made an offer of £60,000 to finance the transport and resettlement of European refugees from China.
More recently, a national committee for World Refugee Year was set up in France. It consists of two separate bodies : a small working committee and a larger honorary committee consisting of prominent figures in French public life.
National committees have also been set up in the United States, the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium and Switzerland. In all, some 14 countries have announced their intentions of participating in World Refugee Year.
In accordance with the United Nations Resolution, the refugee problem must be considered solely from a humanitarian point of view;
The role of the Council of Europe, likewise in pursuance of the above Resolution, should consist in drawing the attention of Member Governments and public opinion to the refugee problem by appropriate means;
Council of Europe action should be co-ordinated with that of the United Nations;
Since the initiative is to be taken by Governments and ad hoc national committees in member countries, the task of the Council of Europe would be to encourage and support national action on behalf of refugees;
The action taken should consist in securing immigration facilities as well as in raising money;
While taking part in the world campaign in favour of refugees, the Council of Europe should pay special attention to the problems of refugees of European origin, irrespective of their status (international, national, deportees, escapees, etc.) and of their present place of residence. However, in the interests of world solidarity, the Council should not refuse moral and material assistance to other classes of refugees with problems directly affecting Europe (e.g. Arab refugees).
to support the world-wide campaign sponsored by the United Nations; and
to make a special contribution of its own in the European field.
Council of Europe support in this field will take the following form :
The Committee on Population and Refugees suggests that the European Parliamentary Assembly, and, through it, the executive organs of the six-Power Communities, be asked to support the World Refugee Year campaign.
The Council might confine its participation to supporting the campaign sponsored by the United Nations, national committees and voluntary refugee organisations. The Committee feels, however, that in view of the Council's interest in the problem and the proportions it has assumed in certain member countries, a venture of this kind merits a more active and positive contribution on the part of the Council.
This special contribution might take the following form :
The preparation and execution of these various projects raise technical and financial problems.
In the course of the preliminary discussions in the Committee and the Working Party, the appropriate departments of the Secretariat have been asked to assist—and have undertaken to do so.
The Special Representative and the United Nations High Commissioner have also offered to co-operate.
Technically speaking, therefore, it should be possible to carry out the above programme. There remains the question of finance.
Although the Committee has been careful, in the course of discussion, to reject any schemes that appeared too costly, it has been found impossible to present a programme worthy of the Council without asking for some slight financial assistance.
The Committee therefore intends asking the Assembly to open a special Council of Europe Fund for World Refugee Year, to finance the programme, and proposes that the money be raised as follows :
The draft Recommendation, Resolution and Order submitted by the Committee on Population and Refugees are designed to ensure participation by the Council of Europe in World Refugee Year on the lines indicated above.
The General Assembly,
Having considered the Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, together with the Resolution adopted by the Executive Committee of the United Nations Refugee Fund at its ninth (special) session of 26th September 1958;
Convinced of the need to make a further world-wide effort to help resolve the world refugee problem;
Having considered the proposal for a World Refugee Year to begin in June 1959;
Noting that this proposal has two aims, namely :
1. Urges States members of the United Nations and members of the specialised agencies to co-operate, in accordance with the national wishes and needs of each country and from a humanitarian point of view, in promoting a World Refugee Year as a practical means of securing increased assistance for refugees throughout the world;
2. Requests the Secretary-General to take such steps as he may think fit to assist in the promotion of a World Refugee Year in accordance with the present Resolution.