Activities of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from 1990 to 1993
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- SeeDoc. 7079, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography, Rapporteur: Mr Brito. Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 18 May 1994.
- Thesaurus
1. Since the last report of the Assembly on the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and
Recommendation 1105 (1989), UNHCR has faced new challenges in regard to refugee situations arising from the increasing number of conflicts in the world, the scope of which often goes beyond the resources available to UNHCR to deal with them.
2. The Assembly pays tribute to the work carried out by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mrs Sadako Ogata, and her staff, who in often difficult and dangerous circumstances have worked ceaselessly on behalf of refugees and other persons in need of international protection.
3. The Assembly welcomes the recent accessions, in particular of states in central and eastern Europe, to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the status of refugees, which brings the number of states parties to both the convention and protocol to 117, and encourages states which have not already done so to accede as soon as possible to both of these instruments.
4. The Assembly is concerned about the considerable increase in the number of refugees who have been forced to take flight to escape persecution and rising violence, and about their situation in general, especially the particularly difficult situation of refugee children and women.
5. The Assembly stresses the need for increased support from all states for the work of UNHCR.
6. The Assembly is particularly disturbed by the rise in intolerance with regard to foreigners, including asylum-seekers and refugees, in the host countries.
7. Consequently, the Assembly attaches great importance to the plan of action to combat racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and intolerance, carried out by the Council of Europe, and to action taken by member states in the framework of the plan.
8. The Assembly:
8.1 invites the governments of member states and those of other states concerned:
a to increase their political and financial support for UNHCR activities and respond to the High Commissioner's appeal for the development of a comprehensive refugee policy;
b to scrupulously observe the rules of international refugee law in dealing with asylum-seekers;
c to be more flexible in granting temporary protection to those who request it;
d to continue campaigns to combat negative attitudes to asylum-seekers and refugees and to promote greater understanding on the part of the host communities;
e to provide adequate training for those required to deal with asylum-seekers, refugees and displaced persons;
f to recognise the important activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on behalf of refugees and asylum-seekers;
g to promote co-operation in these fields between governments and NGOs in western Europe and their counterparts in central and eastern Europe, to enable them to benefit from each other's experience;
8.2 encourages member states of the Social Development Fund of the Council of Europe to supply the emergency account, particularly with a view to facilitating reception of refugees and voluntary repatriation;
8.3 recommends that the states signatory to the European Cultural Convention urge the relevant bodies to examine the possibility of introducing university courses on international refugee law, in particular in central and eastern European countries;
8.4 invites the other United Nations specialised agencies, other international organisations and the relevant NGOs to increase their co-operation and their presence in countries which need special assistance, particularly in so-called sensitive areas, to enable them to prevent mass population movements;
8.5 invites the Council of Europe and UNHCR to strengthen their co-operation, inter alia, by concluding an agreement giving the former access to the organisation's database and providing for a greater exchange of information.
