Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
A/4104/Rev.1
United Nations General Assembly Official Records: Fourteenth-Session
Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Supplement No. 11 (A/4104/Rev.1)
INTRODUCTION
1. The present report relates to the work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from May 1958 to May 19591
2. In continuing its fundamental function of protection of refugees, UNHCR has envisaged measures to intensify this protection, in accordance with the wishes of the General Assembly.
3. The general objectives of UNHCR are to find permanent solutions for residual refugee problems and to deal as quickly as possible with new emergencies as they arise. The Office facilitates the repatriation of refugees or their assimilation within new national communities, in accordance with the freely expressed wished of the refugees. The work of UNHCR is of a humanitarian, social and entirely non-political nature.
4. UNHCR tries to remove obstacles in the path of voluntary repatriation. It negotiates with Governments in order to increase the proportion of refugees who may be accepted for immigration and to liberalize admission criteria. New opportunities have been created in this way and progress achieved. Special programmes facilitate the economic and social integration of refugees within countries of first asylum. In those countries with camp populations emphasis will continue to be placed on camp clearance until the end of 1960.
5. Experience in Europe has shown that non-settled refugees of long standing generally prefer local integration. Most of the newly-arrived refugees wish to emigrate.
6. The number of non-settled refugees, including refugees living outside camps, decreased from 194,000 in July/August 1957 to 143,000 on 31 December 1958.
7. The refugee camp population in those European countries where camps exist - Austria, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece and Italy - shows a definite decrease in all four countries. The total of 58,000 refugees in July/August 1957 had been reduced to 31,000 by 1 January 1959. The decrease in both categories of refugees reflects to some extent the considerable success in solving the Hungarian refugee problem. It also substantiates my conviction that exiting refugee problems in Europe can be solved.
8. The number of refugees of European origin in the Far East had been reduced to 9,500 by 31 December 1958.
9. The number of refugees from Algeria in Morocco and Tunisia has increased to 180,000 and now constitutes a major problem. As the High Commissioner's office is non-operational, the League of Red Cross Societies has agreed to undertake the distribution of relief supplies and has made appeals, supported by UNHCR, to its member societies. The Office has also appealed to governments for funds and supplies. The participation of the League of Red Cross Societies in a guarantee of the essentially humanitarian and non political character of the operation.
10. World Refugee Year, proclaimed by the General Assembly at its thirteenth session, will begin in June 1959. It may profit refugees in the social as well as the legal sense of the term and is, therefore, not limited to refugees within the mandates of the two United Nations organs - the High Commissioner's Office and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. World Refugee Year should be of considerable assistance to UNHCR, by facilitating voluntary repatriation, by increasing immigration opportunities, and by providing additional financial contributions to UNHCR programmes. The effectiveness of international protection for refugees may also be increased during World Refugee Year by, for example, the ratification by additional States of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
11. The High Commissioner's Office maintains close co-operation with the Secretary-General's Special Representative for World Refugee Year.
12. The United Nations Refugee Fund (UNREF) programme came to an end on 31 December 1958. During its four years of activity it provided emergency aid for an estimated 11,500 refugees and otherwise benefited 50,000 refugees, of whom more than 28,600 were firmly settled. A certain number of refugees will continue to benefit from the programme under projects which have still to be completed. Indirectly, UNREF provided a stimulus to refugee work in all countries where large number of non-settled refugees were living when the programme began in 1955.
13. The UNREF programme has been replaced by UNHCR programmes, each designed to deal with a specific refugee problem or with a specific aspect of a refugee problem. UNHCR programmes for 1959, six in number, include the continuation of camp clearance in Europe and of the resettlement operation for refugees of European origin in the Far East; the provision of legal assistance to refugees is also within the scope of the programmes. The relief operation for refugees from Algeria in Tunisia and Morocco falls outside these programmes as it is financed from emergency funds specially contributed for this purpose.
Table I. DISTRIBUTION OF REFUGEES PRESUMED TO BE WITHIN THE MANDATE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER AS AT 31 DECEMBER 1958
| Location | Number |
| Europe | 915,000 |
| Middle East | 7,000 |
| Far East | 9,500 |
| Other areas | 500,000a |
| ROUND TOTAL | 1,400,000 |
a Not including some 180,000 refugees from Algeria in Morocco and Tunisia.
Table II. GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE REFUGEE SITUATION IN EUROPE FROM 1 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER 1958
| Number of refugees within the mandate of UNHCR in Europe on 1 January 1958 | Approx. | 930,000 |
| New refugees arrived in the course of the year | Approx. | 11,000 |
| New refugees "sur place" a | Approx. | 19,000 |
| Natural increase | Approx. | 9,000 |
| GROSS INCREASE | Approx. | 39,000 |
| Repatriated | Over | 4,000 |
| Emigrated | Approx. | 20,000 |
| Naturalized | Over | 30,000 |
| GROSS DECREASE | Approx. | 54,000 |
| Total number of refugees within the mandate of UNHCR in Europe on 31 December 1958 | Approx. | 915,000 |
a Already residing outside their country of origin but not previously recognized as refugees.
Table III. DISTRIBUTION OF NON-SETTLED REFUGEES AS AT JULY/AUGUST 1957 AND 31 DECEMBER 1958
| Location | July /August 1957 | 31 December 1958 | ||
| Europe | 177,000 | 132,000 | ||
| In camps | 58,000 | 31,000a | ||
| Out of camps | 120,000 | 101,000b | ||
| Middle East | 2,000 | 1,000 | ||
| Far East | 15,000 | 9,500 | ||
| ROUND TOTAL | 194,000 | 143,000 |
a Including 4,800 new Hungarian refugees in Austria.
b Including some 4,000 non/settled new Hungarian refugees in Austria.
Chapter I INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION
14. The General Assembly at its thirteenth session in resolution 1284 (XIII) of 5 December 1958 welcomed the recommendation of the Executive Committee of the United Nations Refugee Fund that this Office should increase its protection activities, which constitute its basic function.
15. This function is twofold. It consists in encouraging Governments to establish, or to accede to, international conventions of direct benefit to refugees - such as, in particular, the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees - and to include in other inter-governmental instruments specific clauses for refugees. While in certain instances, such as in the case of travel facilities for refugees, the effects of these conventions are felt at once, most of them yield results only after a long period of time. They are very important, however, in that they set a standard for the uniform treatment of refugees in various countries. In addition, Government are encouraged by UNHCR to take legislative and administrative action that will improve the legal position of refugees.
