REFUGEE SITUATIONS IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA, AFRICA, HIGHLIGHTED AS THIRD COMMITTEE TAKES UP REPORT OF UNHCR

Press Release
GA/SHC/3312

REFUGEE SITUATIONS IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA, AFRICA, HIGHLIGHTED AS THIRD COMMITTEE TAKES UP REPORT OF UNHCR

"Nowhere will the High Commissioner's role be more severely tested than in the former Yugoslavia with a difficult operation of return in conditions of voluntariness, safety and dignity", Soren Jessen-Petersen, Director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in New York, told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this morning. The Committee today began its consideration of problems of refugees and related issues.

Mr. Jessen-Petersen expressed concern about the restrictive policies and practices of some Governments, such as closure of borders to asylum-seekers; large-scale forced returns; expulsions; and forced displacements. He called for the support of the whole international community in solving the refugee problem.

The representative of New Zealand said the international community needed to acknowledge the enormous burden on States hosting large refugee populations and praised the contributions of many developing countries of Africa, such as those surrounding Rwanda and Burundi. Donor countries should weigh willingness to accept and assist refugees against pressures created by a sudden mass influx in asylum-providing nations in a spirit of exemplary solidarity and burden-sharing, the representative of Ethiopia said.

The representative of the Holy See called for measures towards the peaceful resettlement of refugees including the removal of feared reprisals, the training and deployment of police and peace officers and the revitalization of the economy and consolidation of social structures.

One of the new challenges facing the international community was to ensure a continuum from emergency relief to rehabilitation and development, the representative of Japan said. However, the burden of assuring such a continuum should not be placed entirely on the shoulders of UNHCR but on the international community as a whole.

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Also this morning, the Committee heard the introduction of two draft resolutions -- one on crime prevention and criminal justice, and the second, on international drug control.

Also today, the Committee observed a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel. The representatives of Bolivia, South Africa and the Philippines (on behalf of the Group of 77 and China), made statements on his death.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 7 November, to continue discussion of refugee issues.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to begin its consideration of issues relating to refugees and displaced persons and humanitarian questions. The Committee was also expected to hear the introduction of draft resolutions -- one on crime prevention and criminal justice and the second on international drug control.

The Committee has before it the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (document A/50/12). It reviews the period from 1994 to the first quarter of 1995 in which the High Commissioner continued giving assistance to refugees, returnees and to the increasing numbers of internally displaced persons -- especially the 2 million refugees from Rwanda. It also contains information on refugees in other regions, including the former Yugoslavia, the Transcaucasus, the Horn of Africa and parts of western Africa, which continued to suffer from massive population displacements. It also states that a new crisis erupted in the northern Caucasus.

According to the report, even though the refugee population worldwide decreased to under 15 million, by the end of 1994 the total number of persons of concern to UNHCR rose to around 28 million. The latter figure includes over 5 million internally displaced persons, 3.4 million others -- predominantly populations affected by conflict-- as well as 4 million returnees requiring assistance in their countries of origin.

The report states that UNHCR follows a three-fold strategy: "preparedness," to respond rapidly to emergencies; "prevention", to avert new refugee flows; and "solutions", achieving durable solutions to refugee problems (especially through voluntary repatriation). The report emphasizes that the strategy can only succeed to the extent that UNHCR draws in governments, United Nations agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.

Chapter II of the report deals with the legal aspect of UNHCR's activities worldwide. A total of 128 States are parties to the 1951 Convention -- which calls for international protection of refugees and for seeking permanent solutions to their problems by assisting governments with the voluntary repatriation process. In addition, 42 States are parties to the Organization of African Unity Convention which governs the specific aspects of refugee problems in Africa. And the majority of Latin American States have adhered to the principles of the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees. The granting of asylum and the principle of non-refoulment or not returning refugees to danger, remain both the legal and moral foundations of international protection.

