62. Projects for emergency aid are by their very nature planned only on a temporary basis. By the end of 1958, such projects, for medical assistance, supplementary feeding and other special aid, to a total value of $348,424 , had benefited some 11,500 refugees over the four-year period 1955-1958 in Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Republic.

63. Of that total, $16,086 had been expended from the UNREF Imprest Account in order to provide, at comparatively low cost, other timely assistance for refugees, such as the repair of dwellings, reunion of families and the translation of certificates needed for employment.

Total number of refugees requiring assistance at the end of the UNREF programme

64. On 31 December 1958, at the end of the four year UNREF programme, the number of non-settled refugees in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Turkey had fallen from 263,000 to 123,000 (excluding 9,000 non-settled new Hungarian refugees in Austria). As shown above, this decrease partly results from the direct and indirect effects of the UNREF programme. By 31 December 1958, a total of twenty one camps had been cleared in three countries-eight in Austria, eleven in Germany and two in Greece. At the same time, there remained in camps 26,000 refugees, of whom 18,600 are eligible for the UNHCR programmes. For some 7,000 of these persons, financial provision totalling approximately $720,000 had already been made under the UNREF programme. The remaining 12,000 whose main hope of settlement rests with UNHCR, will benefit from the Camp Clearance Programme, as described in chapter IV of the present report.

Chapter IV PROGRAMME FOR 1959 AND SUBSEQUENT YEARS-ACTION TAKEN UNDER GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 1166 (XII)

General observations

65. As shown in the preceding chapter on the programme of the United Nations Refugee Fund, one of the important lessons learned from international refugee work since the First World War is that problems which have been incompletely or inadequately solved reappear in a more acute form as time goes on. This was implicitly recognized by the General Assembly in November 1957, more than one year before the UNREF programme formally came to an end. The Assembly accordingly provided in resolution 1166 (XII) of 26 November 1957 for the continuation of international assistance to those refugees who had been unable to benefit from the UNREF programme and could not be firmly settled without help from the international community. In this resolution the Assembly further authorized the High Commissioner to appeal for funds required for his programmes and to establish an emergency fund in the amount of $500,000. The General Assembly also provided for the replacement as at 1 January 1959 of the former UNREF Executive Committee by an Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, to which the Economic and Social Council elected the twenty-one members of the UNREF Executive Committee,[7] as well as the four following members: China, Sweden, Tunisia, Yugoslavia. Although the new Committee was to begin its task on 1 January 1959, the General Assembly, in order to ensure continuity, requested the UNREF Executive Committee to exercise in 1958 some of the functions incumbent upon its successor.

66. The basic objective of international assistance to refugees beyond 1 January 1959 as provided for under resolution 1166 (XII) remains, as heretofore, the achievement of permanent solutions for refugees within the mandate of UNHCR not otherwise provided for, and the provision of supplementary aid to the neediest refugees. The main distinction between the new programmes and the programme of the United Nations Refugee Fund lies in the method of planning. The UNREF programme was established for a specified number of years with a specific financial target. It was to take care of a particular series of problems which were well defined from the outset of the programme. The refugee problem, however, is essentially dynamic and subject to rapid changes in scope and nature. It was essential, therefore, that the new programmes be sufficiently flexible to meet changing conditions as these occur. These principles emerged from statements made in the General Assembly's Third Committee in support of resolution 1166 (XII) and from the ensuing discussions. In accordance with the provisions of this resolution and with the aforementioned general principles, the UNREF Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session in September 1958 and the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at its first session in January 1959 planned international assistance to refugees from January 1959 in the form of separate programmes which would, in principle, be planned on a yearly basis. These programmes are to be reviewed at the end of each year in order that they may be related to current conditions and reduced or expanded as the need arises and that the funds available may be used for those purposes for which they are most urgently required. A further effect of the separability of programmes is that contributors can more easily earmark their donations for those programmes in which they are most interested.

1959 Programmes

67. The UNREF Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session adopted six refugee programmes for 1959 for which $4,700,000 are needed. At the time, the Committee recognized that a total of $6,000,000 would be required if additional pressing needs of refugees were to be met. The Committee authorized the High Commissioner to draw attention to both amounts when appealing for funds for the 1959 programmes. These programmes adopted by the UNREF Executive Committee and considered by the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at its first session are set forth below:

(1). Camp Clearance Programme;

(2). Far Eastern Programme;

(3). Programme for non-settled refugees living out side camps;

(4). Emergency account for aid to individual cases;

(5). Programme for new refugees in Greece;

(6). Legal assistance.

An analysis of requirements for these programmes is contained in annex IV to the present report.

Camp Clearance Programme

68. The Camp Clearance Programme, which was already started within the framework of the UNREF programme, is designed to provide permanent solutions for the problems of some 12,000 refugees living in camps, of whom 1,500 are in Austria, over 10,000 in Germany, and the remainder in Greece and Italy. Governments of the countries of residence can assist in solving the problems of these 12,000 refugees, mainly through integration, provided an initial or sometimes additional amount is made available from international sources. For many of those who do not suffer from physical, economic or social handicaps, the main type of assistance, i.e. the provision of accommodation, will be financed without drawing on international funds. It is anticipated that with the allocation of $2,900,000 approved by the Committee for 1959, some 6,000 refugees may be assisted in leaving the camps. Solutions for a further 6,000 refugees will have to the found under the 1960 part of the Camp Clearance Programme.

69. The importance of the Camp Clearance Programme was recognized by the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at its first session. Now that the camp population requiring assistance from UNHCR has been reduced to manageable proportions as a result of previous efforts and that the Governments, organizations and voluntary agencies working for refugees have fully geared their efforts towards the clearance of camps, it is the High Commissioner's policy to pursue this programme with the utmost speed so as to achieve permanent solutions for the thousands of refugees who have known camp life for more than ten years and to enable their children to lead a normal existence.

70. One of the main requirements for assisting refugees in leaving the camps is the provision of adequate housing located in or near places where employment facilities are available. More than half of the 1959 allocation for the Camp Clearance Programme, therefore, is earmarked for the construction of housing for refugees. Next to housing, a considerable part of the allocation will have to be devoted to counselling.

71. As more refugees leave the camps, there remains an increasing proportion of refugees suffering from a physical, social or economic handicap. As was already the case during the last years of the UNREF programme, further efforts have to be made to adjust camp clearance projects to the needs of individual refugees. In the first instance, housing has to be as economical as possible so that refugees can afford to pay the rent. Over-all counselling is being gradually replaced by individual case-work, and supplemented by the follow-up of refugee families which have left the camps. Special projects for rehabilitation are becoming necessary to enable physically handicapped refugees to become fully or partially self-supporting after they have received proper training. There are among the refugees a certain number of asocial cases, as there are in any population. Possible solutions to the problems of these persons are being considered in conjunction with the Governments of their country of residence.