16. Both activities aim at ameliorating the legal status of refugees to the point where they may ultimately obtain the rights of citizens. It is hoped that further measures to this effect will be taken by Governments as their contribution to the World Refugee Year.
17. One of the most important protection activities is the determination of refugees status, on which depends the enjoyment of rights under the 1951 Convention or under national legislation and often even of the right of asylum. Furthermore, the determination of eligibility has a direct impact on the number of refugees within the mandate of UNHCR. Thus, in the course of 1958, some 30,000 persons were determined eligible in countries where this Office participates in one way or another, with the authorities, in determining the eligibility of refugees. The total includes some 19,000 refugees who had been residing for some time in the country in which they were granted refugee status.
18. The question of the rights of refugees in their country of residence is also most important from both the moral and practical points of view, for it gives a refugee an incentive if he feels that he has been put on a similar footing with nationals. Furthermore, the more rights granted to refugees the easier it is for them to become firmly settled. In many countries the fate of difficult cases and other handicapped refugees closely depends on the social security and public assistance legislation in force. The inclusion of refugees under this legislation may, at a limited cost to the country of residence, allow the permanent settlement of some of the handicapped.
19. In pursuing its protection activities the Office aims at improving both the legal status of refugees and their economic and social position.
20. With the increasing exchanges of manpower between certain countries the question of refugee travel is coming particularly important. This Office has co-operated closely with the Organization for European Economic Co-operation and the Council of Europe to promote inter-governmental arrangements for the extension to refugees of travel facilities similar to those of nationals, who automatically benefit from the easing of travel restrictions.
21. The ultimate aim of protection is to help a refugee to cease to be a refugee, whether through voluntary repatriation2 or through naturalization. Efforts to facilitate naturalization are made wherever possible, for instance by encouraging the reduction of naturalization fees and the speeding up of the sometimes lengthy procedure involved in the legal formalities of naturalization.
22. Statistical data concerning the number of refugees naturalized in the course of 1958 are not as yet (May 1959) available. From information received so far it would appear, however, that the number of refugees who acquired a new nationality under current naturalizations legislation was higher in 1958 than in 1957.
23. Legal assistance, which includes legal advice and legal aid in important administrative proceedings, dose not form part of legal protection but is complementary to it. UNHCR branch offices constantly have to deal with applications from refugees for such assistance.
24. Projects for legal assistance were started in 1957 in Austria and Greece. The need to establish such assistance to refugees on a firmer basis was recognized by the UNREF Executive Committee, which approved a $70,000 programme designed to enable voluntary agencies to carry out legal assistance activities for refugees in certain areas and to obtain legal aid from qualified lawyers for refugees.
Indemnification
25. As previously reported, the Bonn Treaty on the Settlement of Matters arising out of the War and occupation provides that persons persecuted by reason of nationality, who are now political refugees, shall receive adequate compensation where permanent injury has been inflicted on their health.
26. The compensation provided for this group in the German Federal Indemnification Law of 1956 is not considered adequate by UNHCR. Moreover, in practice, the claims of a large number of these persons are rejected by the German indemnification authorities and courts, with the result that most of the refugees who are still suffering from the effects of former National Socialist persecution do not, in fact, receive any indemnification. This Office has continued to pursue its efforts to obtain satisfactory treatment for these refugees and has made proposals to the government of the Federal Republic of Germany to this end. The matter is now under consideration by the competent federal Ministries and by the federal parliament.
27. Further details concerning developments in the field of international protection may be found in annex I to the present report.
Chapter II REPATRIATION AND RESETTLEMENT
A. Voluntary repatriation
28. Repatriation is one of the three permanent solutions which, in accordance with the policy of this Office, a refugee should be free to choose. In conformity with the provisions of the Statute, which were reaffirmed by the General Assembly in subsequent resolutions, this Office seeks to remove difficulties which may confront refugees who have expressed a desire for repatriation. Requests for repatriation received from individual refugees are being referred to the appropriate authorities of their countries of origin.
29. In May 1958 the Government of Greece agreed to inform this Office of all cases of refugees expressing the desire to return to their country of origin. In accordance with the provisions of the Statute and of General Assembly resolution 925 (X) of 25 October 1955, arrangements have been made whereby a UNHCR staff member is enabled to interview such persons before their departure in order to ensure that no undue influence is exercised on the refugee from any side.
30. No visits to refugees in their countries of residence by repatriation missions have been reported to this Office during the period under review.
31. As mentioned in the last report, the Governments of certain countries of resettlement have continued to cover the cost of repatriation of new Hungarian refugees who have expressed the wish to return to Hungary.
32. There are still cases where the repatriation of a refugee constitutes too high a charge for either his country of residence or country of origin. In exceptional cases, where it is not possible for Governments, private agencies or the refugee himself to pay for this transportation, the Office makes appropriate arrangements for such travel. It may be possible, however, for some Governments to make special contributions towards the cost of repatriation of refugees in accordance with resolution 1285 (XIII) of 5 December 1958, in which the General Assembly notes that one of the aims of the World Refugee Year is "to encourage additional opportunities for permanent refugee solutions, through voluntary repatriation, resettlement or integration, on a purely humanitarian basis and in accordance with the freely expressed wished of the refugees themselves".
33. According to information received by this Office, some 4,2003 refugees returned to their country of origin between 1 January and 31 December 1958 from the following countries:
| Country of departure | Number |
| Austria | 1,000 |
| Belgium | 300 |
| France | 800 |
| Germany, Federal Republic of | 500 |
| Switzerland | 450 |
| United Kingdom | 500 |
| Other countries | 650 |
| TOTAL | 4,200 |
B. Resettlement
34. In the course of 1958, some 34,500 refugees within the mandate of this Office were resettled with the assistance of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM), as shown in the table at the end of this section. This figure, however, excludes an unknown number of refugees who have emigrated independently. The much larger number of refugees resettled in the course of 1957 (116,000) included 80,900 new Hungarian refugees who emigrated under the special Hungarian programme, as well as 350,000 other refugees. During the period under review, therefore, the normal rate of emigration of refugees under current schemes has been maintained although there has been a greater concentration of movements of new refugees. This is even more significant since this result was achieved after the admission of a large number of Hungarian refugees in the previous year and despite the fact that certain countries of resettlement suffered from an economic recession.