Chapter III of the report deals with the Organization's assistance activities. It indicates that during the period in review, UNHCR responded to

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emergencies both through international arrangements and external stand-by mechanisms. The most severe refugee crisis during that period occurred in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Due to the difficult situation, the Office appealed to donor Governments to assume operational responsibility for various critical assistance sectors through the deployment of resources from their military and civil defence establishments.

During the period under review, more than 1.7 million refugees returned to their countries of origin, most notably to Mozambique, Afghanistan and Myanmar, according to the report. In Central America, the process launched by the International Conference on Central American Refugees was brought formally to a close in June 1994. In South East Asia, the Steering Committee of the International Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees agreed to complete the activities under the Comprehensive Plan of Action by the end of 1995. In addition, with the newly erupted conflict in Chechnya, UNHCR has assisted some 210,000 displaced persons.

In 1994, UNHCR received a total of $1.07 billion in voluntary contributions towards its General Programmes (including a Programme Reserve, a General Allocation for Voluntary Repatriation and an Emergency Fund) and Special Programmes, under Chapter IV of the document. Japan, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, the United Kingdom and the United States maintained their funding levels, while the European Union substantially increased its contribution. Private donations, as well as those of non-governmental sources, continued at levels comparable to 1993. A 1995 General Programmes target of $428.7 million -- the largest ever -- has been set, while for Special Programmes, the Office requires some $860 million. Requirements for the Rwanda-Burundi operation as well as repatriation in Africa and Asia remain urgent priorities.

The UNHCR collaboration with other departments and agencies is explained in Chapter V of the report. Its strengthened collaboration with the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, the Department of Political Affairs, and the Department of Humanitarian Affairs is highlighted. The Office's closer relationship with financial institutions such as the World Bank is also explained. The report states that the Office has launched a programme to develop a comprehensive approach to the refugee and related problems in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as well as the particular needs of refugee women and children.

The document contains tables on UNHCR's expenditure in 1994 by regional bureau/country and main types of assistance activities. Tables on contributions to the High Commissioner's assistance programmes are also included.

The Committee also has before it a report of the Secretary-General stemming from General Assembly resolution 49/172 of 23 December 1994, which

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condemned all acts of exploitation of unaccompanied refugee minors, including their use as soldiers or human shields in armed conflict and their recruitment into military forces (document A/50/555). The resolution called upon United Nations bodies to mobilize, within existing resources, adequate assistance to those minors.

According to the report, the term "refugee child" includes those children -- less than 18 years old -- who are refugees, returnees, asylum- seekers and displaced persons of concern to UNHCR. Unaccompanied children refers to those who are separated from both parents and are not being cared for by an adult who, by law or custom, is responsible for doing so. Such children, the report adds, may constitute 3 to 5 per cent of the total refugee population. In July 1995, in the Rwanda-Burundi emergency, some 117,000 unaccompanied children were identified. They also constitute great numbers in the camps of Kenya (Sudanese refugees) and in Bangladesh (Myanmar refugees).

UNHCR and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have established overall policies on information-sharing between operations in countries of asylum and of origin. Both agencies have also coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in relation to tracing, reunification activities and general policy. The "UNHCR Operation ReUNite" was created to make it easier to identify, register and trace unaccompanied refugee children. The system consists of a database containing digitalized pictures of children and other information facilitating a computer search for records of missing children. Over 6,300 children in and from the former Yugoslavia have been registered in the database.

Uniting the unaccompanied refugee children with their families is of utmost importance, the report states. For that purpose, different tracing methods are used to locate scattered family members. They include the dissemination of children's names at food distribution centres and family mediation programmes, which enable children to return to their families.

The report states that UNHCR has also dealt with the psychological rehabilitation of refugee children who have suffered the trauma of violence, separation and loss. In addition, the Office has collaborated with States to ensure that the children are not recruited into military or other armed groups. It has also collaborated with non-governmental organizations and local authorities towards the repatriation and reintegration of such children. To further alleviate their situation, UNHCR and UNICEF are developing a plan to improve emergency responses and to find long-term solutions.

