In progress at UNHQ

SG/SM/5991

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS NEW FORMS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION REQUIRED TO MEET NEW GLOBAL ISSUES

29 May 1996


Press Release
SG/SM/5991
REF/1140


SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS NEW FORMS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION REQUIRED TO MEET NEW GLOBAL ISSUES

19960529 ADVANCE TEXT Addresses Geneva Conference on Refugees and Migrants in CIS

Following is the text of the statement to be made by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the Conference on Refugees and Migrants in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which starts tomorrow, 30 May, at Geneva:

The Conference that is opening today is, in my view, of critical importance.

It demonstrates clearly the will of the international community to mobilize its energies in order to contribute to resolving what is both a political problem and a human tragedy -- the situation of refugees and displaced persons in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and relevant neighbouring States.

In recent years we have all witnessed the tremendous geopolitical upheavals that have occurred in this large and important region of the world.

In the span of a few years, Russia has profoundly changed the course of its own history. New entities have achieved statehood and have become full Members of the United Nations.

It is clear, however, that we are still very much in a transitional period; that these vast regions have still not attained the stability which they seek; and that many population groups have still not found a place in which they can hope to settle permanently and enjoy firm legal protection.

Currently, more than 9 million displaced persons are still facing an uncertain future. Their living conditions are often marginal and their status is vulnerable.

They are looking to us for both assistance and advice, hoping that, in this way, we will help them to take charge of their own destiny.

For this reason, I welcome the presence here of all the States affected by this situation. I also wish to thank all the participants in this forum -- States, specialized agencies, United Nations bodies, non-governmental organizations, and all those who have thus demonstrated their wish to be part of this huge multilateral initiative.

This Conference is, it seems to me, a clear sign of the solidarity of the international community with Russia and all the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Rest assured that, for my part, I will do everything in my power to rally the efforts of the United Nations as a whole for the follow-up to the forum which has brought you all together today.

I should also like to stress that this Conference is an exemplary gathering in more than one sense.

While the status of refugee is now broadly recognized in international law, the situation of persons who have been displaced or forced to migrate is not covered by any specific and well-defined international rule.

This shows the importance of the Programme of Action which you will be discussing. In my view, it constitutes a major step towards the application of international law to all contemporary forms of involuntary and forced migratory movements.

Accordingly, your Conference -- over and above the regional issue which it is addressing today -- offers tremendous hope to the 30 million displaced persons awaiting help and support in numerous parts of the world.

I therefore thank the Russian Federation for taking the initiative to organize this gathering.

It is indeed the Russian Federation who proposed this Conference to the United Nations General Assembly, in recognition of the huge population flows caused by this unprecedented array of problems.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), faced with the need to find regional answers for the refugee crisis of the post-Soviet era, also favoured a conference. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) joined in the effort to bring this conference into being.

- 3 - Press Release SG/SM/5991 REF/1140 29 May 1996

As a result, the General Assembly, in resolution 49/173 of December 1993, called on UNHCR to convene a regional conference to address the problems of refugees, displaced persons, involuntary displacement and returnees in the countries of the CIS and relevant neighbouring States. The result is this impressive gathering today.

A solid institutional framework. An effective operational capacity. A high degree of preparedness. Governmental and non-governmental cooperation. And international solidarity. Together these offer the basis for an effective approach to the problems of refugees and migrants, and for ways to prevent further displacement from occurring.

The key to the success of this Conference is the Programme of Action. It states the causes of the crisis. And it spells out the consequences for international security and stability.

The comprehensive strategy worked out in the conference process is grounded in universal human rights. Internationally accepted principles for dealing with population movements are reaffirmed. Above all, international cooperation, solidarity and burden-sharing are clearly understood to be indispensable.

The Principles of the Programme of Action are all-important. Central among these are:

-- The right to freedom of movement; -- The right to choose where you live in your own country; -- The right to have a nationality; and -- A citizen's right to citizenship in a successor State.

The Programme of Action further reaffirms a wide range of minority rights, and the rights of deported peoples to return to their ancestral homes.

In implementing the Programme, humanitarian and political action must be closely and constantly linked. Recent experience with the immense humanitarian crises in such places as the Great Lakes region of Africa and in the former Yugoslavia demonstrate that lasting solutions require political will.

Prevention will be all-important. Ultimately, even the best efforts cannot succeed unless problems can be solved or contained at their source. Among the measures needed to prevent the further displacement of peoples are: preventive diplomacy to head off conflict; effective laws and institutions to protect human rights and minority rights, in particular; confidence-building

- 4 - Press Release SG/SM/5991 REF/1140 29 May 1996

and peace-building measures; environmental clean-up; and the creation of economic potential available to every individual in their own native land.

And as we have learned throughout the recent series of global conferences on issues of international concern, implementation and follow-up will be crucial. The three to four year strategy to focus on implementing the Programme to the year 2000 is a critical first step.

Recognizing that the problems and prospects of the CIS States will continue to lie primarily in their own hands, the three members of the Conference secretariat -- UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration, and the OSCE -- have pledged to help the CIS countries implement the Programme of Action.

These three -- a United Nations organization, an international organization outside the United Nations system and a regional organization -- demonstrate the kind of innovative international solidarity and commitment that is breaking new ground for the benefit of all. This example will serve as an inspirational model for the future.

To the CIS countries, I express my great admiration for your initiative and commitment to political, social and economic advancement. Achievement of these goals will, above all, contribute to the resolution of this set of challenges.

To the international community at large, I urge full support -- moral, technical and financial -- for the Programme of Action. The results will benefit not only the CIS countries, but other States as well, near and far.

To the world at large, I say watch this conference carefully. For it is here, in new forms of international cooperation to meet new forms of global issues, that the future will be shaped.

This remarkable gathering is of great importance for the thousands of innocent and afflicted people involved. It can also be a milestone in the movement to democratize the international community for the betterment of all people everywhere.

* *** *

For information media. Not an official record.