35. As a consequence of the recession, however, here have been fewer resettlement opportunities in some of the European countries which normally admit a relatively high number of refugees. Consequently, special efforts are being made by this Office in cooperation with ICEM and the Governments concerned to increase the flow of refugee emigrants. Attention is being paid in particular to emigration from countries where there has been a considerable influx of new refugees and where, because of demographic and economic conditions, integration prospects are limited and emigration remains the main solution.
36. The number of immigration opportunities required cannot be accurately stated. It can only be assessed against the number of non-settled refugees, the desires expressed by the refugees themselves and the estimated number of refugees who might conceivably qualify for resettlement in either overseas or European countries. There were, as at 1 January 1959, some 143,000 non-settled refugees, of whom 132,000 were in Europe, 1,000 in the Near and Middle East and 9,500 in the Far East.
37. The surveys conducted by ICEM in certain countries of first asylum show that newly-arrived refugees have a stronger desire for emigration than those who have been in countries of first asylum for many years. They further indicate that the proportion of refugees wishing to emigrate is probably in part influenced by the economic conditions of the country of first asylum. According to the ICEM surveys, some 40 per cent of the refugees population in Austria as at 1 January 1958 wished to emigrate, while in Italy the proportion was as high as 85 per cent. These percentages were not considered as absolute because practical experience has shown that the refugees is most sensitive to concrete resettlement opportunities open to him and the number of those desiring emigration may, therefore, be higher than it would seem from the surveys. From the investigations made by ICEM and this office and from practical experience gained during the past few years, the High Commissioner has come to the conclusion that the number of refugees who wish to emigrate constitutes a group of manageable proportions for which it should be possible to find resettlement opportunities if only slight modifications in acceptance criteria were made by the reception countries.
38. There are encouraging signs that a growing number of Governments realize that they have to share the burden of countries of asylum through accepting refugees for immigration, since speedy resettlement has prove to be the most effective means of avoiding the human suffering involved in a long stay in camps and of alleviating the ensuing financial burden for the country of first asylum. It is particularly gratifying to note that certain countries which have already accepted large numbers of immigrants have nevertheless agreed to admit a small number of difficult cases and handicapped refugees. Both Australia and New Zealand have recently announced special schemes for the admission of handicapped refugee families. Furthermore, the Australian Government has decided to revise the age-limit governing the acceptance of refugees and immigrants. The United States Government has also admitted tubercular refugees under a special provision of Public Law 85/316.
39. Moreover, Luxembourg and Iceland, whose absorption capacities are limited, have decided to admit groups of refugee workers. Various means of promoting the resettlement of refugees in Latin America - for instance through a pilot project for vocational training - are being actively considered by this Office in co-operation with ICEM.
40. An example of the effectiveness of resettlement in reducing the camp population is graphically demonstrated in Italy where, owing to an important increase in the number of refugees selected by Australia, the camp population has actually decreased despite the continued influx of large numbers of new refugees.
41. World Refugee Year may give Governments the opportunity of increasing the proportion of refugees to be included in immigration programmes and of liberalizing selection criteria in order to open up new opportunities for refugees who, owing to physical and social handicaps, could not hitherto be admitted.
42. The resettlement of European refugees from the Far East is dealt with in chapter III, paragraphs 57-61 and chapter IV, paragraph 72 of the present report.
Table IV. REFUGEES RESETTLED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR EUROPEAN MIGRATION
| Area of emigration | ||||||||||
| Country of immigration | Austria | Germany (Federal Republic) | Greece | Italy | Middle East | Netherlands | Hong Kong | Spain | Others | TOTAL |
| Argentina | 19 | 4 | 10 | 48 | 4 | 113 | 198 | |||
| Australia | 2,012 | 268 | 89 | 1,290 | 72 | 1,004 | 1 | 2,433 | 7,170 | |
| Brazil | 35 | 2 | 24 | 197 | 7 | 721 | 130 | 1,116 | ||
| Canada | 4,261 | 166 | 33 | 118 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 1,190 | 5,791 | |
| Chile | 18 | 15 | 52 | 23 | 108 | |||||
| Colombia | 3 | 27 | 10 | 40 | ||||||
| Rhodesia | 44 | 2 | 7 | 53 | ||||||
| Israel | 9 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 32 | 12,291 | 12,351 | ||
| New Zealand | 26 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 40 | 79 | ||||
| Union of South Africa | 22 | 2 | 1 | 75 | 2 | 17 | 119 | |||
| United States of America | 1,473 | 656 | 276 | 459 | 9 | 75 | 9 | 2,224 | 5,181 | |
| Uruguay | 15 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 38 | ||||
| Venezuela | 158 | 5 | 3 | 166 | 8 | 81 | 421 | |||
| Other overseas countries | 19 | 2 | 32 | 8 | 118 | 19 | 198 | |||
| European countries | 642 | 32 | 100 | 158 | 148 | 577 | 1,657 | |||
| TOTAL | 8,756 | 1,150 | 579 | 2,575 | 101 | 2,178 | 13 | 19,168 | 34,520 |
Chapter III PROGRAMME OF THE UNITED NATIONS REFUGEE FUND
Historical background
43. The four-year programme of the United Nations Refugee Fund (UNREF) came into being as a result of General Assembly resolution 832 (IX) adopted on 21 October 1954, and came formally to an end on 31 December 1958.4
44. When the UNREF programme was submitted for consideration to the General Assembly at its ninth session there were an estimated 350,000 non-settled refugees in Europe, of whom 88,000 were in camps. These were mostly people who had been eligible for assistance from the International Refugee Organization (IRO) but who either did not apply in time or who, through no fault of their own, had not satisfied the admission criteria of immigration countries and had been unable to benefit from the limited programme for local integration and from other arrangements made by IRO for the non-settled refugee population remaining after its demise in December 1951. A considerable proportion of these refugees could have become self-supporting if international assistance to them had been continued after that date. In the intervening years, however, their position deteriorated in spite of the efforts made by Governments of the countries of residence to achieve their integration. Consequently, a fuller and more expensive programme had to be put into effect in 1954 than would have been the case if such a programme could have been started in 1952. The interruption in international assistance has not only led to an increase in the number of refugees to be assisted, but has also affected the morale of those who have been living in camps for too many years. It has further indirectly led to a more rapid increase in the proportion of handicapped refugees, including difficult cases, and in the number of refugees requiring emergency aid in order simply to survive.