Another report of the Secretary-General before the Committee follows the adoption by the General Assembly of resolution 48/113, on consideration and review of the problems of refugees, returnees, displaced persons and related

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migratory movements (document A/50/414). In that resolution, the High Commissioner was called upon to promote and develop a preparatory process, leading to the convening, not later than 1996, of a regional conference to address the problems of refugees, displaced persons and returnees in the countries of the CIS and relevant neighbouring States. The Assembly urged the international community concerned to support that process, including follow-up measures.

According to the report, in January 1995, UNHCR, in close partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Offices of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), established a joint secretariat to prepare preliminary meetings and the conference itself for a period of 15 months. The secretariat's main objectives include steering the preparatory process for the CIS conference through consultations and negotiations with the parties concerned; and coordinating the provision of expert inputs and studies on relevant subjects.

The report states that six informal meetings of a steering group were held at Geneva to give direction to the preparatory process. Also, a series of national consultations were held during February, March and April 1995 in Ukraine, Belarus and the Republic of Moldova, with the first regional consultation taking place in March in Kyrgyzstan for the five Central Asian Republics. The first meeting of experts, held on 18 and 19 May 1995 at Geneva, prepared the work plan for the conference. Among other things, it agreed on terminology for various categories of persons such as those who are refugees, displaced persons, resettled, formerly deported peoples, irregular migrants, involved in trafficking in migrants, stranded migrants and ecological migrants.

A draft work plan was submitted to the Meeting of Experts and later refined on the basis of comments received by the secretariat, the report states. As a result, the first two subregional meetings were held at Tbilisi, Georgia, in July, for the Transcaucasus region; and in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan, for the Central Asian Republics. Issues of emergency preparedness, early warning, migration management, return and reintegration were discussed, among other issues.

The report also reviews the specific measures taken by other organizations such as the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, the Economic Commission for Europe and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in implementing the resolution.

The Committee also has before it a Secretariat report on assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa (document A/50/413) which follows General Assembly resolution 49/174 of 23 December 1994. Under that resolution, the international community was called upon to provide the support

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and financial assistance to UNHCR in her emergency operations, care and maintenance activities as well as repatriation programmes for the benefit of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons.

According to the report, Africa currently hosts nearly 50 per cent of the world's refugees. This year, UNHCR assisted nearly 8 million refugees as well as almost 5 million internally displaced persons and returnees in that continent. The main causes of population displacements and refugee flows were provoked by political, ethnic and economic conflicts. Following the exodus of more than 2 million people from Rwanda to neighbouring countries last year, the situation in the Great Lakes region remained fragile, and displacement continued. Over 1 million Rwandans are currently living in exile. Refugee flows also continued in other parts of Africa, most notably in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia and the Sudan.

The report indicates that today, nearly all of the 1.6 million Mozambican refugees to whom UNHCR was providing assistance have returned home. That has been one of the largest repatriation programmes in UNHCR's history with over 4000 individuals being mobilized per day at peak periods. The mobilization took place simultaneously by truck, bus, train and boat to a variety of locations inside Mozambique. Also, since 1991, over 600,000 Ethiopians have returned from Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia and the Sudan. In addition, some 25,000 Eritrean refugees have returned. The Office is working towards the return of 150,000 Malian refugees of Tuareg origin in Algeria, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. It is also working towards the return of 300,000 Angolan refugees in the Congo, Namibia, Zambia and Zaire.

The report also contains information on refugee-related activities of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Introduction of Reports

SOREN JESSEN-PETERSEN, Director, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in New York, introduced the reports on behalf of Sadako Ogata, the High Commissioner for Refugees. He said an Addendum to the High Commissioner's Report, to be issued in the course of the Committee's deliberations, would contain the conclusions of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme which had held its annual meeting in Geneva from 16 to 20 October. The inability of the Committee to readjust its schedule had not allowed for sufficient time for the processing of the document, and the United Nations financial situation had also caused delays in the issuance of the documentation.

The year 1995 had been another difficult one for UNHCR with 27 million refugees and displaced persons worldwide. "Nowhere will the High Commissioner's role be more severely tested than in the former Yugoslavia with

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a difficult operation of return in conditions of voluntariness, safety and dignity", he said.

