Final Statement by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, 7 December 1966

I should like, Madame Chairman, to extend my deep and personal gratitude to all delegations for their comments on our work and for the kind words which they directed to my colleagues and myself. The comments which were made in this debate will be a guidance for the future particularly for the challenging problems which we are facing in Africa. I am most grateful for the consensus which developed in the adoption of the resolutions. I would refer to the general resolution which was adopted and which, inter alia, endorses the policy of cooperation between my Office and the development programmes and development agencies of the UN. I should like to express my gratitude and appreciation for the resolution on the Protocol; this is a major step forward in the field of international protection of refugees. It will correct what has been until now discrepancy and discrimination and will remove this difficulty which we have been facing in our work. I hope that a great number of States will adhere to the Protocol and I shall endeavour to ensure that this in done as soon as possible.

I thank the General Assembly for the support which it has given to my Office and I thank particularly the governments which have announced their contributions to my programme both in this debate of the Third Committee and, last week, in the Pledging Conference. I thank the governments which, for the first time, have announced a contribution to my programme and also those which have increased their contributions. The High Commissioner, Madame Chairman, can only be as strong as the General Assembly wants him to be.

I pledge to continue to approach problems in the future as in the past in a humanitarian spirit of positive and dynamic impartiality.

Finally, Madame Chairman, I should like to thank you for the effective and charming manner in which you have steered the discussion on this subject throughout the debate.