Far Eastern Programme

72. Under the Far Eastern Programme, UNHCR provides for the care and maintenance of refugees in transit in Hong Kong, for assistance to refugees by voluntary agencies and for resettlement grants for difficult cases among the refugees, while the transportation costs of such refugees are borne by the intergovernmental Committee for European Migration. It will be noted that, as from 1 January 1959, the Far Eastern Operation also includes the permanent settlement of difficult cases among refugees in the Far East and that the Operation has become entirely self-contained. The Far Eastern Programme as planned by the UNREF Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session provides for the resettlement of some nine to ten thousand refugees via Hong Kong during the three-year period 1959-1961 at an annual cost to UNHCR of $550,000.

Programme for non-settled refugees living outside camps

73. On the basis of the Survey of the Non-Settled Refugee Population in Various Countries,[8] the number of non-settled refugees outside camps, excluding new Hungarian refugees, was estimated to be approximately 97,000 on 1 January 1959. The number of handicapped persons among them, excluding those eligible for the Hungarian programme, was estimated at some 30,000. The limited allocation ($700,000) adopted in respect of the relatively high number of non-settled refugees outside camps is explained by the fact that first priority must be given to the clearance of camps and to assistance to refugees of European origin in the Far East, while, on the other hand, the total allocation for 1959 could not be increased beyond the amount which could reasonably be expected in contributions. When the two previously mentioned programmes are brought to a successful conclusion, the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme may wish to increase the allocation for non-settled refugees outside camps.

Legal Assistance Programme

74. The Executive Committee at its ninth (special)session approved a Legal Assistance Programme, costing $70,000, designed to enable voluntary agencies to carry out legal assistance activities for refugees in certain areas and to obtain legal aid for refugees from qualified lawyers, as described in more detail in annex I to the present report, paragraphs 50 and 51.

Other programmes

75. The Committee also adopted a programme for new refugees in Greece, where recent arrivals constitute a very heavy burden on the authorities; and a programme for aid to individual cases, whereby immediate financial assistance would be given from an emergency account in order to ensure the complete solution of an individual refugee's problems.

Priorities

76. At its first session in January 1959, the Executive Committee of the High commissioner's Programme adopted the allocation of $4,700,000, on the understanding that first priority should be given to the programme for refugees in the Far East, whose situation was deteriorating rapidly. Succeeding priorities were given to continuing projects in other programmes which could not be interrupted, including supplementary aid, to the emergency account for aid to individual cases and, on an equal basis, to the Camp Clearance Programme and the programme for new refugees in Greece. The Committee agreed that the order of priority for the other programmes would be adopted at its next session.

Contributions

77. By 30 April 1959, contributions totalling $2,870,482 had been paid, pledged or promised for the 1959 programmes by thirty-one Governments, as listed in annex V to the present report. Six Governments-those of Cambodia, Ghana, Ireland, Monaco, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and Yugoslavia-were making contributions to the High Commissioner's regular programmes for the first time. Other income amounted to $210,232, making a total of $3,080,714.

78. In planning programmes for $4,700,000, the UNREF Executive Committee considered it reasonable to expect that all but $1,000,000 of this amount would be contributed by Governments. By 31 March 1959, however, most of the regular contributions from Governments had been announced, but the total still fell $930,000 short of the minimum governmental target of $3,700,000. It is to be very much hoped that Governments other than regular contributors will make funds available, and that regular contributors will increase their contributions. The World Refugee Year will provide a unique opportunity for them to do so, as described in chapter VI, below.

Progress to date

79. Under the Far Eastern Programme, 532 refugees were transferred abroad from Hong Kong between 1 January and 31 March 1959. The situation of these refugees has recently deteriorated greatly, and it was the general opinion of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at its first session and also of the ICEM Council that the Far Eastern Operation should be speeded up and completed well within the three-year period originally planned. By 31 March, funds and services announced to ICEM for transportation will enable the movement of some 3,400 of the 9,500 refugees remaining in China. In particular, services have been offered for the transportation of difficult cases: the Norwegian Refugee Council has offered an aircraft with sixty-five seats, the Swiss Government has offered 100 seats on Swissair planes, and certain other commercial airlines have offered reductions in fares for the transport of refugees from the Far East.

80. By 31 March, new projects for camp clearance were under way, while UNREF projects totalling $719,259 were being completed. In the first three months of the year another five camps had been cleared. Within the other programmes, projects of a continuing nature, such as those for supplementary aid, are being carried on, while other projects are being negotiated so that they may be put into effect as soon as the necessary funds become available.

Chapter V SPECIAL REFUGEE PROBLEMS

81. Since the end of 1956 the Office of the High Commissioner has concerned itself with the problem of new Hungarian refugees and since 1957 it has also had to deal with the problem of refugees in North Africa, first in Tunisia and subsequently also in Morocco. While the Hungarian refugee problem has now lost its emergency character, the scope of the problem of refugees in Morocco and Tunisia has considerably increased. During the period under review, help was again given to refugees who left the Middle East following events which took place at the end of 1956. Thanks to a further contribution from one Government, UNHCR was able to make a $100,000 grant to two voluntary agencies for assistance to these refugees.

A. Hungarian refugees

82. By the beginning of 1959, the Hungarian refugee problem was well on its way to final solution. Solutions had been found or were in sight for more than 95 per cent of these refugees. The problem of Hungarian refugees in Yugoslavia was completely solved by February 1958. However, as a result of expenditure incurred for the housing, transportation and care and maintenance of Hungarian refugees, the Yugoslav Government is at present still left with a deficit of more than $3,600,000.

83. The total number of refugees who left Hungary is estimated at 200,000, of whom 180,000 entered Austria and 20,000 Yugoslavia. As a result of repatriation and resettlement, the number of refugees remaining on 31 December 1958 in Austria was some 14,900, including approximately 5,000 in official camps.

84. On 22 April 1958 the Director of ICEM and the High Commissioner appealed for further resettlement opportunities for Hungarian refugees. In response to this appeal, several Governments started a number of special schemes providing for the resettlement of nearly 4,800 persons. In the course of 1958, 3,640 Hungarian refugees were resettled from Austria, 800 in European countries and 2,840 overseas.

85. In the first quarter of 1959, a further 1,316 Hungarian refugees have been resettled from Austria. There thus remained some 4,500 persons still wishing to emigrate, but for more than one thousand of them resettlement opportunities have not yet been found. After examining a recommendation adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers decided to draw the attention of member Governments to this recommendation and to ask them to inform the Committee and also the High Commissioner of possibilities for receiving Hungarian refugees in their respective countries.

86. Within the framework of his task of international protection, the High Commissioner has recommended to Governments of countries of asylum the establishment of legal procedures in connexion with the problem of unaccompanied refugee children. He has requested that in these procedures the principle of family unity and the best interests of the child should be taken into account.