Currently nearly 50 per cent of the world's refugees were located in Africa, Mr. Jessen-Petersen said. The UNHCR's assistance programmes had been extended to nearly 8 million refugees and almost 5 million internally displaced persons. The UNHCR's 1994 expenditure (for General and Special Programmes) had been $506 million while the 1995 revised estimate was $550 million.

He was concerned by the restrictive policies and practices of some governments, such as incidents of closure of borders to asylum-seekers; large- scale forced returns; expulsions; and forced displacements, he continued. "Africa continues to be the continent where most of today's voluntary repatriation operations are being pursued." He expressed concern for children who constituted over 50 per cent of the total refugee population. He pointed out an oral amendment to the report on assistance to unaccompanied refugee minors, according to which paragraph 37 (i) should start with the words "The abandonment of children..." instead of with "The prevention of...".

The UNHCR was the central actor in one of the most important and difficult international challenges: that of displacement, he said. The support of the whole international community in solving the problem was essential.

Statements

ARCHBISHOP RENATO R. MARTINO (Holy See) said that no one could deny the enormous seriousness of the problem of refugees nor the immense difficulties in preventing, managing and remedying the situation. But far greater were the gravity and the inherent consequences of inaction or indifference.

He said that the Office of UNHCR had been in the forefront of activities on behalf of refugees and displaced persons. The report of the High Commissioner highlighted the success achieved, especially in the area of repatriation and resettlement. In contrast to those encouraging accomplishments, there remained the situations of massive emergencies still confronting UNHCR and the international community, especially -- but not exclusively -- the continent of Africa.

The optimal final solution to the problem of refugees and displaced people was their return in justice and dignity. "Serious effort at attaining genuine reconciliation in the countries of origin, the removal of feared reprisals, the establishment of a judicial system for the prosecution of crimes committed against the population, the training and deployment of police and peace officers, the stabilizing cooperative presence of international assistance, the revitalizing of the economy and the consolidation of all

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social structures are indispensable for a peaceful resettlement of refugees," he said. Those same elements constituted the best prevention of further tragic displacements in countries and regions at risk.

A serious threat to the safety of refugees and returnees was represented by the millions of land-mines which continued to bring untold sufferings, mutilations and death to people already burdened by their difficult situations, he added.

SHUNJI MARUYAMA (Japan) said that one of the new challenges facing the international community was how to ensure a continuum from emergency relief to rehabilitation and development. It was difficult to ensure political stability in a post-conflict period without parallel efforts to enhance socioeconomic conditions in the home communities to which refugees returned and into which they tried to reintegrate. Swift assistance by the international community was vital if the future outflow of refugees was to be prevented.

The burden of assuring such a continuum should not be placed entirely on the shoulders of UNHCR, he said. The international community should devise an effective mechanism to ensure a smooth transfer of responsibility for rehabilitation assistance when UNHCR departed. It was essential to establish a close cooperative relationship between UNHCR and the international development organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, so that the operations of those agencies could proceed in a coordinated manner commencing as soon as a conflict ended.

It was vital for the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel to be applied as widely as possible, he continued. That Convention should be extended to personnel engaged in humanitarian assistance activities. The Security Council and the General Assembly should make the declaration of an "exceptional risk" more automatic and customary.

He said there was need to extend international assistance not only to countries of origin of refugees but also to neighbouring and refugee host countries. It was the responsibility of the international community to give greater attention to the concerns of the affected countries.

ELIZABETH WILSON (New Zealand) said women and girls constituted a particularly vulnerable group of the refugee population. She hoped that the new Guidelines on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence Against Refugees would be rapidly integrated into all refugee operations.

The international community needed to acknowledge the enormous burden on States hosting large refugee populations. She praised the contribution of many developing countries of Africa such as those surrounding Rwanda and Burundi. The demands of large-scale refugee populations could lead to what

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had been called "asylum fatigue" on the part of the host country. "The international community should share the burden of assisting refugee and humanitarian operations, including through support to host countries", she emphasized.

