SPECIAL DIFFICULTIES FACED BY REFUGEE HOST COUNTRIES HIGHLIGHTED AS THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATES REFUGEE AND DISPLACED PERSON ISSUES
The special difficulties faced by host countries of refugees and displaced persons were highlighted by speakers this morning as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its consideration of issues relating to refugees and internally displaced persons.
The representative of Malaysia said that in many instances, the outflow of refugees and displaced persons placed increased burden on the neighbouring States, including high economic and social costs. In addressing the problem of refugees and displaced persons, therefore, assistance should also be rendered to countries which hosted such persons.
Refugees created a financial burden for receiving countries, which were generally States neighbouring the country of origin of the refugees, the representative of Croatia said. That created potential for instability in many regions. The representative of Kenya said that the problem of refugees and displaced persons had serious implications for their host countries while the representative of the Gambia said that large refugee influxes could involve great costs and dangers to the countries they tried to enter.
Other speakers stressed the importance of international cooperation in tackling the root causes of refugee problems. The representative of Iran said that the international community should take joint responsibility for refugees to lighten the burden of caring for and protecting them in the developing countries.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Australia, Egypt, Hungary, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Argentina, Cyprus, Swaziland and the United Republic of Tanzania.
A representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) also addressed the Committee.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. this afternoon to continue its consideration of issues relating to refugees and displaced persons.
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* Reissued to correct headline.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to continue its consideration of refugees, returnees, displaced persons and humanitarian questions. (For background information on reports before the Committee, see Press Release GA/SHC/3312 of 6 November.)
The Committee has before it the Addendum to the High Commissioner's report (document A/50/12/Add.1), which contains a review of the forty-sixth session of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) held from 16 to 20 October at Geneva. The High Commissioner's opening statement to the Executive Committee is contained in the annex of the Addendum. In addition to an outline of the work of the session, the Addendum contains the decisions and conclusions which the Committee approved during the session.
On international protection of refugees, the Committee, according to the addendum to the report, emphasizes the primacy of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol as the international legal basis for the protection of refugees. The Committee also underlines the value of regional instruments such as the 1969 Organization of African Unity (OAU) Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa; the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees; and the 1994 San Jose Declaration on Refugees and Displaced Persons. Furthermore, the Committee calls upon the High Commissioner to support and promote efforts by States towards the development and implementation of criteria and guidelines on responses to persecution specifically aimed at women. Appealing to States to combat intolerance, racism and xenophobia, the Committee calls on all States to promote conditions conducive to the return of refugees and to facilitate the return of their nationals who are not refugees.
In order to prevent and reduce statelessness, the Committee also calls upon States to adopt nationality legislation with a view to reducing it, consistent with fundamental principles of international law. It further calls on all States to manifest international solidarity and border-sharing with countries of asylum; States of refuge are called on to ensure that the civilian and humanitarian character of refugee camps is maintained and to take effective measures to prevent infiltration of armed elements.
In decisions on programme, administrative and financial matters included in the Addendum, the Committee requests the High Commissioner to respond flexibly and efficiently to the needs currently indicated under the 1996 General And Special programmes tentatively estimated at $1.1 billion. It then approves the revised 1995 General Programmes budget amounting to $428.73 million. The Committee also approves the country/area programmes, other Programmes and the headquarters budgets under the 1996 General Programmes, amounting to $357.43 million as well as $25 million for the Emergency Fund, $20 million for the Voluntary Repatriation Fund and a Programme Reserve of $42.89 million.
Also on programme, administrative and financial matters, the Committee expresses serious concern about the observations of the Board of Auditors in its report, especially those relating to the lack of adequate managerial control by UNHCR of programmes implemented by its partners. In addition, the High Commissioner is requested to initiate a process of informal technical consultations on the question of overhead costs for non-governmental implementing partners, particularly headquarters costs.
According to the addendum, the Committee approves the transfer of $150,000 from the 1995 Programme Reserve and $1.2 million from the 1996 Programme Reserve, to the Fund for Interactional Staff Housing and Basic Amenities. It also approves the creation of the post of Assistant High Commissioner at the Assistant Secretary-General level.
In its decision on budget structure and governance the Committee recognizes that the Voluntary Repatriation Fund should be enhanced by its extension to voluntary repatriation operations for refugees included under Special programmes, the Addendum states. It is proposed that in a given year, up to $10 million could be allocated for any such voluntary repatriation operation.
In other action, the Committee decides that the first inter-sessional meeting of the Standing Committee in 1996 give specific consideration to the resolution -- adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its 1995 substantive session -- on strengthening the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance. On refugee women, the Committee requests the High Commissioner to prepare a framework for implementation on the Beijing Platform for Action which will form the basis of future UNHCR planning on refugee women's issues.