45. The programme as adopted by the General Assembly was divided into four parts:
(a). Permanent solutions;
(b). The settlement of difficult cases;5
(c). The Far Eastern Operation;
(d). Emergency aid to the neediest refugees.
46. While the UNREF programme was intended to achieve permanent solutions for various categories of refugees within the mandate of UNHCR, its primary aim was to assist the refugee camp population. Efforts were concentrated on the refugees in camps throughout the first three years of the UNREF programme and almost exclusively so during 1958.
Contributions to the Fund
47. The over-all target for the United Nations Refugee Fund was fixed at $16 million to be obtained from voluntary governmental contributions over the four years 1955-1958. By 31 December 1958, thirty-one Governments had contributed a total of $14,496,585. A list of these contributions is attached as annex III to the present report. In addition, private contributions, from individuals and various bodies, amounted to $2,120,989, and other income to $725,608, making a grand total of $17,343,182.
48. In resolution 832 (IX) the General Assembly had also requested that UNHCR projects for permanent solutions include plans for contributions from sources within countries of residence. By 31 December 1958, such supporting contributions amounted to an estimated $23 million, bringing the total value of UNREF projects to over $40 million.
49. This figure does not include the estimated cost of permanent care of difficult cases settled in countries where no special grants were required from UNREF, nor the cost of ancillary services rendered by local authorities and voluntary agencies.
Summary of over-all progress
50. By 31 December 1958, project had been carried out at a cost of $16,213,491 to UNREF. Of this, 74.6 per cent was spent on the programme for permanent solutions, 12.7 per cent on the settlement of difficult cases, 10.5 per cent on the Far Eastern Operation, and 2.2 per cent on emergency aid.
51. By the end of 1958, nearly 62,000 refugees had benefited from UNREF; 28,649 of them, including 10,056 from camps, were firmly settled. Of the 62,000 refugees, 42,301 benefited under the programme for permanent solutions, 1,398 under the programme for difficult cases, 6,650 under the far Eastern operation and 11,500 from emergency aid. The table at the end of annex II gives a breakdown of these figures by programme, country, and stage of settlement.
Effect of the UNREF programme
52. The UNREF programme has undoubtedly had manifold effects on international assistance to refugees. It has helped to reduce the problem of the "old" refugees to manageable proportions and has enabled stock to be taken of the situation and the composition of the refugee groups still requiring assistance to be determined. It has given an impulse to public opinion, to governments and to agencies dealing with refugees, particularly in areas where there is a large camp population. It had led to the development of a close co-ordination in refugee work between the United Nations, the Governments, the specialized agencies, inter-governmental organizations, and voluntary agencies working for refugees.
Permanent solutions
53. Since the majority of non-settled refugees who qualified for resettlement had been moved by the International Refugee Organization, there was a natural tendency to concentrate the UNREF programme for permanent solutions on the economic integration of refugees in their countries of residence and particularly in those countries with the highest camp population, without losing sight, however, of the non-settled refugee population outside camps. In carrying out the programme, the basic principle followed by the office of the High Commissioner was to help refugees to help themselves. The emphasis of the programme was originally placed on the granting of loans to assist refugees in establishing themselves in industry, trade or agriculture, and on the provision of housing near those places where employment facilities were available. Housing has, in fact, proved to be the primary requirement for helping refugees to leave the camps and it was found in 1957 that approximately 55 per cent of the camp population could be firmly settled if they were given adequate housing. Permanent solutions projects also included vocational training, aid to high school and university students and, more recently, physical rehabilitation. Special mention should be made to the counselling projects, which have proved indispensable in determining the most appropriate solution for the problems of individual refugees.
54. As the most qualified refugees left the camps for resettlement or integration, there remained an increasingly high proportion of economically weaker refugees, of handicapped families and of difficult cases. Consequently, more intensive counselling was required and new types of projects specially adapted to individual cases had to be drawn up.
Settlement of difficult cases
55. For those refugees who, because of age, sickness or other incapacity, are unable to earn their own living, and particularly those among them who have no relatives to support them, three types of projects have been put into effect: projects for settlement in local institutions, settlement in institutions outside the country of residence and, in some cases, projects for the payment of annuities.
56. Placement in institutions is still considered the most suitable solution for persons whose state of health required continuing medical care. There has been, however, some reluctance on the part of refugees to enter institutions, where elderly people often find it difficult to adapt themselves. Efforts have been made to help refugees to over come these difficulties through more intensive counselling and organized visits to existing institutions. Furthermore, special projects were initiated in 1958 for the settlement of difficult cases in a new type of settlement where a home for difficult cases is combined with housing for other handicapped refugees, along with a workshop and other communal facilities. Other projects provide for a new type of partially self-contained accommodation in houses providing communal facilities. Refugees placed in such accommodation are put in the care of agencies or state welfare authorities which ensure that they receive the required assistance. In this way the refugees are properly cared for while still retaining their privacy. The availability of a workshop gives physically handicapped refugees an opportunity to do part-time work.
Far Eastern Operation
57. Responsibility for this operation, to transfer abroad refugees of European origin from the mainland of China, was assumed jointly by ICEM and UNHCR when the International Refugee Organization ceased operations in the Far East on 31 January 1952. ICEM transports the refugees from China and this Office provides for their care and maintenance while in transit in Hong Kong, gives emergency assistance to destitute refugees on the mainland and also promotes and finances grants for the settlement of difficult cases and the establishment on the land of certain groups of refugees belonging to agricultural communities.
58. Owing to the increased volume of movements during 1957, there still remained 1,141 refugees in Hong Kong on 1 January 1958. As a result of this larger case-load, funds available to UNHCR for care and maintenance during 1958 were practically exhausted by mid March. Thanks to contributions from two Governments and from a private agency in New Zealand, it was possible to maintain the refugees till the end of May, and at the beginning of June the UNREF Executive Committee authorized the High Commissioner to spend up to a further $140,000 on care and maintenance.
59. Meanwhile, in January and May 1958, appeals for transportation funds had been made to Governments by the Director of ICEM and the High Commissioner. Largely as a result of these appeals, funds were made available to transport some 2,350 refugees during 1958. In particular, it was possible by July 1958 to decrease the case-load in Hong Kong to 250 persons and to maintain it around that level most of the time.