The world's commitment to the protection system, founded on international law and respect for human rights, provided the guiding rules for all actors involved in refugee situations, she said. Failure to respect those fundamental norms could provoke or exacerbate refugee emergencies. "Despite its effectiveness in performing humanitarian coordination tasks, there is still the danger that UNHCR may become overburdened by commitments", she warned.

FESSEHA A. TESSEMA (Ethiopia) said that today, in almost all parts of the world, an enormous increase in the number of refugees had taken place as a result of the continuation of political and ethnic violence. That was particularly the case in Africa, where the refugee problem had assumed extraordinary proportions in magnitude and complexity. There had also been a resurgence of violence in Africa, as well as a failure to ensure the protection and the safety of refugees, thereby making the solution to their problems more elusive.

He said that the international community should not allow the emerging realities to lead to greater restrictions on access to asylum. Forced repatriation of refugees had occurred recently mainly due to frustration over lack of progress. Although the frustration was understandable, international agreements should be adhered to with respect to receiving, protecting and assisting as well as voluntarily repatriating refugees. The international community, particularly donor countries, should weigh willingness to accept and assist refugees against pressures created by a sudden mass influx in asylum-providing nations in a spirit of exemplary solidarity and burden- sharing.

He said that the best way of avoiding a refugee crisis was to prevent it from happening in the first place. All efforts aimed at finding a durable solution must not only focus on responding to emergencies but should also address the root causes by taking into account the historical, political, social, economic, demographic and ethnic dimensions.

Introduction of draft resolutions

ALESSANDRO BUSACCA (Italy) introduced a draft resolution on "Strengthening of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme particularly its technical cooperation capacity" (document A/C.3/50/L.15). He announced that Antigua and Barbuda, Cape Verde, Canada, Germany and Greece joined in sponsoring the text.

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Under that draft, the Assembly would stress the importance of improving the operational activities of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme, particularly in developing countries and those in transition. It would call upon States and funding agencies to make significant financial contributions for operational activities for crime prevention and criminal justice, and would encourage all States to make voluntary contributions.

Also under that text, the Secretary-General would be requested to facilitate the creation of joint initiatives benefiting developing countries and countries in transition, and which would involve interested donor countries and financial agencies, particularly the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank. The Assembly would also request him to assist the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as the principal policy-making body in the field of crime prevention.

The Assembly would call upon the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and other international, regional and national funding agencies to support technical cooperation activities devoted to crime prevention and criminal justice. The Secretary-General would be requested to provide improved services, at its future sessions, to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

The draft resolution was sponsored by Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Belarus, Costa Rica, Egypt, France, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine, with the addition of those announced this morning.

PATRICIA ESPINOSA (Mexico) introduced a draft resolution on "International action to combat drug abuse and illicit production and trafficking" (document A/C.3/50/L.14). Greece, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Micronesia, Pakistan, Peru and Tunisia joined in sponsoring that text.

The draft would have the General Assembly call upon all States to adopt adequate national laws and regulations, to strengthen national judicial systems and to carry out effective drug control activities in cooperation with other States and would call upon the international community to provide increased economic and technical support to governments that request it for programmes of alternative and sustainable development aimed at reduction of illicit drug production.

It would urge all governments and competent regional organizations to develop a balanced approach within the framework of comprehensive demand reduction activities, giving adequate priority to prevention, treatment, research, social reintegration and training in the context of national strategic plans to combat drug abuse. It would also urge the governing bodies

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of the United Nations organizations associated with the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Drug Abuse Control to help ensure effective follow-up by including drug control in their agendas.

Also under that text, the Assembly would invite governments and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to consider ways and means of improving the coordination of United Nations drug control-related activities. In addition, the Assembly would stress the importance of the meetings of heads of national law enforcement agencies, and encourage them to consider ways to improve their functioning and to strengthen their impact so as to enhance cooperation in the fight against drugs at the regional level.

The draft resolution was sponsored by Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Honduras, India, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay and Venezuela, with the addition of those announced this morning.

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