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

A/RES/39/140

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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-fifth session, and having heard the statement made by the High Commissioner on 12 November 1984,

Recalling its resolution 38/121 of 16 December 1983,

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,

Stressing the fundamental importance of the High Commissioner's international protection function 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 persons of concern to his Office,

Welcoming the additional accessions by States to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees,

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,

Emphasizing that voluntary repatriation or return remains the most desirable solution to 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,

Noting with deep appreciation the valuable support extended by many Governments to the High Commissioner in carrying out his humanitarian task,

Noting with satisfaction the positive results achieved by the Second International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa, held at Geneva from 9 to 11 July 1984, as part of a continuing process of increasing international interest in the situation of refugees in Africa and support for those refugees,

Welcoming the progress made by the High Commissioner in improving the management of his Office and urging him to pursue his efforts in this direction in line with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and decisions of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner,

Taking note of the decision of the Executive Committee on the inclusion of Arabic, Chinese and Spanish among the official languages of the Executive Committee,

1. Commends the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and his staff for the dedicated and efficient manner in which they continue to 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 fully 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 through 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. 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;

5. Also urges all States to support the High Commissioner in discharging his responsibility to pursue 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 in countries of asylum or resettlement in third countries;

6. Expresses deep appreciation for the valuable material and humanitarian response of many receiving countries, in particular those developing countries that, despite serious economic crises and limited resources, continue to admit, on a permanent or temporary basis, large numbers of refugees and displaced persons of concern to the Office of the High Commissioner, 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 their presence;

7. Notes with satisfaction the initiatives taken by the High Commissioner in developing the concept of development-oriented assistance to refugees and returnees, wherever appropriate, and urges him to pursue those efforts in co-operation with interested Governments, as well as with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and other developmental organizations, including non-governmental organizations;

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

9. Notes with appreciation the support consistently given to the High Commissioner by agencies of the United Nations system, as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, in carrying out his humanitarian task and requests the High Commissioner to continue to co-ordinate his efforts with those agencies and organizations;

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