UNHCR PROGRAMME FOR HUNGARIAN REFUGEES IN AUSTRIA

87. Of the 14,900 Hungarian refugees in Austria at 31 December 1958, some 8,550 did not wish to be resettled outside the country. For these refugees, a $3,500,000 programme for permanent solutions in Austria had been drawn up by UNHCR in 1957. The emphasis of this programme has been placed on the direct integration of Hungarian refugees in Austria by providing housing and credit facilities. It also provides for the establishment of refugees in agriculture, for youth projects, and for aid to university students and intellectuals. UNHCR had also assumed a considerable responsibility in the large-scale educational programme for young Hungarian refugees, but on 1 July 1958 the Austrian authorities were enabled to take this over, thanks to funds generously made available under the United States Surplus Foods Program.

88. A table showing the status of the permanent solutions programme is given in annex VI to the present report.

B. Refugees in Morocco and Tunisia

89. In the course of 1957, a serious refugee problem developed in Tunisia when a large number of refugees from Algeria entered that country without means of support and the Tunisian Government was faced with a considerable problem of immediate relief and of care and maintenance. In spite of the considerable efforts made by the Tunisian Government, which organized emergency relief, the situation grew worse in the course of the year and was officially brought to the attention of the Office of the High Commissioner when a request for aid was addressed to it by the Government of Tunisia. In response to the appeals made in consequence by the High Commissioner to certain Governments in 1957 and 1958, contributions in cash or kind totalling $116,000 were made available to the International Committee of the Red Cross through this Office for assistance to the refugees. In addition, goods to a value of nearly $1 million were contributed through a bilateral programme of assistance. Later in 1958, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies issued a joint appeal to all the national societies of the Red Cross, Red Crescent and Red Lion and Sun; and, as a result, the Tunisian Red Crescent has received, either directly or through the League, gifts in cash and kind from forty-two national societies to a value, up to the end of December 1958, of over $1 million. The League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies undertook to provide, in conjunction with the Tunisian Red Crescent, emergency relief and care and maintenance for the refugees.

90. During 1958 the number of refugees in Tunisia grew considerably and the problem also became acute in Morocco. By the end of the year, it was estimated that there were some 85,000 refugees in Tunisia and 80,000 in Morocco. Of these 165,000, some 50 per cent were children, 35 per cent women and 15 per cent men, most of whom were over forty years of age.

91. In December 1958 the General Assembly adopted resolution 1286 (XIII) recommending the High Commissioner "to continue his action on behalf of the refugees in Tunisia on a substantial scale and to undertake similar action in Morocco". While close liaison was maintained with the Tunisian Government, a UNHCR representative was sent to Morocco to study the needs of the refugees and on his return a letter of appeal was addressed to all Governments Members of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies. In this letter, the High Commissioner supported the appeal for relief supplies launched on 28 November 1958 by the League of Red Cross Societies, and also asked Governments to place at his disposal funds with which he could enable the League to buy those basic relief items not donated.

92. The outstanding needs of the refugees were for olive or other edible oil, sugar, milk, soap, blankets and clothing. It was estimated that, in order to cover these needs from March 1959 till the end of the year, contributions in cash and kind totalling $2,440,000 would be necessary.

93. Supplies on the required scale, however, were not forthcoming and in March it was necessary to cut down on expensive items such as olive oil and sugar and substitute cheaper ones such as wheat, while keeping the same calorie content.

94. It had been anticipated from the outset that the necessary wheat supplies would be donated. In March 1959 one Government, which was already making wheat available for the refugees in Tunisia, generously agreed to make wheat and rice available for the refugees in Morocco also.

95. In response to the High Commissioner's appeal, several other Governments reported that they already had made, or would consider making, supplies available through their national Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies. In addition, by 30 April 1959, four Governments had made financial contributions through UNHCR: Laos of $1,000, Liechtenstein of $700, Monaco of $400 and the United States of America of $250,000.

96. Further approaches have been made to Governments, and private firms have also been asked to donate relief supplies. By 30 April, soap had been contributed by firms in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

C. Chinese refugees in Hong Kong

97. The General Assembly did not, in its resolution 1167 (XII) of 26 November 1957, determine the Chinese refugees in Hong Kong as coming within the mandate of UNHCR, but it recognized their problem to be of international concern, and authorized the High Commissioner to lend his good offices to encourage arrangements for contributions for assistance to them. During 1958 the High Commissioner drew the attention of Governments to this problem, both in a statement to the General Assembly at its thirteenth session and also in a letter submitting a list of supplies needed and a list of projects which could usefully be financed from international sources.

98. The response to this appeal has up to now been disappointing. Plans for the World Refugee Year in the United Kingdom include the Chinese refugees in Hong Kong among the groups to receive assistance and it is hoped that contributions for this purpose will be forthcoming.

Chapter VI WORLD REFUGEE YEAR

99. At its ninth (special) session, the UNREF Executive Committee adopted resolution No. 10, in which it expressed its support of the proposal made by the United Kingdom for a World Refugee Year and requested the High Commissioner to bring it to the attention of the General Assembly at its thirteenth session. World Refugee Year, to begin in June 1959, was instituted by the General Assembly in its resolution 1285 (XIII) of 5 December 1958.

100. The Office of the High Commissioner is closely co-operating with the Secretary-General's Special Representative for a World Refugee Year and has seconded a senior staff member and two persons in the general service category to the European Office of the United Nations.

101. On 24 March 1959 the High Commissioner addressed a letter to forty-three Government, Members of the United Nations and specialized agencies, drawing their attention to resolution 1285 (XIII) as well as to a letter of 9 March 1959 sent to them by the Secretary-General.

102. By May 1959, the following special contributions to World Refugee Year had been announced:

Principality of Monaco: 1,000,000 French francs for the UNHCR programmes.

Government of Morocco: Payment of charges for the unloading, inland transportation and storage of relief supplies for refugees from Algeria.

Government of Tunisia: Payment of Charges for the unloading, inland transportation and storage of relief supplies for refugees from Algeria.

Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: £100,000 to national Committee of the World Refugee Year in the United Kingdom.

Government of the United States of America: $150,000 to UNHCR for the relief of refugees in Morocco and Tunisia.

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions: $50,000 for UNHCR programmes. The Government of Iceland has selected twenty refugee fishermen to be admitted to that country.

The Entr'Aide Socialiste Belge in collaboration with the World Council of Churches has announced that a further group of 100 difficult cases will be settled in Belgium.

103. The High Commissioner sincerely hopes that the thousands of refugees who place their hope in the World Refugee Year will not be disappointed and that a generous response will be forthcoming from all quarters.