In terms of refugees and the environment, the Committee approves the reformulated environmental policy and requests the High Commissioner to revise the interim guidelines to give effect to the reformulated policy. As for regional conclusions, the Committee calls on the UNHCR and the international community to undertake early assessments of the negative impact of large refugee concentrations on the hosting Communities.
Also, according to the Addendum, the Committee's conclusions on the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indo-Chinese Refugees include a strong appeal to the international community to provide the necessary support for the repatriation of Indo-Chinese camp populations. Regarding the voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan, the committee calls upon the High Commissioner to extend her activities in Afghanistan to other areas of potential return. It also urges the international community and the governments of the region to increase their support for the United Nations Special Mission for Afghanistan and the Organization of the Islamic Conference at working out a political solution to the Afghan crisis.
The Addendum reports that in dealing with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Conference Process, the Committee urges governments which have not yet done so to contribute to the secretariat to assist it in properly supporting the conference process. The Committee's conclusions on humanitarian issues in the territory of the former Yugoslavia include a call upon the international donor community to contribute generously to the ongoing humanitarian effort, as well as the rehabilitation programmes to be undertaken within the framework of a possible peace settlement.
Statements
JOHN GODFREY (Australia) said that his country's migration and humanitarian programmes had enabled more than 5.3 million people, including more than a million refugees, to settle in Australia. As a result, Australia was a much more culturally diverse and tolerant country.
He said that increasingly, it was recognized that women were particularly susceptible to becoming refugees, that they could experience persecution in ways quite different from men and that they were vulnerable in their roles as child bearers and carers. Australia regarded resettlement as an appropriate solution for refugees in circumstances where their protection needs could not otherwise be resolved. Resettlement was a mechanism through which Australia contributed effectively to international burden-sharing. For each of the last three years, Australia's humanitarian programme had offered 13,000 resettlement places. All arrivals under the humanitarian programme were granted permanent resident status and were eligible for a wide range of resettlement assistance.
Australia supported the use of temporary protection in situations of mass influx, he went on. However, there should be a clear distinction between Convention refugee status and temporary protection status. There needed to be a temporary regime for temporary protection which might identify period of stay and detail conditions such as access to work rights and limited family reunion rights.
ADAM ADAWA (Kenya) said that the problem of refugees and displaced persons was intricate and challenging not only in view of the suffering of the people involved but also had serious implications to their host countries. The political conflicts that had emerged in various parts of the world coupled with the internal civil strife and general economic decline had produced millions of refugees and displaced persons.
He said that although the numbers of repatriations and resettlements had been reflected in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), new types of mass exodus were occurring. It was, therefore, imperative that the root causes of refugee problems be tackled at the national level and preventive measures undertaken with the support of the international community .
Kenya, in close cooperation with the UNHCR, had been involved in the repatriation programmes for the facilitation of the return of refugees to Somalia and other neighbouring States during the last two years. Some 76,300 Somalis had been repatriated to Somalia by March 1995.
MAHMOUD ABOUL MAGD (Egypt) said that the nature and complexity of conflicts and their transcendence of political boundaries stressed the need to discuss the problems of refugees from a humanitarian aspects. The lack of cooperation and coordination between all sides made things difficult. The UNHCR initiative on the repatriation of refugees would help their reintegration into their societies and help prevent internal displacement.
On involuntary repatriation, he said all States should respect their commitments to international conventions. That should be done, however, in a way that would not threaten the stability or safety of host countries. There should be technical and financial support to the host countries, especially the developing States. Mechanisms for repatriation should also be supported. The use by parties to the dispute of personnel and relief convoys of the UNHCR and other organizations as weapons of conflict should not be accepted. Such a phenomenon had been observed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
He expressed concern at the disappearance of thousands of people after the fall of safe areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Measures should be taken against the perpetrators of war crimes. Any peace agreements should seek to guarantee the main features of human rights. Integrated programmes should be implemented to repatriate refugees in safety and dignity.
ANDRAS DEKANY (Hungary) said that access to refugees had become more difficult due to the disregard for the standards of humanitarian law. Civilian populations had often become the main targets of military campaigns while security in the refugee camps had become fragile. Those who violated humanitarian law should be held individually responsible and accountable. The International Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda should serve as examples to deter genocide, ethnic cleansing and other violations of human rights and humanitarian law. Interim arrangements such as temporary protection could not in the long run be viable substitutes for voluntary repatriation in a broader process of post-conflict rehabilitation. While countries of origin had primary responsibility for creating conditions enabling refugees to return home safely and in dignity, the effective implementation of UNHCR's protection mandate regarding returnees remained essential in securing their reintegration and self-reliance.
