THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFT TO CONVENE REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON PROBLEMS OF REFUGEES, DISPLACED PERSONS IN CIS COUNTRIES AND NEIGHBOURING STATES

Press Release
GA/SHC/3327

THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFT TO CONVENE REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON PROBLEMS OF REFUGEES, DISPLACED PERSONS IN CIS COUNTRIES AND NEIGHBOURING STATES

The General Assembly would request the High Commissioner for Refugees to convene a regional conference to address the problems of refugees and displaced persons in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and relevant neighbouring States in 1996, under the terms of one of three draft resolutions approved without a vote this morning in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).

Under the terms of that orally revised text, the Assembly would call upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in consultation with States, relevant international and regional bodies, to consider and develop comprehensive regional approaches to the problems of refugees and displaced persons. The draft provides for an appeal to the international community to furnish the necessary support and resources needed by the secretariat for the preparation of the conference.

Speaking after the approval of that draft, the representative of Azerbaijan said he strongly supported the convening of the conference because, as a result of aggression by Armenia, his country currently had more than 1 million refugees. His Government had not, however, co-sponsored the draft because it had problems with some of the paragraphs.

Concerning the other two texts, the Committee approved an orally amended draft on assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa. By its terms, the Assembly would call upon the international community as a whole to strengthen the emergency response capacity of the UNHCR on the basis of the emergency experience in Rwanda, and to continue providing needed resources and operational support to Rwandan refugees and the host countries until a permanent solution can be implemented.

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* The left-hand slug of pages 2 to 10 of this Press Release should read 34th Meeting (AM).

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By the terms of the other draft approved this morning the Assembly would urge the UNHCR, all United Nations organizations, other international and non-governmental organizations concerned to take steps to mobilize resources commensurate with the needs and interests of the unaccompanied refugee minors and steps for reunification with their families.

Also this morning the Committee continued its consideration of the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, as well as the programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1994-2004).

Stating that 26 million indigenous people lived in Latin America, the representative of Nicaragua called on States to ensure their right to own property, to legislate and set up laws on natural resources, to administer autonomous regions and to ensure their right to economic development.

Referring to the root cause of child labour, the representative of Brazil said "poverty may engender family disintegration by means of domestic violence or migration from rural to urban areas and from one country to another in search of a livelihood". For that reason, problems needed to be tackled by the international community as a whole.

Child labour created a mass of illiterate adults who actually slowed down productivity in the long run, the representative of Luxembourg said. He called on the international community and governments to develop medium- and long-term programmes to assist affected children and hoped for a better coordination among the United Nations bodies that dealt with the problem.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Yemen, Philippines, Spain (also on behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary and Romania), Madagascar, Slovak Republic, Ghana and Indonesia. The representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also made statements.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to hear a statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jose Ayala Lasso, and to hold a dialogue with him. It will also continue its consideration of the promotion and protection of the rights of children as well as the programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to continue its consideration of the promotion and protection of the rights of children, as well as the programme of activities for the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.

The Committee has before it the Secretary-General's reports on: the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (document A/50/456); a study on the impact on children of armed conflicts (document A/50/537); on concrete measures taken to alleviate the situation of children in armed conflicts (document A/50/672); a final report on a comprehensive programme of action for the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (document A/50/511); another on the progress made at the national, regional and international levels in accomplishing the objectives of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (document A/50/565). (For detailed information on those reports, see Press Release GA/SHC/3325 of 17 November.)

The Committee is also expected to act on draft resolutions on the UNHCR report, of questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons, and humanitarian questions.

Draft resolutions

Under the terms of a draft resolution on assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa (document A/C.3/50/L.17), sponsored by South Africa, on behalf of the members of the Group of African States, the General Assembly would call upon the international community as a whole to strengthen the emergency response capacity of the Office of the UNHCR on the basis of the emergency experience in Rwanda, and to continue providing needed resources and operational support to Rwandan refugees and the host countries until a permanent solution can be implemented.

The draft text would also have the Assembly call upon the international donor community to provide material and financial assistance for the implementation of programmes intended for rehabilitation of the environment and infrastructure in areas affected by refugees in countries of asylum. It would further call upon Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to continue to provide the necessary support and financial assistance to the High Commissioner to enhance her capacities and abilities to implement emergency operations, care and maintenance activities and repatriation and reintegration programmes for the benefit of refugees, returnees and, as appropriate, internally displaced persons. The draft would make a similar appeal for assistance to victims of natural disasters and the affected countries.