Chapter VII OTHER ACTIVITIES

Relations with other organizations

104. During the period under review, close co-operation has been maintained with other governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations directly or indirectly concerned with the refugee problem. Special mention should be made of the valuable services rendered by the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration in connexion with the resettlement of refugees, including the Far Eastern Operation, as well as by the Council of Europe and the Administration of the United States Escapee Program, which provides assistance for a considerable number of refugees. A special tribute is due to the many voluntary agencies which carry out the major part of the UNHCR programmes in the field. Valuable support has also been given to the work of this Office by the International Labour Organisation, the Organization for European Economic Cooperation and the World Health Organization.

105. Details of the action taken by these various organizations may be found in annex VII to the present report.

Public information

106. During the period under review, the public information activities of this Office have been concentrated on publicizing the UNHCR programmes, including, in particular, the Camp Clearance Programme, new schemes for emigration and the Far Eastern Operation. One of the main objectives of public information activities has been to support fund-raising in the private sector and to prepare the ground for the World Refugee Year. Further details of public information activities may be found in annex VIII.

Award of the Nansen Medal

107. The Nansen Medal Award Committee decided that the medal for 1958 be awarded to Mr. David Hoggett. Mr. Hoggett, from the United Kingdom, was crippled as a result of an accident while helping as a voluntary worker to build houses for refugees in Austria. The Award recognized not only Mr. Hoggett's great personal sacrifice but it also honoured all the innumerable men and women throughout the world who voluntarily give their services to help refugees.

108. The Committee also made a posthumous award to Mr. Pierre Jacobsen, former Deputy Director of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration and, before that, Assistant Director-General of the International Refugee Organization, as a tribute to his untiring efforts on behalf of refugees.

109. The Award ceremony took place in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on 10 October 1958, in the presence of government representatives in Geneva and representatives of the Swiss Federal and local authorities, of the Secretary–General and of the Council of Europe. Major-General L. O. Lyne, C.B.,D.S.O., Joint President of the United Nations Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, received the medal for Mr. David Hoggett, who was unable to be present. The posthumous award to Mr. Jacobsen was presented to Mrs. Jacobsen.

Annex I INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION

A. International instruments affecting refugees

1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees

1. This Convention is in force between the following twenty-two States: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ecuador, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In addition, steps are being taken by several Governments with a view to their accession to the Convention, particularly by Chile and Colombia, where the Convention has been submitted to parliament.

Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons

2. This Convention was ratified by Israel on 23 December 1958, by Yugoslavia on 9 April 1959, and by the United Kingdom on 16 April 1959. Ratification by France was authorized by an ordinance in December 1958. Denmark and Norway are already parties to this Convention, which requires six ratifications for its entry into force.

Convention on the Declaration of Death of Missing Persons

3. By the Federal Law of 25 June 1958 the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has acceded to the protocol extending the validity of the Convention on the Declaration of Death of Missing Persons for a further period of ten years after its expiry on 23 January 1957. The following States had already acceded to the protocol: Cambodia, China, Israel, Italy and Pakistan.

Universal Copyright Convention

4. The following States acceded in 1958 to the Universal Copyright Convention and its Protocol No. 1 which provides for the assimilation of stateless persons and refugees habitually resident in a contracting State to nationals of that State for purposes of the Convention: Iceland on 20 October 1958 and Liechtenstein on 22 October 1958.

Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance

5. This Convention was ratified by Italy on 28 July 1958, by Ceylon on 7 August 1958 and by Sweden on 1 October 1958. Czechoslovakia acceded to the Convention on 3 October 1958. The seven other States parties to the Convention, which came into force in May 1957, are: China, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Israel, Morocco and Norway.

Conventions of the Council of Europe

6. The European interim agreement on social security schemes relating to old age, invalidity and survivors, and the European interim agreement on social security other than schemes for old age, invalidity and survivors, including the protocols applying these instrument to refugees, were ratified by Italy on 26 August 1958 and by Luxembourg on 18 November 1958.

7. The European convention on Social and Medical Assistance, as well as the protocol extending its application to refugees, were ratified by Italy on 1 July 1958 and by Luxembourg on 18 November 1958.

Refugee seamen

8. The Agreement relating to Refugee Seamen, which was adopted by an inter-governmental conference at The Hague in November 1957, has now been ratified by two of the eight participating Governments, those of France and the United Kingdom. The Agreement, which will come into force ninety days after ratification by all 8 countries, has still to be ratified by Belgium, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. A number of Governments are applying the principles of the Agreement in advance of its entry into force.

9. The International Labour Conference, at its forty-first (maritime) session held in Geneva from 29 April to 16 May 1958, adopted a resolution recommending that States members of the International Labour Organisation consider the possibility of acceding to this Agreement, and calling upon governmental authorities and organizations of shipowners and seafarers to inform refugee seamen of the possibilities offered to them by this Agreement of regularizing their position.

10. At the same session, the Conference adopted a Convention on reciprocal or international recognition of seafarers' national identity cards, which provides for the issue by States members of the ILO of an identity card to their nationals who are seafarers. The Convention further provides that these States may issue identity cards to seafarers who serve on board a vessel registered in a member’s territory, or who are registered at an employment office in its territory. The Convention will therefore be of considerable importance to those refugees who do not fall within the scope of the Agreement relating to Refugee Seamen.

Conference on Elimination or Reduction of Future Statelessness

11. The United Nations Conference on the Elimination or Reduction of Future Statelessness, which was held in Geneva from 24 March to 18 April 1959, was attended by a representative from UNHCR. The Conference adopted the draft Convention for the Reduction of Future Statelessness prepared by the International Law Commission as a basis for discussion. It adopted a number of important articles, in particular provisions designed to grant nationality to children who otherwise would be stateless who are born in the territory of a contracting State, or born outside the territory of a contracting State if the nationality of one of its parents at the time of its birth was that of a contracting State. It also adopted a resolution recommending to contracting States that they treat de facto stateless persons, as far as possible, as stateless de jure in order to enable them to acquire an effective nationality. The Conference could not, however, complete its work and proposed to the competent organs of the United Nations that they reconvene the Conference at the earliest possible time in order to continue and complete its work.

Commission on Human Rights

12. A representative of UNHCR attended the fifteenth session of the Commission on Human Rights, which reconsidered the question of the right of asylum in the light of comments submitted by Governments and UNHCR on a draft Declaration on the Right of Asylum proposed by the Government of France at the Commission's thirteenth session. The French delegation proposed a revised draft Declaration. The Commission decided to request the comments of Government, of UNHCR and of interested non-governmental organizations on the revised draft and to undertake at its next session the drafting of a declaration on the right of asylum.

B. Admission, residence and expulsion

Eligibility

13. Approximately 30,000 persons were recognized as refugees coming within the mandate of UNHCR in the course of 1958, in countries where procedures in which UNHCR takes part have been established for determining eligibility. This authorization was subsequently prolonged until 31 December 1959. The breakdown is as follows:

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14. This total includes some 19,000 refugees who had been residing for some time in the country in which they had been granted refugee status and 11,000 new arrivals.