60. Since 1 February 1952, a total of 12,167 refugees had been moved under the joint operation, but at the end of 1958 there still remained some 9,500 refugees of European origin awaiting transportation from the mainland of China. This number included an estimated 900 difficult cases, of whom 220 will be settled through UNREF projects which could not yet be implemented in 1958 and which are being carried out in 1959.
61. As a result of increased support from Governments and the general public, ICEM had available at the beginning of 1959 funds to cover the movement of 3,400 refugees.
Emergency aid6
62. Projects for emergency aid are by their very nature planned only on a temporary basis. By the end of 1958, such projects, for medical assistance, supplementary feeding and other special aid, to a total value of $348,424, had benefited some 11,500 refugees over the four-year period 1955-1958 in Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Republic.
63. Of that total, $16,086 had been expended from the UNREF Imprest Account in order to provide, at comparatively low cost, other timely assistance for refugees, such as the repair of dwellings, reunion of families and the translation of certificates needed for employment.
Total number of refugees requiring assistance at the end of the UNREF programme
64. On 31 December 1958, at the end of the four year UNREF programme, the number of non-settled refugees in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Turkey had fallen from 263,000 to 123,000 (excluding 9,000 non-settled new Hungarian refugees in Austria). As shown above, this decrease partly results from the direct and indirect effects of the UNREF programme. By 31 December 1958, a total of twenty one camps had been cleared in three countries - eight in Austria, eleven in Germany and two in Greece. At the same time, there remained in camps 26,000 refugees, of whom 18,600 are eligible for the UNHCR programmes. For some 7,000 of these persons, financial provision totalling approximately $720,000 had already been made under the UNREF programme. The remaining 12,000 whose main hope of settlement rests with UNHCR, will benefit from the Camp Clearance Programme, as described in chapter IV of the present report.
Chapter IV PROGRAMME FOR 1959 AND SUBSEQUENT YEARS - ACTION TAKEN UNDER GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 1166 (XII)
General observations
65. As shown in the preceding chapter on the programme of the United Nations Refugee Fund, one of the important lessons learned from international refugee work since the First World War is that problems which have been incompletely or inadequately solved reappear in a more acute form as time goes on. This was implicitly recognized by the General Assembly in November 1957, more than one year before the UNREF programme formally came to an end. The Assembly accordingly provided in resolution 1166 (XII) of 26 November 1957 for the continuation of international assistance to those refugees who had been unable to benefit from the UNREF programme and could not be firmly settled without help from the international community. In this resolution the Assembly further authorized the High Commissioner to appeal for funds required for his programmes and to establish an emergency fund in the amount of $500,000. The General Assembly also provided for the replacement as at 1 January 1959 of the former UNREF Executive Committee by an Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, to which the Economic and Social Council elected the twenty-one members of the UNREF Executive Committee,7 as well as the four following members: China, Sweden, Tunisia, Yugoslavia. Although the new Committee was to begin its task on 1 January 1959, the General Assembly, in order to ensure continuity, requested the UNREF Executive Committee to exercise in 1958 some of the functions incumbent upon its successor.
66. The basic objective of international assistance to refugees beyond 1 January 1959 as provided for under resolution 1166 (XII) remains, as heretofore, the achievement of permanent solutions for refugees within the mandate of UNHCR not otherwise provided for, and the provision of supplementary aid to the neediest refugees. The main distinction between the new programmes and the programme of the United Nations Refugee Fund lies in the method of planning. The UNREF programme was established for a specified number of years with a specific financial target. It was to take care of a particular series of problems which were well defined from the outset of the programme. The refugee problem, however, is essentially dynamic and subject to rapid changes in scope and nature. It was essential, therefore, that the new programmes be sufficiently flexible to meet changing conditions as these occur. These principles emerged from statements made in the General Assembly's Third Committee in support of resolution 1166 (XII) and from the ensuing discussions. In accordance with the provisions of this resolution and with the aforementioned general principles, the UNREF Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session in September 1958 and the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at its first session in January 1959 planned international assistance to refugees from January 1959 in the form of separate programmes which would, in principle, be planned on a yearly basis. These programmes are to be reviewed at the end of each year in order that they may be related to current conditions and reduced or expanded as the need arises and that the funds available may be used for those purposes for which they are most urgently required. A further effect of the separability of programmes is that contributors can more easily earmark their donations for those programmes in which they are most interested.
1959 Programmes
67. The UNREF Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session adopted six refugee programmes for 1959 for which $4,700,000 are needed. At the time, the Committee recognized that a total of $6,000,000 would be required if additional pressing needs of refugees were to be met. The Committee authorized the High Commissioner to draw attention to both amounts when appealing for funds for the 1959 programmes. These programmes adopted by the UNREF Executive Committee and considered by the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at its first session are set forth below:
(1). Camp Clearance Programme;
(2). Far Eastern Programme;
(3). Programme for non-settled refugees living out side camps;
(4). Emergency account for aid to individual cases;
(5). Programme for new refugees in Greece;
(6). Legal assistance.
An analysis of requirements for these programmes is contained in annex IV to the present report.
Camp Clearance Programme
68. The Camp Clearance Programme, which was already started within the framework of the UNREF programme, is designed to provide permanent solutions for the problems of some 12,000 refugees living in camps, of whom 1,500 are in Austria, over 10,000 in Germany, and the remainder in Greece and Italy. Governments of the countries of residence can assist in solving the problems of these 12,000 refugees, mainly through integration, provided an initial or sometimes additional amount is made available from international sources. For many of those who do not suffer from physical, economic or social handicaps, the main type of assistance, i.e. the provision of accommodation, will be financed without drawing on international funds. It is anticipated that with the allocation of $2,900,000 approved by the Committee for 1959, some 6,000 refugees may be assisted in leaving the camps. Solutions for a further 6,000 refugees will have to the found under the 1960 part of the Camp Clearance Programme.
69. The importance of the Camp Clearance Programme was recognized by the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at its first session. Now that the camp population requiring assistance from UNHCR has been reduced to manageable proportions as a result of previous efforts and that the Governments, organizations and voluntary agencies working for refugees have fully geared their efforts towards the clearance of camps, it is the High Commissioner's policy to pursue this programme with the utmost speed so as to achieve permanent solutions for the thousands of refugees who have known camp life for more than ten years and to enable their children to lead a normal existence.