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The international community would also be requested, under the draft, to meet the special needs of refugee women and children. In addition, the text would have the Assembly call upon the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA), United Nations humanitarian organizations, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, regional and international financial institutions, the International Organization for Migration and non-governmental organizations to increase the capacity for coordination and delivery of humanitarian emergency assistance and disaster relief in general.

Further, the High Commissioner would be asked to review her Office's general programmes in Africa to take account of the increasing requirements there and with a view to expanding her activities within the context of regional burden-sharing with the DHA, other United Nations humanitarian bodies, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), other intergovernmental, regional, governmental and non-governmental organizations, to consolidate aid and increase essential services to refugees, returnees and displaced persons.

By the text of a draft resolution on Assistance to unaccompanied refugee minors (document A/C.3/50/L.18), the General Assembly would call upon all governments, the Secretary-General, the UNHCR, all United Nations organizations, other international and non-governmental organizations concerned to exert the maximum effort to assist and protect refugee minors and to expedite their return and reunification with their families.

It would further have the Assembly urge those various organizations to take steps to mobilize resources commensurate with the needs and interests of the unaccompanied refugee minors and for reunification with their families. The Assembly would also condemn all acts of exploitation of such minors, including their use as soldiers or human shields in armed conflict and their recruitment in military forces, and any other acts that endanger their safety and personal security.

By its terms, the text would have the Assembly call upon the Secretary- General, the UNHCR, the DHA, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other United Nations and international organizations to mobilize adequate assistance to unaccompanied minors in the areas of relief, education, health and psychological rehabilitation.

That draft resolution was sponsored by Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar and the Sudan.

Under the terms of a draft on comprehensive consideration and review of the problems of refugees, returnees, displaced persons and related migratory movements (document A/C.3/50/L.19), the Assembly would call upon the UNHCR, in consultation with States and international bodies, to develop comprehensive regional approaches to the problems of refugees and displaced persons. It

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would urge all States concerned and appropriate intergovernmental, regional and non-governmental organizations to support that process.

Also, appreciation is expressed to the High Commissioner for her efforts towards a regional conference to address the problems of refugees, returnees, displaced persons and other forms of involuntary displacement in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and relevant neighbouring countries. The High Commissioner would be requested to convene the regional conference in 1996. In addition, an appeal would be made to the international community to provide the support and resources needed by the secretariat for the preparation of the Conference.

That text is sponsored by Armenia, Belarus, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Kazakstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Norway, Russian Federation, Spain and Ukraine.

AMEER SALEM ALAIDEROOS (Yemen) said his country was doing everything possible to help children and mothers. It stressed the need to give priority to children, despite the difficult economic situation facing the country, in order to bring them up properly to ensure a fruitful future. Yemen had ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991 and had also set up a national council for the care of children and mothers. The country also provided health and education services to children and their mothers.

Yemen's efforts had not, however, yielded the expected fruits because of the economic situation and the inflation caused by the return of thousands of Yemenis after the Gulf war, he went on. That situation had hindered State programmes for the advancement of children. Yemen thanked all those international organizations that had been helping it in the care of its children, particularly UNICEF.

He reaffirmed his country's commitment to respect the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The country had made constitutional provisions to allow for necessary laws in that regard.

GRETHEL VARGAS (Nicaragua) said that for the people of Latin America, the Decade for Indigenous People had great importance as 26 million indigenous people, belonging to more than 400 different ethnic groups, lived in the region.

The programme of action for the Decade needed to recognize clearly the historical rights of indigenous people. She hoped the working group, now meeting in Geneva, would give due attention to that matter. States needed to ensure the indigenous people's right to own property, to legislate and set up laws on natural resources, to administer autonomous regions and to ensure

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their right to economic development. The programme of action needed to be implemented through constitutional reforms and adoption of new laws that guaranteed indigenous people's rights. In addition, their original languages and cultures needed to be preserved.

AURELIO FERNANDEZ (Spain), speaking on behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary and Romania, said that primary responsibility for improving the condition of the child rested with governments through their implementation of their solemn commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other pertinent instruments. The governments should also put into practice the Programmes of Action for the Prevention of the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography and for the Elimination of the Exploitation of Child Labour.

He expressed concern at the abundant use of reservations by States acceding to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Such reservations aimed at excluding the applicability of provisions that were the core of an instrument or avoiding obligations unless they were consistent with domestic legislation. He urged all States which had not yet done so to withdraw all reservations contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention or contrary to international law. The European Union fully supported the implementation of the actions included in the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in relation to the female child.