The representative said that as a neighbouring country, Hungary was directly affected by the humanitarian situation in the former Yugoslavia. The peace agreements being sought should have human rights and humanitarian dimensions. They should also contain principles such as the right of return and respect for minority rights and provide for effective monitoring mechanisms by relevant international organizations.
He said Hungary was chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which cooperated with the UNHCR on both the political and operational levels. The establishment of a consultative mechanism of major humanitarian operations following the Budapest meeting last February between the OSCE and humanitarian agencies had created a framework whereby the conflict-prevention and crisis management capacities of the OSCE had been linked to the humanitarian operations of the UNHCR and other organizations.
ZAINUDDIN YAHYA (Malaysia) said that in addressing the problem of refugees and displaced persons, it was equally important that assistance be rendered to countries which hosted such persons. In many instances, the outflow of refugees and displaced persons had often placed increased burden on the neighboring States, including high economic and social costs.
He went on to say that women and children, who constituted more than 50 per cent of refugees, needed specific assistance as they were vulnerable and dependent. Ways and means should be found to engage women in the effort to provide assistance to women and children refugees. Children must be reunited with their families and psychological rehabilitation should be provided to refugee children who had suffered trauma of violence, separation and loss.
SOUTHAM SAKONHNINHOM (Lao People's Democratic Republic) said that the refugee problem spared no region. The situation in Africa was still critical. It was urgent that the international community redouble its effort to find a just and lasting solution to the problem. The situation in the former Yugoslavia also required assistance from the international community. Realistic and lasting solutions should be found.
He said that 24,546 Lao refugees abroad had returned home voluntarily. The Government continued to receive returnees and, with the help of the UNHCR and other organizations, it had worked hard to prepare the necessary reception for the returnees under the proper humanitarian conditions.
LJUBINKO MATESIC (Croatia) said that refugees created a financial burden for receiving countries, which were generally States neighbouring the country of origin of the refugees. That created potential for instability in many regions. Additionally, refugees and displaced persons were usually symptoms of much greater and deeper problems which could pose a threat to international peace and security. It was, therefore, necessary that all States take appropriate financial, economic and political measures in order to help resolve the problem. Croatia was presently accommodating over 208,000 refugees, mostly from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and was still caring for 197,000 internally-displaced persons.
To help solve the problem of refugees and displaced persons, the international community must go beyond just providing assistance and adopt a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to the problem, he said. Such an approach should include preventive activities designed to identify and help resolve conflicts which could lead to refugee flows or displacement of persons. Where prevention was no longer possible, policies should be instituted to address the root causes of the situation and not simply the symptoms or consequences. There should also be transformation of humanitarian relief into longer term development projects which would ensure stability in the affected regions.
JORGE CARDOZO (Argentina) said that South America now dealt with a smaller percentage of the world's refugees, even though the problem was still significant at the regional level. The situations of refugees should be dealt with on case-by-case bases. There was a need to bolster the mechanism of the United Nations in human rights to help provide preventive measures. The San Jose Declaration had borne fruit in South America. The region would continue to receive refugees from many parts of the world.
FATOU MARENAH-JAMMEH (Gambia) said that due primarily to escalating conflicts and civil wars, Africa contained half of the world's 28 million refugees, displaced persons and others of humanitarian concern. The majority of them were women and children who were vulnerable to violence and sexual harassment in exchange for their basic needs. Efforts at the political level such as respect for human rights, accountable governance, tolerance and economic development were preconditions for preventing refugee problems. African States should use the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to minimize conflicts.
The representative said that refugees were sometimes refused entry to other countries in search of asylum. The Gambia had strong reservations over that issue "as we are morally bound to be our brother's keeper, especially during such trying periods of need". That was not to deny the fact that large refugee influxes could involve great costs and dangers to the countries they tried to enter. The Gambia hosted about 10,159 refugees, mainly from Senegal's Cassamance region, Sierra Leone and Liberia, as of the end of July. The Government had established a National Commission for Refugees to provide and coordinate facilities and services for the refugees.
The Gambia had also set up five camps in different parts of the country for the refugees who had not been integrated into host families, he said. The issue of voluntary repatriation and reintegration of refugees was also promoted and that had facilitated the voluntary return of some Liberian refugees when the situation in their country began to improve with the signing of the Abuja Peace Accord of 20 August. The UNHCR's report did not reflect the Gambia's refugee situation and the country's efforts to help them.