70. One of the main requirements for assisting refugees in leaving the camps is the provision of adequate housing located in or near places where employment facilities are available. More than half of the 1959 allocation for the Camp Clearance Programme, therefore, is earmarked for the construction of housing for refugees. Next to housing, a considerable part of the allocation will have to be devoted to counselling.
71. As more refugees leave the camps, there remains an increasing proportion of refugees suffering from a physical, social or economic handicap. As was already the case during the last years of the UNREF programme, further efforts have to be made to adjust camp clearance projects to the needs of individual refugees. In the first instance, housing has to be as economical as possible so that refugees can afford to pay the rent. Over-all counselling is being gradually replaced by individual case-work, and supplemented by the follow-up of refugee families which have left the camps. Special projects for rehabilitation are becoming necessary to enable physically handicapped refugees to become fully or partially self-supporting after they have received proper training. There are among the refugees a certain number of asocial cases, as there are in any population. Possible solutions to the problems of these persons are being considered in conjunction with the Governments of their country of residence.
Far Eastern Programme
72. Under the Far Eastern Programme, UNHCR provides for the care and maintenance of refugees in transit in Hong Kong, for assistance to refugees by voluntary agencies and for resettlement grants for difficult cases among the refugees, while the transportation costs of such refugees are borne by the intergovernmental Committee for European Migration. It will be noted that, as from 1 January 1959, the Far Eastern Operation also includes the permanent settlement of difficult cases among refugees in the Far East and that the Operation has become entirely self-contained. The Far Eastern Programme as planned by the UNREF Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session provides for the resettlement of some nine to ten thousand refugees via Hong Kong during the three-year period 1959-1961 at an annual cost to UNHCR of $550,000.
Programme for non-settled refugees living outside camps
73. On the basis of the Survey of the Non-Settled Refugee Population in Various Countries,8 the number of non-settled refugees outside camps, excluding new Hungarian refugees, was estimated to be approximately 97,000 on 1 January 1959. The number of handicapped persons among them, excluding those eligible for the Hungarian programme, was estimated at some 30,000. The limited allocation ($700,000) adopted in respect of the relatively high number of non-settled refugees outside camps is explained by the fact that first priority must be given to the clearance of camps and to assistance to refugees of European origin in the Far East, while, on the other hand, the total allocation for 1959 could not be increased beyond the amount which could reasonably be expected in contributions. When the two previously mentioned programmes are brought to a successful conclusion, the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme may wish to increase the allocation for non-settled refugees outside camps.
Legal Assistance Programme
74. The Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session approved a Legal Assistance Programme, costing $70,000, designed to enable voluntary agencies to carry out legal assistance activities for refugees in certain areas and to obtain legal aid for refugees from qualified lawyers, as described in more detail in annex I to the present report, paragraphs 50 and 51.
Other programmes
75. The Committee also adopted a programme for new refugees in Greece, where recent arrivals constitute a very heavy burden on the authorities; and a programme for aid to individual cases, whereby immediate financial assistance would be given from an emergency account in order to ensure the complete solution of an individual refugee's problems.
Priorities
76. At its first session in January 1959, the Executive Committee of the High commissioner's Programme adopted the allocation of $4,700,000, on the understanding that first priority should be given to the programme for refugees in the Far East, whose situation was deteriorating rapidly. Succeeding priorities were given to continuing projects in other programmes which could not be interrupted, including supplementary aid, to the emergency account for aid to individual cases and, on an equal basis, to the Camp Clearance Programme and the programme for new refugees in Greece. The Committee agreed that the order of priority for the other programmes would be adopted at its next session.
Contributions
77. By 30 April 1959, contributions totalling $2,870,482 had been paid, pledged or promised for the 1959 programmes by thirty-one Governments, as listed in annex V to the present report. Six Governments - those of Cambodia, Ghana, Ireland, Monaco, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and Yugoslavia - were making contributions to the High Commissioner's regular programmes for the first time. Other income amounted to $210,232, making a total of $3,080,714.
78. In planning programmes for $4,700,000, the UNREF Executive Committee considered it reasonable to expect that all but $1,000,000 of this amount would be contributed by Governments. By 31 March 1959, however, most of the regular contributions from Governments had been announced, but the total still fell $930,000 short of the minimum governmental target of $3,700,000. It is to be very much hoped that Governments other than regular contributors will make funds available, and that regular contributors will increase their contributions. The World Refugee Year will provide a unique opportunity for them to do so, as described in chapter VI, below.
Progress to date
79. Under the Far Eastern Programme, 532 refugees were transferred abroad from Hong Kong between 1 January and 31 March 1959. The situation of these refugees has recently deteriorated greatly, and it was the general opinion of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at its first session and also of the ICEM Council that the Far Eastern Operation should be speeded up and completed well within the three-year period originally planned. By 31 March, funds and services announced to ICEM for transportation will enable the movement of some 3,400 of the 9,500 refugees remaining in China. In particular, services have been offered for the transportation of difficult cases: the Norwegian Refugee Council has offered an aircraft with sixty-five seats, the Swiss Government has offered 100 seats on Swissair planes, and certain other commercial airlines have offered reductions in fares for the transport of refugees from the Far East.
80. By 31 March, new projects for camp clearance were under way, while UNREF projects totalling $719,259 were being completed. In the first three months of the year another five camps had been cleared. Within the other programmes, projects of a continuing nature, such as those for supplementary aid, are being carried on, while other projects are being negotiated so that they may be put into effect as soon as the necessary funds become available.
Chapter V SPECIAL REFUGEE PROBLEMS
81. Since the end of 1956 the Office of the High Commissioner has concerned itself with the problem of new Hungarian refugees and since 1957 it has also had to deal with the problem of refugees in North Africa, first in Tunisia and subsequently also in Morocco. While the Hungarian refugee problem has now lost its emergency character, the scope of the problem of refugees in Morocco and Tunisia has considerably increased. During the period under review, help was again given to refugees who left the Middle East following events which took place at the end of 1956. Thanks to a further contribution from one Government, UNHCR was able to make a $100,000 grant to two voluntary agencies for assistance to these refugees.
A. Hungarian refugees
82. By the beginning of 1959, the Hungarian refugee problem was well on its way to final solution. Solutions had been found or were in sight for more than 95 per cent of these refugees. The problem of Hungarian refugees in Yugoslavia was completely solved by February 1958. However, as a result of expenditure incurred for the housing, transportation and care and maintenance of Hungarian refugees, the Yugoslav Government is at present still left with a deficit of more than $3,600,000.
