22nd report on the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (1 January 1978-31 December 1979)

Recommendation 907 (1980)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

See Doc. 4642, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography. Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 25 November 1980.

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Considering the 22nd report on the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (Doc. 4563), and the report of its Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography (Doc. 4642) ;

2. Noting with deep concern the continued gravity of the problem of refugees and displaced persons in various parts of the world ;

3. Noting further with deep concern that, in different areas of the world, refugees and asylum seekers have been victims of violence or of piracy attacks on the high seas ;

4. Congratulating the support given by member governments of the Council of Europe to the task of the High Commissioner, expressed through both material and financial contributions, and by their response to appeals with respect to the treatment of refugees, in particular by the provision of resettlement opportunities ;

5. Stressing the need for states to co-operate with the High Commissioner in the exercise of his protection function, inter alia :

5.1 by ensuring that refugees are fully protected against forcible return to a country where they have reason to fear persecution ;

5.2 by taking all necessary measures for the personal safety of refugees and asylum seekers, and for protecting them against violence and piracy attacks on the high seas ;

5.3 by acceding to the international instruments relating to refugees and ensuring the effective implementation of these instruments ;

6. Aware of the increased financial needs and other support that is required from governments in order that the High Commissioner might perform his fundamental humanitarian tasks ;

7. Recalling that the Assembly has concerned itself with a number of areas of activity examined by the High Commissioner's report, notably the situation in Cyprus and the problem of refugees from Chile, South-East Asia and Nicaragua ;

8. Welcoming the opening for signature in October 1980 of the European Agreement on the Transfer of Responsibility for Refugees,

9. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe invite the governments of member states :

9.1 to strengthen their support for the efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on behalf of refugees and displaced persons, in particular by maintaining high standards for the international protection of refugees and displaced persons ;

9.2 to facilitate the efforts of the High Commissioner in promoting durable solutions to the refugee problem, inter alia by granting permanent asylum wherever possible, and by continuing to provide and, where necessary, to increase resettlement opportunities ;

9.3 to continue to assure and, whenever possible, to increase the financing of UNHCR's activities, so that it may obtain its objectives and realise its humanitarian programmes ;

9.4 to ratify as soon as possible the European Agreement on the Transfer of Responsibility for Refugees, opened for signature in October 1980.