The European Union was also concerned about the situation of children in armed conflict, the widespread phenomenon of street children and the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, he said. It was extremely alarmed by the increased internationalization of those practices, and stressed the need to ensure international cooperation to eradicate them. It welcomed the convening of the First World Congress on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children to be held in Stockholm in August 1996.

On child labour, he said the Union was actively involved in supporting model country programmes under the Programme of Action for the Elimination of the Exploitation of Child Labour 1993-1997. On a bilateral level, member States of the Union were politically and financially engaged in supporting special programmes of the International Labour Organisation for the eradication of child labour.

HELENA RAJAONARIVELO (Madagascar) said investment in the human being, in the child, was essential. Her country had already ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In addition, its Constitution provided children with the measures needed to care for them, and provided the child with freedom of expression as well.

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In her country, there were health, delivery and primary care centres, she continued. There were also centres aimed at the protection of handicapped children. Furthermore, immunization programmes had been carried out. In the rural areas, there were free medical services and medications were provided at low costs. Also, special legislative measures were being implemented to avoid the abuse of Madagascar children adopted by foreigners. Such measures sought for the immediate intervention of her country's authorities if the problem arise.

PETER PROCHACKA (Slovak Republic) said Slovak law did not allow any kind of discrimination against children. Even though the provisions of the Constitution concerning children were not at variance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, there were still many unsolved legislative problems. Those pending issues concerned, for instance, the interpretation of the requirement to let the child speak his opinion on all issues that involved him, eventually the requirement of the child's consent on health care.

He said that to attain further deepening of the protection of the child and its rights, the Slovak Republic established a working group in June. That group would prepare all legislative measures needed for the country's accession to the 1993 Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Intercountry Adoption, which came into force in May 1995 and the 1980 Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, which came into force in December 1983. Both Conventions are deposited with the Netherlands.

JOHN E. AGGREY (Ghana) said his country was the first to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in February 1990. That ratification stemmed from the fact that the country already had in place structures to facilitate and accelerate programmes and activities aimed at promoting child survival and development in a population where the majority was under 18 years.

Following the ratification and the successful outcome of the World Summit for Children, he said, the Ghana National Commission on Children became the coordinating body, both for publicizing the Convention and for facilitating the process needed to give effect to its provisions. A multi- sectoral task force was established to draw up a national programme of action for child survival and development in line with the Summit goals. With UNICEF's support, Ghana was now achieving some of the measurable goals in health, education, nutrition, family planning and water and sanitation.

He said that under Ghana's Constitution, parents undertook their natural rights and obligations for the care, maintenance and upbringing of their children, in cooperation with such institutions as Parliament, in such a

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manner that in all cases the interest of the children was paramount. Other provisions guaranteed the child's right against exploitation, abuse, discrimination and neglect.

He deplored the situation of children affected by armed conflict and expressed utter revulsion at the growing menace posed by the phenomenon of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, including the problem of adoption of children for commercial purposes.

GILBERTO SABOIA (Brazil) commended UNICEF's activities for children living in exceptionally difficult conditions, and made special mention of the ILO's international programme for the eradication of child labour.

The root causes of child exploitation were multiple and complex, he continued. "Poverty may engender family disintegration by means of domestic violence or migration from rural to urban areas and from one country to another in search of a livelihood", he said. When combined with other factors, poverty became the key element in the proliferation of such phenomena throughout the world.

"Today, the Brazilian society acknowledges the immense debt it has towards the millions of children who find themselves at risk for social and economic reasons, and does not intend to remain silent or to tolerate exploitation and violence against them", he said. Programmes had been created to improve the situation of children in his country. For example, the Council for Defence of the Child and Adolescent was responsible for the definition of national policies and guidelines to be implemented in assisting them. However, in spite of his Government's efforts, some of the new forms of child exploitation such as sex tourism, had transnational implications. For that reason, they needed to be tackled by the international community as a whole.

JEAN-LOUIS WOLZFELD (Luxembourg) said ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child was only the first step in improving the situation of children worldwide. The necessary national laws needed to be adopted, and it was the duty of governments to act.

Child labour, which deprived children of healthy lives, existed mainly because of extreme poverty, he said. Research had demonstrated, however, that child labour did not improve the economic situation of a country, quite the contrary. It created a mass of illiterate adults who actually slowed down productivity in the long run. For those reasons, it was essential for governments and the international community to develop medium- and long-term programmes to assist the children affected. He said the ILO had created important programmes that fought against the exploitation of children in the

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labour force. He believed that the problem of child labour deserved the same attention as other problems affecting children. He hoped for a better coordination among the United Nations bodies that dealt with the problem and suggested that a report be presented on the issue.