15. It will be noted that a large number of alien residents who have been potential refugees for a certain number of years have now applied for refugee status.

16. The new procedure for the determination of eligibility of refugees in Austria, which was described in the last annual report of the High Commissioner,[10]b came into full effect in June 1958. In addition to the two eligibility advisers resident in the provinces with the greatest influx of asylum seekers, members of the Branch Office for Austria visit other provinces at regular intervals to assist the authorities on eligibility matters. The Branch Office itself advises on cases of persons seeking asylum in Vienna, and on cases referred from the provinces to the Ministry of the Interior in Vienna.

17. An eligibility seminar arranged on the initiative of this Office was held in Vienna on 29 and 30 October to clarify problems arising in the determination of eligibility. The seminar was attended by Austrian Government officials and staff members from UNHCR Headquarters and Branch Offices in Austria, Germany and Italy.

18. In the Federal Republic of Germany, efforts continue to be made by this Office for speeding up the eligibility processing in the federal eligibility centre in Camp Valka in Nurnberg and in Camp Zirndorf. Once the number of departures from these camps is increased, it to may be possible to relinquish Camp Valka and to house all new arrivals in Camp Zirndorf, which offers better accommodation.

Fees for residence permits

19. In Belgium, fees for the issue or renewal of residence permits of refugees are now being waived, in accordance with a law which came into force in April 1958.

Illegal entrants

20. In the Federal Republic of Germany, further efforts have been made to clarify the position of refugees entering Germany illegally from a country of second asylum, and the Federal Administrative Court has decided in two cases that these persons have, in certain circumstances, the right to formal recognition as refugees in Germany.

Legalization of status

21. In the United States, a Public law, A 85-559, was enacted which provides for the adjustment of the status of approximately 32,000 Hungarian refugees who had been admitted to the United States on parole. A refugee admitted under the provisions of this Law may be given the same status as another alien legally admitted to the United States provided his admission would have been legally authorized both at the time he entered the United States and at the time he applied for change of status.

C. Rights of Refugees in their countries of residence

Right to work

22. On 23 December 1958, the Austrian Ministry of Social Administration issued a decree authorizing the issue or extension of labour permits for Hungarian refugees up to 30 April 1959. The short period of validity of labour permits is due to the uncertainty of the employment situation in Austria, but the extension of this period is to be reconsidered in the light of the situation existing in April.

23. On 21 February 1959, the Ministry of Social Administration issued a decree authorizing the issue of labour permits up to 31 December 1959 for those Hungarian refugees receiving training under the programme financed by the Scandinavian Red Cross Societies and for whom employment should, if possible, be found immediately upon the conclusion of such training. On 1 April 1959, the Ministry of Social Administration issued a decree which provides that refugees entering Austria prior to 1 January 1956 and refugees arriving after that date for purposes of family reunion should be exempt from the requirement of employment permits. This decree brings forward the date-line of 1 January 1955 laid down by an earlier decree of 19 February 1958 and gives effect to article 17, paragraph 2 (a), of the Geneva Convention, which exempts refugees who have completed three years' residence in the country from restrictive measures imposed on the employment of aliens.

24. Facilities for access to employment already granted to Hungarian refugees resettled in Belgium from Austria have now been extended to other Hungarian refugees who had been selected for admission to Belgium on the understanding that they would engage only in specific trades or occupations.

25. In Greece, the Government is considering the possibility of an extension of the right to work to refugees on a more liberal basis. However, it cannot at present grant access to employment to all refugees, mainly for economic reasons. Refugees of Greek ethnic origin enjoy treatment similar to that accorded to Greek citizens with regard to employment; alien refugees, on the other hand, are granted the same rights as other aliens and are given work permits only if no Greek citizen is available or if they can provide new employment opportunities for Greek citizens.

26. In Italy, the Government continues to implement its declaration of 27 July 1957 concerning the issue of residence and work permits of unlimited duration to refugees under certain conditions, as described in paragraph 82 of the high Commissioner's annual report to the General Assembly at its thirteenth session.[11]c A total of 1,320 work permits had been issued to refugees in Italy from the time the declaration was made until the end of 1958.

Social security

27. In Belgium, social security benefits, including unemployment and sickness benefits, are now being extended to all Hungarian refugees admitted to that country, irrespective of whether they have worked the 150 days required by law.

28. The right to family allowances, which is normally reserved for those cases where the children concerned are brought up in Belgium, has now been extended, first to Hungarian refugees and subsequently to all refugees irrespective of the location of their children.

29. With regard to Germany, an agreement has been drawn up between the Governments of Austria and the Federal Republic of Germany where by a refugee who has moved from Austria into Germany, or vice versa may continue to draw disability or old age pensions in the country in which he has settled.

30. In Luxembourg, it has been confirmed that refugees will continue to have the same right to unemployment benefits as nationals. Furthermore, upon suggestions made by this Office, invalidity pensions may now be obtained by refugees under the same conditions as nationals, i.e., after 1,350 days of work, whereas previously refugees had to have performed 2,700 days of work.

31. In France, upon the suggestion of this Office, the French Ministry of Reconstruction has given authority for refugees to be listed as candidates for low-rent housing, a right hitherto reserved for French nationals.

D. Naturalization

32. No precise data concerning the total number of refugees naturalized in 1958 are at present available to this Office but, according to information received, the number of refugees who have obtained a new nationality under current legislation is higher than in 1957.

33. Austrian nationality was acquired during 1958 by 4,315 refugees, of whom 1,393 were foreign-speaking refugees and 2,022 were of German ethnic origin. Of the latter, 767 refugees obtained naturalization under the Option Law of 2 June 1954 and 2,115 by the ordinary process of naturalization.

34. In Belgium, exemption from naturalization fees has been extended to aliens, including refugees, engaged in the mining industry. This measure will facilitate and speed up their integration.

35. In France, an order was issued by the Ministry of Health and Population in October 1958 to the effect that refugee status should constitute a favourable element in the consideration of applications for French nationality through naturalization.

36. As a result of an amendment to the Netherlands Nationality and Residence Act, widows and divorced spouses of refugees who possessed Netherlands nationality before their marriage can regain their nationality. Their minor children may also obtain Netherlands nationality.

E. Movement of refugees

Facilitation of travel

37. In the Federal Republic of Germany, a decision has been taken that refugee travel documents issued pursuant to the London Agreement of 1946 will, upon expiry, be replaced by the travel document issued in accordance with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

38. Morocco, another party to the 1951 Convention, is now issuing the travel document for which that Convention provides.

39. The Government of Iran has declared that it will recognize for visa purposes the refugee travel document issued by other States under the London Agreement of 1946 and under the 1951 Convention.

40. The Government of Liberia, already a party to the London Agreement of 1946, has now declared that it will recognize for visa purposes travel documents issued under the 1951 Convention.

