General Conclusion on International Protection

No. 61 (XLI) - 1990

The Executive Committee,

a) Reaffirms the central and basic character of the High Commissioner's international protection function;

b) Calls upon States, UNHCR and other concerned parties to take all necessary measures to ensure that refugees are effectively protected and recalls in this regard the fundamental importance of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 28 July 1951 and the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees of 31 January 1967;

c) Expresses strong concern that refugee protection continues to be seriously jeopardized in many States, including through expulsion, refoulement and other threats to the physical security, dignity and well-being of refugees;

d) Notes with concern that, in certain instances, specific activities by some refugees have been incompatible with national security interests and, in this context, reconfirmed its Conclusion No. 48 (XXXVIII) on Military and Armed Attacks on Refugee Camps and Settlements and, in particular, its paragraph 4 (a);

e) Emphasizes the close nexus between international protection, international solidarity, material assistance and the provision of solutions through voluntary repatriation, integration in countries of asylum, or resettlement, and calls upon the High Commissioner to continue his efforts to ensure that protection measures are fully integrated into assistance and durable solutions programmes;

f) Noting the link between protection and resettlement, underlines the need for states to provide adequate places for refugees in need of resettlement;

g) Notes that countries of first asylum carry the major burden of refugees, displaced persons and asylum-seekers, and calls on the international community and the High Commissioner to continue efforts to share the task of providing assistance and solutions and to pursue the search for mechanisms that provide solutions appropriate for the groups involved;

h) Expresses concern about the lack of adequate international protection for various groups of refugees in different parts of the world, including a large number of Palestinians, and hopes that efforts would continue within the United Nations system to address their protection needs;

i) Encourages all States parties to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol to respond as soon as possible to the questionnaire on implementation of these instruments circulated by the High Commissioner, so that he can submit a detailed report on their implementation to the forty-second session of the Executive Committee;

j) Notes with appreciation the accomplishments of the Office in promoting and disseminating refugee law, particularly through the organization of protection training courses, and in maintaining a research capacity, and calls upon the High Commissioner to consider how to pursue these activities within existing resources.