Refugee and displaced women

A/RES/35/135

35. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE THIRD COMMITTEE

135. Refugee and displaced women

The General Assembly,

Having considered the resolutions adopted by the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women and the recommendations contained in the Programme of Action for the Second Half of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace relating to refugee and displaced women,¹ which are of concern to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,

Recognizing that the problems of refugees and displaced persons affect every continent and place special burdens on developing countries,

Aware that the increasingly serious situations of refugees and displaced persons place heavy social and economic burdens on those countries which provide asylum, relief or rehabilitation,

Noting with great concern that women and children constitute the majority of refugees and displaced persons in most areas,

Recognizing that the needs of refugee and displaced women as mothers and as women who have sole responsibility for the support of their families require constructive recognition by all parties to their relief and rehabilitation,

Recognizing also the particular vulnerability of refugee and displaced women to intimidation, exploitation and physical and sexual abuse,

Aware that the special problems of refugee and displaced women have to date not been fully studied,

Strongly emphasizing the need for increased support from the international community for the large number of refugees and displaced persons,

1. Requests all States to co-operate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in order to assure full protection of the well-being of women and children in particular, in accordance with their fundamental rights under international law and national legislation;

2. Calls upon all States and donors providing immediate relief to refugees and displaced persons to endeavour to lessen the special vulnerability of women in these circumstances, by ensuring their access to emergency relief and to health programmes, and. their active participation in decision making in centres or camps for refugees or displaced persons;

3. Urges the international community to provide urgent and adequate assistance to all refugee and displaced women and to developing countries providing asylum or rehabilitation, especially the least developed and most seriously affected countries;

4. Further calls upon all States and donors assisting in the rehabilitation, resettlement or repatriation of refugees and displaced persons to recognize the pivotal role of the mother in the family, and thus in the provision of family welfare, to ensure women's rights to physical safety and to facilitate their access to counselling services and material assistance;

5. Urges the High Commissioner to work with host country Governments to encourage the participation of women, including refugee women, in the administration of refugee assistance programmes, notably the provision of essential food, shelter and medical services in countries of asylum and to promote their participation in training and orientation programmes in countries of asylum and resettlement;

6. Urges the High Commissioner to draw upon the expertise of all United Nations bodies concerned and, in consultation with the countries concerned, to carry out detailed studies and research to determine the extent to which refugee and displaced women are especially vulnerable and to formulate and implement programmes and projects based upon the results of these studies;

7. Recommends that the Office of the High Commissioner should co-ordinate with the United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations concerned the collection and analysis of data and the conduct of research and case studies on the critical needs of refugee and displaced women;

8. Further recommends that the High Commissioner should ensure that the number of women at all levels on his staff, particularly in the field, is increased and that a high-level staff position is designated as a co-ordinator for women's programmes.

92nd plenary meeting
11 December 1980

1 See Report of the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Copenhagen, 14-30 July 1980 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.80. IV.3 and corrigendum), chap. I.