MEHDI DANESH-YAZDI (Iran) said Iran hosted the largest number of refugees in the world. The number of refugees would not be reduced without due regard to the root causes. Those included war, social inequalities, an unbalanced international economic system, and the denial of the right to development as a basic aspect of human rights. An open-ended working group should be set up to deal with the root causes of refugee problems and forced displacement of people. The group could consist of Executive Commission member countries. The international community should take joint responsibility for refugees to lighten the burden of caring for and protecting refugees in the developing countries.
Turning to the situation in Iran, he said that the influx of refugees had created new financial restrictions and placed new demands on scarce resources. Recent fighting in Afghanistan had led to the closure of existing border stations in the southwest of that country through which Afghan refugees had been repatriated. Therefore, repatriation had almost stopped, with only 140,000 out of a projected 500,000 being repatriated. Contingency plans should be prepared to handle a potential influx of refugees, given the dynamic situation in the region.
Iran had hosted more than 4.5 million refugees in the last 16 years, he said. Although half of the refugees had gone home, more than 2 million remained in Iran. The UNHCR budget for Iran should be thoroughly reviewed as it was not proportionate to the number of refugees in Iran and their needs.
EURIPIDES L. EVRIVIADES (Cyprus) said that internally displaced persons had no international machinery to protect them, because they were not considered refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR. The references to protection of displaced people in international humanitarian law should, therefore, be codified further and incorporated in an additional protocol to the Convention relating to refugees, to reflect present day realities.
He said that a concerted strategy toward prevention had to encompass interrelated elements of preventive diplomacy, human rights, democracy- building, social and sustained economic development, an early warning system and disaster prevention. That strategy should encompass the concept of legal deterrence, which called for due punishment of the perpetrators of crime. In that regard, Cyprus supported the establishment of an international criminal court for human rights violators. A far-sighted and all-embracing prevention strategy must be seriously attempted by the United Nations. The international community could not continue to respond to crises in a fire-fighting manner.
He said that one of the tragic components of the question of Cyprus was that of internally displaced persons. The internally displaced of his country, who were refugees, were being denied their basic human rights, including the right to return to their ancestral homes and properties in safety and dignity. Not one refugee had been allowed by the occupying Power to return home. The right of the refugees to return to their homes and properties was an inalienable right which could not be forfeited with the passage of time.
NONHLANHLA P. TSABEDZE (Swaziland) said that southern Africa had many asylum-seekers who lacked identification or valid travel documents. It was therefore difficult to determine their prior presence in other countries and the status they had been accorded. The subregion had considered the issue of effective methods of documentation and identification in a coordinated manner to facilitate the sharing of information. The problems of irregular movement were worsened by inadequate asylum procedures. The coordinated and common approach to be adopted could also be facilitated through the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the UNHCR. Governments in the region had been urged to introduce structures and procedures to ensure that genuine asylum-seekers were identified and those that did not deserve international protection did not abuse the institutions of asylum.
The representative commended the efforts of the international community and the neighbouring countries of Rwanda and Burundi in bringing about relative calm in those countries. Since the host countries needed foreign assistance, the international community should provide required funds and logistics.
PETER SCHATZER, representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that member and observer States of the IOM had used the due process of strategic planning recently put forward by the IOM administration to affirm and strengthen the organization's role in assisting the operational challenges of migration. The comprehensive approach stressed not only meeting the operational challenges, but also advancing and broadening understanding of migration issues, encouraging social and economic development through migration and working to help ensure the human dignity and well-being of migrants.
He said that in post-emergency situations, in addition to its cooperation with the UNHCR, the IOM focused on assisting internally displaced persons, particularly soldiers to be demobilized and prepared to become constructive and productive participants in civil society.
DAUDI N. MWAKAWAGO (United Republic of Tanzania) said that his country had traditionally welcomed refugees from African countries, and the Government had seen to it that those who were fleeing atrocities had been well received and humanely treated. However, in the case of the latest influx from Rwanda and Burundi, Tanzania's resourcefulness and generosity had been stretched to the limit. That crisis had now reached alarming proportions mainly because international efforts for their repatriation had not been particularly successful.
He said that the ultimate solution to the problem was the repatriation of the refugees to their countries of origin. However, such repatriation should go hand-in-hand with measures to prevent a recurrence of the causes of displacement. Deliberate efforts should be made to promote national reconciliation, power-sharing and tolerance in those countries. That called for commensurate support from the international community, including the implementation of the Nairobi and Bujumbura agreements on stability and the situation in the refugee camps. Due attention also needed to be paid to the adverse impact of the refugee crisis on the countries of asylum.
He stressed the need to separate those suspected of having masterminded, organized or perpetrated the genocide in Rwanda from genuine refugees. The exercise of separating the criminal elements from the refugees required the assistance and collaboration of the Governments concerned as well as that of the international community through the provision of financial and logistic support.
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