41. In March 1951, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, as a result of an initiative taken by this Office, adopted a resolution (No. (58) 5) on the facilitation of refugee travel. A number of European countries had already taken action in line with the resolution. Since that date, certain other European countries have adopted measures in pursuance of this resolution, some of which are described below.

42. The Government of Greece is studying the possibility of exempting refugees from visa fees. Pending a decision on this matter, the Greek authorities are granting refugee travel documents and visas free of charge in the case of indigent refugees. This concession is important in view of the number of indigent persons among the refugees emigrating from Greece.

43. The Government of Luxembourg has, from 1 January 1959, exempted persons who hold refugee travel documents from payment of fees for entry visas for visits not exceeding three months.

44. Similarly, the Netherlands Government has authorized the issue of entry visas free of charge for temporary visits of refugees resident in countries which are members of the Council of Europe.

45. The Government of Sweden has given instructions that indigent refugees may be issued with entry visas tree of charge.

46. The Council of Europe Special Committee of Senior Officials for the Simplification of Frontier Formalities, as mentioned in the previous annual report,[12]d was considering a draft multilateral agreement on the abolition of visas for refugees. At a session of the Special Committee in The Hague from 25 to 29 June 1958, at which this Office was represented, the text of a draft Agreement was adopted. The Agreement was subsequently adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and opened for signature.

Movement of refugees for employment-Action taken by the Organization for European Economic Co-operation

47. In October 1958, further to suggestions made by the French Government, the Council of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation, in consultation with UNHCR, adopted recommendation C(58)196 relating to refugees who travel to another country in order to take up employment under Council decision C(56)258, which governs the employment of nationals of member countries.

48. In its new recommendation, the OEEC recommended that member Government: (a) take steps to grant a right to return, which may be exercised for a period of at least two years from the time of departure, to refugees who have been granted refugee status in their country of residence and who are proceeding to take up employment, other than short-term employment, in another member country; (b) enter, where appropriate, into negotiations for the purpose of concluding agreements on this subject with one another on a reciprocal basis; and (c) report to the OEEC by 30 June 1959 on the action taken on this recommendation.

49. At its fifth session in June 1957, the UNREF Executive Committee had recommended that the High Commissioner continue his efforts to facilitate travel for refugees in conjunction with the Council of Europe and the Organization for European Economic Cooperation. Following consultations with OEEC, it was suggested that the Council's recommendation C (55) 295, on the simplification of administrative practices governing the movement and employment of nationals of member countries, might be made applicable to refugees, but that information should first be obtained on whether it was already being so applied. An inquiry was undertaken by UNHCR. and the information obtained was considered by a working party of the OEEC Manpower Committee in April 1959.

F. Legal assistance

50. In 1957, projects for legal assistance were begun in Austria and Greece under the UNREF programme, and by 31 December 1958 these had benefited some 500 and 150 persons, respectively. In Germany, a restricted contribution had also made it possible to maintain, outside the UNREF programme, a special small account for legal assistance with the UNHCR Branch Office.

51. The High Commissioner submitted to the Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session a Legal Assistance Programme designed to enable voluntary agencies to carry out legal assistance activities for refugees in certain areas and to obtain legal aid for refugees from qualified lawyers. The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme approved this Programme, and made allocations totalling $70,000, as follows:

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Annex II UNREF PROGRAMME FOR PERMANENT SOLUTIONS

A. Progress by country and stage of settlement

Programme for permanent solutions

1. The programme for permanent solutions has been carried out mainly in four countries, Austria, Germany, Greece and Italy, although refugees in five other countries, Belgium, France, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Republic, have received benefits under the programme. A country-by-country analysis follows.

Austria

2. By 31 December 1958, a total of 11,401 refugees, 4,491 of them from camps, had been firmly settled under projects for permanent solutions in Austria. A further 8,227 refugees, including 5,258 from camps, had received benefits other than permanent settlement from such projects. Beneficiaries do not include Hungarian refugees, for whom a separate permanent solutions programme has been drawn up.

3. During 1958, eight camps were cleared in Austria, and plans are under way to clear a further twenty camps during 1959. By the end of 1958, 1,242 dwellings had been made ready for 4,308 refugees under UNREF housing projects, and a future 1,471 new dwellings were in process of construction.

4. The principal difficulty which the UNREF housing programme had to face in 1957, that of bearing a larger proportion of construction costs at a time when the refugees to be housed were economically weaker, was to some extent to overcome in 1958 thanks to more and cheaper capital becoming available from Austrian sources. Moreover, many projects were revised and put on a new financial basis in order to eliminate costly bank loans and to provide housing at a rent which the economically weaker refugees could afford.

5. As the programme becomes increasingly focused on individuals rather than on groups, the existence of a small number of refugees who show reluctance to being settled outside their present camp dwellings becomes evident, and special efforts will have to be made to persuade them to accept reasonable solution.

Germany

6. By 31 December 1958, a total of 5,360 refugees had been firmly settled under the permanent solutions programme, including 4,290 from camps. A further 10,600 refugees, including 8,900 from camps, had also benefited from the programme.

7. In Germany, as in Austria, the UNREF programme was concentrated on camp clearance, in co-ordination with the German Government's own barracks-clearance programme. Particular attention was paid during 1958 to the possibility of reducing rents of refugee housing, which, on the average, are higher than in Austria. In August 1958, an outside building expert was engaged to study the possibility of effecting economies in UNHCR housing projects in Germany. His principal recommendation was to construct dwellings of a more modest standard than in the past but which still conformed to national housing legislation. Blueprints of such modest dwellings are now being drawn up in consultation with a German building research institute.

8. During 1958, eleven camps were cleared with the aid of UNREF, including seven under the German barracks-clearance programme. UNHCR made ready 643 dwellings for some 2,000 refugees, and, at the end of the year, another 1,012 dwellings were in the course of construction.

9. Among the other solutions provided for refugees, two types of projects become increasingly important as camp clearance continues. The first type provides installation and furniture grants for the economically weaker refugees, thus encouraging them to leave the camps and to accept the responsibility of renting an apartment. The second type of project provides rehabilitation for handicapped refugees, again facilitating their departure from the camps. Beneficiaries of this type of project are given an average of six months' training. They include post-tubercular and other physically handicapped refugees, as well as refugees suffering from serious psychological and social handicaps. The planning of permanent solutions for these latter persons presents an especially difficult problem, and expert advice is being sought from German sources and from the Wold Health Organization.

Greece

10. By 31 December 1958, a total of 815 refugees, 425 of them from camps, had been firmly established under projects for permanent solutions. A further 489 refugees, including 262 from camps, had also benefited from such projects.

11. In 1958, two camps were closed under the UNREF programme. Since 1957 there has been an influx of new refugees into Greece, which has meant that certain of the camps will continue in use as reception centres, but it is expected that all refugees living in camps on 1 July 1957 and not eligible for United States Escapee Program assistance will have left them by the end of 1959.