83. The total number of refugees who left Hungary is estimated at 200,000, of whom 180,000 entered Austria and 20,000 Yugoslavia. As a result of repatriation and resettlement, the number of refugees remaining on 31 December 1958 in Austria was some 14,900, including approximately 5,000 in official camps.
84. On 22 April 1958 the Director of ICEM and the High Commissioner appealed for further resettlement opportunities for Hungarian refugees. In response to this appeal, several Governments started a number of special schemes providing for the resettlement of nearly 4,800 persons. In the course of 1958, 3,640 Hungarian refugees were resettled from Austria, 800 in European countries and 2,840 overseas.
85. In the first quarter of 1959, a further 1,316 Hungarian refugees have been resettled from Austria. There thus remained some 4,500 persons still wishing to emigrate, but for more than one thousand of them resettlement opportunities have not yet been found. After examining a recommendation adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers decided to draw the attention of member Governments to this recommendation and to ask them to inform the Committee and also the High Commissioner of possibilities for receiving Hungarian refugees in their respective countries.
86. Within the framework of his task of international protection, the High Commissioner has recommended to Governments of countries of asylum the establishment of legal procedures in connexion with the problem of unaccompanied refugee children. He has requested that in these procedures the principle of family unity and the best interests of the child should be taken into account.
UNHCR PROGRAMME FOR HUNGARIAN REFUGEES IN AUSTRIA
87. Of the 14,900 Hungarian refugees in Austria at 31 December 1958, some 8,550 did not wish to be resettled outside the country. For these refugees, a $3,500,000 programme for permanent solutions in Austria had been drawn up by UNHCR in 1957. The emphasis of this programme has been placed on the direct integration of Hungarian refugees in Austria by providing housing and credit facilities. It also provides for the establishment of refugees in agriculture, for youth projects, and for aid to university students and intellectuals. UNHCR had also assumed a considerable responsibility in the large-scale educational programme for young Hungarian refugees, but on 1 July 1958 the Austrian authorities were enabled to take this over, thanks to funds generously made available under the United States Surplus Foods Program.
88. A table showing the status of the permanent solutions programme is given in annex VI to the present report.
B. Refugees in Morocco and Tunisia
89. In the course of 1957, a serious refugee problem developed in Tunisia when a large number of refugees from Algeria entered that country without means of support and the Tunisian Government was faced with a considerable problem of immediate relief and of care and maintenance. In spite of the considerable efforts made by the Tunisian Government, which organized emergency relief, the situation grew worse in the course of the year and was officially brought to the attention of the Office of the High Commissioner when a request for aid was addressed to it by the Government of Tunisia. In response to the appeals made in consequence by the High Commissioner to certain Governments in 1957 and 1958, contributions in cash or kind totalling $116,000 were made available to the International Committee of the Red Cross through this Office for assistance to the refugees. In addition, goods to a value of nearly $1 million were contributed through a bilateral programme of assistance. Later in 1958, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies issued a joint appeal to all the national societies of the Red Cross, Red Crescent and Red Lion and Sun; and, as a result, the Tunisian Red Crescent has received, either directly or through the League, gifts in cash and kind from forty-two national societies to a value, up to the end of December 1958, of over $1 million. The League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies undertook to provide, in conjunction with the Tunisian Red Crescent, emergency relief and care and maintenance for the refugees.
90. During 1958 the number of refugees in Tunisia grew considerably and the problem also became acute in Morocco. By the end of the year, it was estimated that there were some 85,000 refugees in Tunisia and 80,000 in Morocco. Of these 165,000, some 50 per cent were children, 35 per cent women and 15 per cent men, most of whom were over forty years of age.
91. In December 1958 the General Assembly adopted resolution 1286 (XIII) recommending the High Commissioner "to continue his action on behalf of the refugees in Tunisia on a substantial scale and to undertake similar action in Morocco". While close liaison was maintained with the Tunisian Government, a UNHCR representative was sent to Morocco to study the needs of the refugees and on his return a letter of appeal was addressed to all Governments Members of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies. In this letter, the High Commissioner supported the appeal for relief supplies launched on 28 November 1958 by the League of Red Cross Societies, and also asked Governments to place at his disposal funds with which he could enable the League to buy those basic relief items not donated.
92. The outstanding needs of the refugees were for olive or other edible oil, sugar, milk, soap, blankets and clothing. It was estimated that, in order to cover these needs from March 1959 till the end of the year, contributions in cash and kind totalling $2,440,000 would be necessary.
93. Supplies on the required scale, however, were not forthcoming and in March it was necessary to cut down on expensive items such as olive oil and sugar and substitute cheaper ones such as wheat, while keeping the same calorie content.
94. It had been anticipated from the outset that the necessary wheat supplies would be donated. In March 1959 one Government, which was already making wheat available for the refugees in Tunisia, generously agreed to make wheat and rice available for the refugees in Morocco also.
95. In response to the High Commissioner's appeal, several other Governments reported that they already had made, or would consider making, supplies available through their national Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies. In addition, by 30 April 1959, four Governments had made financial contributions through UNHCR: Laos of $1,000, Liechtenstein of $700, Monaco of $400 and the United States of America of $250,000.
96. Further approaches have been made to Governments, and private firms have also been asked to donate relief supplies. By 30 April, soap had been contributed by firms in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
C. Chinese refugees in Hong Kong
97. The General Assembly did not, in its resolution 1167 (XII) of 26 November 1957, determine the Chinese refugees in Hong Kong as coming within the mandate of UNHCR, but it recognized their problem to be of international concern, and authorized the High Commissioner to lend his good offices to encourage arrangements for contributions for assistance to them. During 1958 the High Commissioner drew the attention of Governments to this problem, both in a statement to the General Assembly at its thirteenth session and also in a letter submitting a list of supplies needed and a list of projects which could usefully be financed from international sources.
98. The response to this appeal has up to now been disappointing. Plans for the World Refugee Year in the United Kingdom include the Chinese refugees in Hong Kong among the groups to receive assistance and it is hoped that contributions for this purpose will be forthcoming.
