Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

A/RES/42/109

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-eighth session, and having heard the statements made by the High Commissioner on 13 and 17 November 1987,

Recalling its resolution 41/124 of 4 December 1986,

Reaffirming the purely humanitarian and non-political character of the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner, which are undertaken in the common interest of humanity,

Noting with satisfaction that, following recent accessions, at least one hundred States are now parties to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees,

Deeply concerned that refugees and displaced persons of concern to the High Commissioner continue to face, in certain situations, distressingly serious problems in various 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 and other forms of violence, and noting that further efforts should be made in dealing with the problem of rescuing asylum-seekers in distress at sea,

Stressing the fundamental importance of the High Commissioner's function to provide international protection, particularly in the context of the increasing complexity of the contemporary refugee problem, and the need for States to co-operate with the High Commissioner in the exercise of this essential function,

Noting the efforts of the High Commissioner to continue to address the special problems and needs of refugee and displaced women and children, who in many cases are exposed to a variety of difficult situations affecting their physical and legal protection as well as their psychological and material well-being,

Emphasizing the need for States to assist, on as wide a basis as possible, the efforts of the High Commissioner to promote speedy and durable solutions to the problems of refugees,

Realizing in this context that voluntary repatriation or return remains the most desirable solution to the problems facing refugees and displaced persons of concern to the High Commissioner, and welcoming the fact that in various parts of the world it has been possible for signficant numbers of them to return voluntarily to their countries of origin,

Commending States that, despite severe economic and development problems of their own, continue to admit large numbers of refugees and displaced persons of concern to the Office of the High Commissioner into their territories, and emphasizing the need to share the burden of these States to the maximum extent possible through international assistance in accordance with the conclusions on refugee aid and development adopted by the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner at its thirty-eighth session,

Stressing the need for the international community to continue to provide adequate resettlement opportunities for those refugees for whom no other durable solution may be in sight, with particular attention given to refugees who have already spent an inordinately long time in camps,

Welcoming the valuable support extended by Governments to the High Commissioner in carrying out his humanitarian tasks, as well as the continuing and increasing co-operation between the Office of the High Commissioner and other bodies of the United Nations system, and with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations,

Noting the High Commissioner's continuing efforts to reorganize and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Office, particularly with respect to activities in the field,

Commending the High Commissioner and his staff for the dedicated manner in which they discharge their responsibilities, and paying tribute to those staff members who lost their lives in the course of their duties,

1. Strongly reaffirms the fundamental nature of the function of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to provide international protection and the need for Governments 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;

2. Notes with particular concern the continued violation of the principle of non-refoulement in certain situations, and stresses the need to strengthen measures to protect refugees against such action;

3. Appeals to all States that have not yet become parties to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees to consider acceding to these instruments in order to enhance their universal character;

4. 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 violence;

5. Endorses the conclusions on military and armed attacks on refugee camps and settlements adopted by the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner at its thirty-eighth session, and calls upon all States to observe these principles;

6. Endorses the conclusions on refugee children adopted by the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner at its thirty-eighth session, and urges States to extend their full co-operation to the High Commissioner in ensuring that the special needs of refugee children are met;

7. Urges the High Commissioner to continue his efforts to identify and meet the special needs of refugee women;

8. Recognizes the importance of fair and expeditious procedures for determining refugee status and/or granting asylum in order, inter#alia, to protect refugees and asylum-seekers from unjustified or unduly prolonged detention or stay in camps, and urges States to establish such procedures;

9. Recognizes the importance of achieving durable solutions to refugee problems and in particular the need to address in this process the causes that force refugees and asylum-seekers to flee their countries of origin, in the light of the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on International Co-operation to Avert New Flows of Refugees;

10. 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 through resettlement in third countries;

11. Expresses deep appreciation for the valuable material and humanitarian response of receiving countries, in particular those developing countries which, despite limited resources, continue to admit, on a permanent or temporary basis, large numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers;

12. Urges the international community, in accordance with the principle of international solidarity and burden-sharing, to assist the above-mentioned countries in order to enable them to cope with the additional burden that care for refugees and asylum-seekers represents;

13. Recognizes with appreciation 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 full co-operation with appropriate international agencies, and further urges Governments to support these efforts;

14. Emphasizes the essential role of development-oriented organizations and agencies in the implementation of programmes that benefit refugees and returnees and urges the High Commissioner and those organizations and agencies, in accordance with their respective mandates, to strengthen their mutual co-operation towards the attainment of durable solutions, and calls upon the High Commissioner to continue to promote such co-operation;

15. Calls upon all Governments to contribute, in a spirit of international solidarity and burden-sharing and in every way feasible, to the High Commissioner's programmes with the aim of ensuring that the needs of refugees, returnees and displaced persons of concern to the High Commissioner are met.