12. Of special importance in Greece are projects for the establishment of refugees in agriculture, on tobacco or cotton farms or in stockbreeding. In particular, an agricultural community was created with the aid of UNREF at Vigla. When all houses now under construction there are completed in the spring of 1959, a total of 100 refugee families will have been established in that community. Its development has progressed so satisfactorily that the project has begun to attract other support; the land provided for the refugees in Vigla has been selected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as the first area to benefit under its land-improvement project started in the summer of 1958.

Italy

13. By 31 December 1958, a total of 1,320 refugees, including 431 from camps, had been firmly settled under projects for permanent solutions. A further 1,100 refugees, including 680 from camps, had also benefited from such projects.

14. The difficulties involved in integrating refugees in Italy have been described in previous reports; these difficulties arise partly from lack of employment opportunities and partly from the handicaps and limited qualifications of the refugees. Rehabilitation projects are thus becoming a most essential part of the programme in Italy.

15. By 31 December 1958, a total of 678 refugees had been integrated into the Italian economy through establishment in businesses or through grants of land or of tools and machinery. Vocational training has also played an important part in the integration of refugees into the Italian economy. An average of 270 persons a month are attending the courses which began in September 1958 at the vocational training centre in Capua, while some eleven refugees are benefiting from the rehabilitation centre at Garbagnate.

16. Migration, however, still remains the most satisfactory solution for refugees in Italy. By the end of 1958, a total of 560 refugees had emigrated to fifteen countries with the aid of UNREF. But the proportion of refugees included in migration projects is still limited and refugees not eligible for USEP assistance are often unqualified for migration under mass schemes; furthermore, counselling for emigration of individual cases brings necessarily limited results. New refugees entering Italy still outnumber those who leave.

Other countries

17. Projects for permanent solutions have been or are being implemented in five other countries: Belgium, France, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Republic.

18. In Belgium, a counselling project which was completed in 1957 enabled 781 refugees to become firmly settled and benefited 1,074 others.

19. In France, where there are no camps but many non-settled refugees, projects have been implemented for the rehabilitation of handicapped households for establishment in crafts and trades and for the integration of intellectuals. By 31 December 1958, a total of 765 refugees had been firmly settled and sixty-five others had benefited under UNREF projects.

20. In Lebanon, five refugees have been firmly settled and five others assisted under an UNREF project for establishment in crafts and trades.

21. In Turkey, projects designed to provide language and vocational training, aid to university students, establishment in crafts and trades, had by 31 December 1958 benefited 163 refugees, of whom 114 had been firmly settled.

22. In the United Arab Republic, projects for resettlement and for naturalization had benefited fifty-seven and ten refugees, respectively, by the end of 1958, while projects for establishment in crafts and trades and for vocational training had benefited forty and eight persons, respectively.

B. Settlement of difficult cases

23. By 31 December 1958, a total of 1,381 difficult cases, including eighty-seven dependents, had been settled under UNREF projects. Of these refugees, 581 had been settled in local institutions in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Middle East, Turkey and the United Arab Republic; 650 refugees, including forty-eight dependents, had been resettled outside their countries of residence in institutions in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland; and annuities had been provided for 150 refugees, including twenty-nine dependants, in Greece, Italy, and the Middle East. A further seventeen refugees have benefited from a special project for medical assistance in the United Arab Republic.

24. In addition, 463 difficult cases with 149 dependants have been accepted for resettlement in countries outside their present residence without cost to UNREF.

25. In Austria, Germany and Italy, efforts were concentrated on finding solutions for difficult cases living in camps, in conjunction with the over-all Camp Clearance Programme. It is hoped that funds will become available in the latter part of 1959 to start the settlement of difficult cases living outside camps in Austria who have been identified in the course of a survey carried out in 1957.

26. Resettlement overseas of difficult cases among the refugees of European origin on the mainland of china was accelerated in 1958 thanks, in particular, to the generosity of the United Kingdom in making two aircraft available for the movement of these refugees from Hong Kong. During the year, 144 difficult cases were settled abroad from Hong Kong, making a total of 544 since the UNREF programme began. Of this total, 162 have been resettled without cost to UNREF.

C. Liquidation of the United Nations Refugee Fund

27. At its first session[13]a in January 1958, the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme agreed that the High Commissioner should continue to exercise adequate supervision of all completed UNREF projects, and that he should ensure the orderly completion of UNREF projects whose implementation may be completed early in 1959 or 1960, in accordance with established practice and with the provisions of the financial rules for voluntary funds agreed to by the Executive Committee.

28. The Committee agreed that UNREF projects in an amount of $719,259 be added to the Camp Clearance Programme and that projects in an amount of $513,927 be cancelled. The former included all outstanding projects for assistance to refugees in camps, together with one other project, for housing and special assistance to refugees in Greece, for refugees outside camps.

29. With regard to contributions made available to UNHCR and specifically earmarked for projects whose implementation had not started on 31 December 1958, the Committee agreed that such contributions should be kept in a special account and used in accordance with the conditions stipulated by each donor. It agreed that the amount of $53,155, representing the unused balances of so-called open projects for difficult-to-resettle refugees, should be kept in a special reserve account for placement already under negotiation.

30. The committee further agreed that the unexpended balance of the provision for administrative expenditure in 1958 be reserved for additional fundraising expenditure in 1959 should it not be possible to provide for them within the 1959 appropriations, and that such balance as might be available from contributions to UNREF on 31 December 1958 be transferred to the Camp Clearance Programme after making allowances for earmarked contributions, difficult or difficult-to-resettle cases, and administrative expenses, provided that any increased needs of the Office of the High Commissioner for the Far Eastern Programme could be met from other sources.

OVER-ALL ANALYSIS OF UNREF PROGRAMME AS AT 31 DECEMBER 1958a

Consolidated number of actual beneficiaries by programmes, country and stage of settlement

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a Excluding beneficiaries of UNREF emergency aid, estimated at some 11,500 refugees.

b Refugees from Ethipia, Morocco, Spain, and Yugoslavia resettled in other countries and refugees from Iran settled in homes there.

c Excluding 272 difficult cases already included in part II-China.

Annex III GOVERNMENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROGRAMME OF THE UNITED NATIONS REFUGEE FUND AS AT 31 DECEMBER 1958

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a Including contribution in kind of $6,000 not otherwise included in totals.

b A contribution of 100 quintals of coffee has been promised.

Annex IV ANALYSIS OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE HIGH COMMISSIONER’S 1959 PROGRAMMES

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a An amount of $150,000 for administrative expenses is included in the figure for camp clearance.

b This figure is equal to half of the total allocation for the years 1959/1960 ($4.8 million) plus the value of the 1958 camp clearance projects likely to remain unimplemented for lack of funds (provisionally estimated at $900,000).

c This figure is equal to half of the total allocation for the years 1959/1960 ($4.8 million) plus approximately half the value of the 1958 camp clearance projects likely to remain unimplemented for lack of funds (provisionally estimated at $900,000).