SAODAH B.A. SYAHRUDDIN (Indonesia) said her country was deeply concerned over the plight of children throughout the world, particularly those affected by armed conflicts. Children, who were vulnerable members of society in normal circumstances, demanded greater protection in times of civil strife and armed conflict.

She expressed Indonesia's concern with the problem of the sale of children, prostitution and child pornography. It concurred with the assessment that, together, the education system and the media could have a significant impact on strengthening the family and creating greater awareness of those problems.

She reaffirmed Indonesia's commitment to the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its determination to implement that Convention. Indonesia supported the efforts being made by United Nations bodies to find appropriate solutions to the problems facing children, but believed that lasting solutions would be found at the national level.

DOMINIC BOREL, representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said that children in wartime were threatened by many dangers. An ever-growing number of children were either lost or separated from their families as a result of mass population movements. If those unaccompanied children were to be identified and their whereabouts monitored at all times, a system was needed for managing and carefully following each case. For many years, with the assistance of the network of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the ICRC had been searching for missing people, in pursuance of its mandate to restore family ties and bring separated family members together.

In Rwanda and the refugee camps in the United Republic of Tanzania and Zaire, the ICRC had registered 80,000 unaccompanied children and so far had enabled 4,000 of them to rejoin their families, he continued. Given the enormous needs in that field, it was important to increase cooperation among various agencies and organizations concerned to define their respective tasks more clearly so as to ensure more consistent and effective action conducted in the spirit of complementarity.

He said that the ICRC was also concerned by the problem of children who were prisoners of war, civilian internees or detainees. Through their visits, ICRC delegates endeavoured to safeguard the rights of those children, in particular by examining their material conditions of detention and by seeking to preserve their mental and emotional balance.

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More and more children were taking a direct part in armed conflicts, he went on to say, and were caught up in the fighting without knowing what was at stake. They could be easily manipulated and encouraged to commit acts the gravity of which was beyond their grasp, and experienced all kinds of suffering and hardship. They were often captured, wounded or killed. Everything must be done to ensure that there were no more child soldiers. The ICRC recommended that an optional protocol prohibiting both recruitment of children under 18 years of age into the armed forces or armed groups and their participation in hostilities be added to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement had just finished drawing up a plan it hoped to help in determining what preventive measures against child recruitment should be adopted.

EIGIL PEDERSEN, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the existence of child soldiers was a tragedy which was assuming greater dimensions. "Their existence is shattered as they have seen their parents killed before their very eyes, their homes destroyed, their lives ruined." Usually, once the conflict was over, many children were not formally recognized as former soldiers, and therefore were not included in demobilization programmes. Many times, they ended up on the streets, still possessing their weapons and thus threatening their societies. The immediate physical and economic security of those children needed to be met. In addition, schooling was essential for them.

Action on Draft Resolutions

The Committee took up the draft resolution, as orally revised, on assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa.

The Committee approved that text without a vote.

The Committee considered the draft resolution on assistance to unaccompanied refugee minors, which Turkey, Iran, Philippines, Guinea-Bissau and Syria joined in co-sponsoring.

The Committee approved that draft without a vote.

It then considered the draft resolution on comprehensive consideration and review of the problem of refugees, returnees, displaced persons and related migratory movements as orally revised. Italy, Ireland, Afghanistan, Portugal, Austria, United Kingdom, Finland, Panama, Sweden and the Marshall Islands joined in sponsoring that text.

The representative of the Russian Federation said that Ireland, Netherlands, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan had also expressed their desire to co-sponsor that text, which the Chairman noted.

The Committee approved the text without a vote.

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Explanation of Position on Drafts

The representative of Azerbaijan said his country strongly supported the convening of the conference on refugees. As a result of aggression against it by Armenia, Azerbaijan now had more than 1 million refugees. The problem created by the large number of refugees and displaced persons, coupled with those resulting from the country's transition had had great impact on the living standards in Azerbaijan. His Government believed that the conference would provide the opportunity for humanitarian assistance to appropriate independent States.

He said Azerbaijan was not among the co-sponsors of the draft resolution because it had problems with some of the paragraphs. For instance, the draft mentioned the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). United Nations conferences were normally held in the context of geographical characteristics, but the CIS was not a geographical characteristic.

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