Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

A/RES/40/118

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The General Assembly,

Having considered the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the activities of his Office, as well as the report of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner on the work of its thirty-sixth session, and having heard the statement made by the High Commissioner on 11 November 1985,

Recalling its resolution 39/140 of 14 December 1984,

Reaffirming the purely humanitarian and non-political character of the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner,

Deeply concerned that refugees and displaced persons of concern to the High Commissioner continue to face distressingly serious problems in all parts of the world,

Particularly concerned that in various regions the safety and welfare of refugees and asylum-seekers continue to be seriously jeopardized on account of military or armed attacks, acts of piracy and other forms of brutality,

Stressing the fundamental importance of the High Commissioner's function to provide international protection and the need for States to co-operate with the High Commissioner in the exercise of this essential function, particularly in view of the continued and persistent violations of the basic rights of refugees and asylum-seekers,

Emphasizing that voluntary repatriation or return remains the most desirable solution to the problems of refugees and displaced persons of concern to the High Commissioner,

Emphasizing also the importance for the international community to continue to provide assistance and resettlement opportunities for those refugees for whom no other durable solution may be in sight, particularly in regions where countries of first refuge continue generously to receive refugees arriving by land or by sea,

Commending States that, despite severe economic and developmental problems of their own, continue to admit large numbers of refugees and displaced persons into their territories,

Noting with deep appreciation the valuable support extended by many Governments to the High Commissioner in the performance of his humanitarian tasks,

Deeply concerned about the shortage of funds faced by the High Commissioner and its consequences for his ability to fulfil his mandate,

Noting with satisfaction the efforts of the High Commissioner, in the field of international protection, to address the special problems of refugee and displaced women and children resulting from their vulnerable position, which in many cases exposes them to a variety of difficult situations affecting their physical and legal protection as well as their psychological and material well-being,

Noting with satisfaction and encouraging the continuing and increasing co-operation between the Office of the High Commissioner and other bodies of the United Nations system, as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations,

Desirous of ensuring the speedy implementation of the recommendations and pledges made at the Second International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa, held at Geneva from 9 to 11 July 1984,

1. Commends the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and his staff for the dedicated and efficient manner in which they discharge their responsibilities;

2. Strongly reaffirms the fundamental nature of the High Commissioner's function to provide international protection and the need for Governments to continue to co-operate fully with his Office in order to facilitate the effective exercise of this function, in particular by acceding to and implementing the relevant international and regional refugee instruments and by scrupulously observing the principles of asylum and non-refoulement;

3. Condemns all violations of the rights and safety of refugees and asylum-seekers, in particular those perpetrated by military or armed attacks against refugee camps and settlements and other forms of brutality and by the failure to rescue asylum-seekers in distress at sea;

4. Welcomes the fact that arrangements introduced by the High Commissioner have increased significantly the rescue of asylum-seekers in distress at sea and that preventive measures have resulted in a decline in the number of refugee boats attacked by pirates;

5. Urges all States, in co-operation with the Office of the High Commissioner and other competent international bodies, to take all measures necessary to ensure the safety of refugees and asylum-seekers;

6. Also urges all States to support the High Commissioner in his efforts to achieve durable solutions to the problem of refugees and displaced persons of concern to his Office, primarily through voluntary repatriation or return, including assistance to returnees, as appropriate, or, wherever appropriate, through integration into countries of asylum or resettlement in third countries;

7. Endorses the conclusions on voluntary repatriation adopted by the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner at its thirty-sixth session and urges States to extend their full co-operation to the High Commissioner to that effect;

8. Expresses its warm appreciation for the work done by the High Commissioner to put into practice the concept of development-oriented assistance to refugees and returnees, as initiated at the Second International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa, and urges him to continue that process, wherever appropriate, in co-operation with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and other organizations, and, further, urges Governments to support these efforts;

9. Commends the High Commissioner's programmes for refugee and displaced women, especially those undertaken to secure their protection and to help them to become self-sufficient through educational, vocational and income-generating projects;

10. Expresses deep appreciation for the valuable material and humanitarian response of receiving countries, in particular those developing countries that, despite limited resources, continue to admit, on a permanent or temporary basis, large numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers, and, reaffirming the principle of international solidarity and burden-sharing, urges the international community to assist receiving countries in order to enable them to cope with the additional burden created by the presence of those refugees and asylum-seekers;

11. Commends all States that facilitate the attainment of durable solutions and contribute generously to the High Commissioner's programmes;

12. Expresses deep appreciation for the valuable co-operation between the Office of the High Commissioner and intergovernmental and non-governmental agencies;

13. Calls upon all States to promote durable solutions and to contribute generously to the High Commissioner's humanitarian programmes in order to assist refugees, returnees and displaced persons of concern to the High Commissioner in a spirit of international solidarity and burden-sharing..