Annex V GOVERNMENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO UNHCR PROGRAMMES FOR 1959 AS AT 30 APRIL 1959

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Annex VI HUNGARIAN REFUGEES

Status of permanent solutions projects at 1 January 1959

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Annex VII RELATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

A. Specialized agencies of the United Nations

International Labour Organisation

1. Close co-operation between the International Labour Organisation and this Office has continued during the period under review particularly in connexion with measures taken for the benefit of refugee seamen, as described in annex I to the present report.

World Health Organization

2. The World Health Organization has continued to co-operate with this Office, particularly in connexion with arrangements for a team of psychiatric experts to study the problems raised by refugees suffering from serious psychological and social handicaps.

B. Council of Europe

3. Co-operation between the Council of Europe and this Office has been further developed during the period under review.

4. The High Commissioner addressed the Consultative Assembly of the Council at its tenth session on 15 October 1958. At that session the Consultative Assembly adopted a recommendation (No.169) that the Committee of Ministers urge Governments members of the Council of Europe to give their fullest support and a most generous response to the appeal to be launched by the High Commissioner for his 1959 programmes. The Committee of Ministers decided to bring this recommendation to the attention of member Governments.

5. The Consultative Assembly also adopted recommendation 170 asking the Committee of Ministers to invite member Governments to make available to the High Commissioner, for at least one journey before 1 March 1959, large transport planes for the evacuation of refugees of European origin from the Far East or, alternatively, to participate in the raising of the necessary funds. This recommendation was subsequently endorsed by the Committee of Ministers. Consequently, several Governments increased their contributions towards the cost of transport of these refugees; the Government of Switzerland has offered seats on an aircraft for their transportation and the Government of the United Kingdom has made aircraft available.

6. During the third part of its tenth session, the Consultative Assembly adopted recommendation 188 concerning Hungarian refugees in Austria who wish to settle in a member country of the Council of Europe. Pursuant to that recommendation, the Committee of Ministers invited member Governments to offer Hungarian refugees in Austria without delay, through UNHCR, opportunities for resettlement, taking into consideration, as far as possible, the preferences expressed by those refugee with regard to their emigration.

7. The council of Europe has shown considerable interest in the promotion of the World Refugee Year. At its eleventh session the Consultative Assembly held a debate on the subject and was addressed by the High Commissioner on behalf of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the World Refugee Year, the Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and himself. The Consultative Assembly subsequently decided on Council of Europe participation in the World Refugee Year and addressed recommendations to members of the Assembly and to the Committee of Ministers to the effect that Governments members of the Council fully participate in the World Refugee Year.

8. The Council of Europe has continued to co-operate with this Office in connexion with legal protection activities, as described in annex I to the present report, paragraphs 6, 7, 41 and46.

C. United States Escapee Program

9. Relations with the United States Escapee Program have been continued as in the past. Particular attention has been given to the elimination of any duplication or overlapping in the respective programmes of USEP and UNHCR and detailed instructions on this subject are being observed by the respective field offices of both organizations.

10. The regular monthly meetings of senior officials of USEP, ICEM and UNHCR have continued to facilitate the co-ordination of activities of the three organizations.

D. Organization for European Economic Cooperation

11. Close co-operation has continued between UNHCR and the Organization for European Economic Co-operation, in particular its Manpower Committee, on the right to return of refugees taking up employment in other OEEC countries and on the simplification of administrative procedures for refugee travel. The results of this co-operation have been described in more detail in chapter I.

E. Intergovernmental Committee for European migration

12. The co-operation between ICEM and UNHCR which has grown over the past years continued successfully. ICEM has developed highly specialized migration techniques and is an indispensable instrument in the successful resettlement of refugees.

13. A number of new resettlement projects have been worked out by this Office in collaboration with ICEM, and new openings will continue to be explored.

14. During 1958, ICEM transported a total of 34,520 refugees under the mandate of UNHCR to immigration countries. In 1959, ICEM plans to move a further 37,600 refugees.

F. Voluntary Agencies

15. International and national voluntary agencies continue to act as the major implementing body for the High commissioner's programmes. During the past year, however, there has been a trend among international agencies towards handing over more responsibility for this work to their affiliated national agencies. This does not mean a withdrawal of interest on the part of the international agencies, but rather a transfer of responsibility to groups within the countries where refugees reside.

16. All agencies have co-operated fully in the increased counselling and social work which is taking place in the drive to clear the camps, and also in the newly introduced programme of assistance to refugees living outside camps. As in the past, frequent meetings with voluntary agencies have taken place to ensure the smooth co-ordination in the working out of procedures for the implementation of UNHCR programmes.

Annex VIII PUBLIC INFORMATION ACTIVITIES

1. At the request of several organizations which were appealing to the public in support of the Camp Clearance Programme, two films were produced in January and March 1958: the first one called "Kryfto" showed the life of the refugees in a camp in Greece and some of the work undertaken to establish these refugees in the Greek economy and to help the difficult cases; the other "We very much regret", filmed in Central Europe, stressed the need for international assistance for the refugees in camps. The two films were given wide international distribution, both theatrically and on television.

2. Five special television reports were also distributed on the resettlement of the refugees in the new housing settlement in Ayios Yiannis Kareas in Athens, the housing programme in Austria, the resettlement of difficult cases in the Beckhof Siedlung near Bielefeld in Germany, the resettlement of handicapped Hungarian refugees from Austria to Sweden and the movement of handicapped refugees to New Zealand; these events were also given wide photographic coverage. In addition, the Office of Public Information of the United Nations produced a half-hour television feature called "The Long Line" which was shown on television in Canada and the United States.

3. In co-operation with the Office of Public information, a half-hour broadcast narrated by Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco in English and French was distributed during the first half of 1958 and was accepted by almost every English-and French-speaking radio station in the world. The broadcast gave great impetus to fund-raising efforts in New Zealand and Australia.

4. About forty radio reports, each lasting from three to five minutes, were also distributed in co-operation with United Nations Radio.

5. The daily, weekly and monthly press was serviced by press releases, a comprehensive Reference Service (in English, French and German), and feature articles.

6. In December 1958, a press visit to refugee camps and UNHCR projects in Austria and Germany was organized. it resulted in articles in the Scandinavian press alone amounting to 40,000 words. A visit by eight French-speaking journalists to Greece was organized in April 1959.

7. Early in January, a half-hour broadcast was prepared for the opening of the World Refugee Year; by the end of March it had been broadcast, or accepted, by radio organizations in twelve different countries.

Appendix I REPORT ON THE FIRST SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER’S PROGRAMME[14]* (Geneva, 26-30 January 1959)