Chapter VI WORLD REFUGEE YEAR
99. At its ninth (special) session, the UNREF Executive Committee adopted resolution No. 10, in which it expressed its support of the proposal made by the United Kingdom for a World Refugee Year and requested the High Commissioner to bring it to the attention of the General Assembly at its thirteenth session. World Refugee Year, to begin in June 1959, was instituted by the General Assembly in its resolution 1285 (XIII) of 5 December 1958.
100. The Office of the High Commissioner is closely co-operating with the Secretary-General's Special Representative for a World Refugee Year and has seconded a senior staff member and two persons in the general service category to the European Office of the United Nations.
101. On 24 March 1959 the High Commissioner addressed a letter to forty-three Government, Members of the United Nations and specialized agencies, drawing their attention to resolution 1285 (XIII) as well as to a letter of 9 March 1959 sent to them by the Secretary-General.
102. By May 1959, the following special contributions to World Refugee Year had been announced:
Principality of Monaco: 1,000,000 French francs for the UNHCR programmes.
Government of Morocco: Payment of charges for the unloading, inland transportation and storage of relief supplies for refugees from Algeria.
Government of Tunisia: Payment of Charges for the unloading, inland transportation and storage of relief supplies for refugees from Algeria.
Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: £100,000 to national Committee of the World Refugee Year in the United Kingdom.
Government of the United States of America: $150,000 to UNHCR for the relief of refugees in Morocco and Tunisia.
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions: $50,000 for UNHCR programmes. The Government of Iceland has selected twenty refugee fishermen to be admitted to that country.
The Entr'Aide Socialiste Belge in collaboration with the World Council of Churches has announced that a further group of 100 difficult cases will be settled in Belgium.
103. The High Commissioner sincerely hopes that the thousands of refugees who place their hope in the World Refugee Year will not be disappointed and that a generous response will be forthcoming from all quarters.
Chapter VII OTHER ACTIVITIES
Relations with other organizations
104. During the period under review, close co-operation has been maintained with other governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations directly or indirectly concerned with the refugee problem. Special mention should be made of the valuable services rendered by the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration in connexion with the resettlement of refugees, including the Far Eastern Operation, as well as by the Council of Europe and the Administration of the United States Escapee Program, which provides assistance for a considerable number of refugees. A special tribute is due to the many voluntary agencies which carry out the major part of the UNHCR programmes in the field. Valuable support has also been given to the work of this Office by the International Labour Organisation, the Organization for European Economic Cooperation and the World Health Organization.
105. Details of the action taken by these various organizations may be found in annex VII to the present report.
Public information
106. During the period under review, the public information activities of this Office have been concentrated on publicizing the UNHCR programmes, including, in particular, the Camp Clearance Programme, new schemes for emigration and the Far Eastern Operation. One of the main objectives of public information activities has been to support fund-raising in the private sector and to prepare the ground for the World Refugee Year. Further details of public information activities may be found in annex VIII.
Award of the Nansen Medal
107. The Nansen Medal Award Committee decided that the medal for 1958 be awarded to Mr. David Hoggett. Mr. Hoggett, from the United Kingdom, was crippled as a result of an accident while helping as a voluntary worker to build houses for refugees in Austria. The Award recognized not only Mr. Hoggett's great personal sacrifice but it also honoured all the innumerable men and women throughout the world who voluntarily give their services to help refugees.
108. The Committee also made a posthumous award to Mr. Pierre Jacobsen, former Deputy Director of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration and, before that, Assistant Director-General of the International Refugee Organization, as a tribute to his untiring efforts on behalf of refugees.
109. The Award ceremony took place in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on 10 October 1958, in the presence of government representatives in Geneva and representatives of the Swiss Federal and local authorities, of the Secretary-General and of the Council of Europe. Major-General L. O. Lyne, C. B., D. S. O., Joint President of the United Nations Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, received the medal for Mr. David Hoggett, who was unable to be present. The posthumous award to Mr. Jacobsen was presented to Mrs. Jacobsen.
Annex I INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION
A. International instruments affecting refugees
1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
1. This Convention is in force between the following twenty-two States: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ecuador, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In addition, steps are being taken by several Governments with a view to their accession to the Convention, particularly by Chile and Colombia, where the Convention has been submitted to parliament.
Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
2. This Convention was ratified by Israel on 23 December 1958, by Yugoslavia on 9 April 1959, and by the United Kingdom on 16 April 1959. Ratification by France was authorized by an ordinance in December 1958. Denmark and Norway are already parties to this Convention, which requires six ratifications for its entry into force.
Convention on the Declaration of Death of Missing Persons
3. By the Federal Law of 25 June 1958 the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has acceded to the Protocol extending the validity of the Convention on the Declaration of Death of Missing Persons for a further period of ten years after its expiry on 23 January 1957. The following States had already acceded to the Protocol: Cambodia, China, Israel, Italy and Pakistan.
Universal Copyright Convention
4. The following States acceded in 1958 to the Universal Copyright Convention and its Protocol No. 1 which provides for the assimilation of stateless persons and refugees habitually resident in a contracting State to nationals of that State for purposes of the Convention: Iceland on 20 October 1958 and Liechtenstein on 22 October 1958.
Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance
5. This Convention was ratified by Italy on 28 July 1958, by Ceylon on 7 August 1958 and by Sweden on 1 October 1958. Czechoslovakia acceded to the Convention on 3 October 1958. The seven other States parties to the Convention, which came into force in May 1957, are: China, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Israel, Morocco and Norway.
Conventions of the Council of Europe
6. The European interim agreement on social security schemes relating to old age, invalidity and survivors, and the European interim agreement on social security other than schemes for old age, invalidity and survivors, including the protocols applying these instrument to refugees, were ratified by Italy on 26 August 1958 and by Luxembourg on 18 November 1958.
7. The European convention on Social and Medical Assistance, as well as the protocol extending its application to refugees, were ratified by Italy on 1 July 1958 and by Luxembourg on 18 November 1958.
Refugee seamen
8. The Agreement relating to Refugee Seamen, which was adopted by an inter-governmental conference at The Hague in November 1957, has now been ratified by two of the eight participating Governments, those of France and the United Kingdom. The Agreement, which will come into force ninety days after ratification by all 8 countries, has still to be ratified by Belgium, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. A number of Governments are applying the principles of the Agreement in advance of its entry into force.
9. The International Labour Conference, at its forty-first (maritime) session held in Geneva from 29 April to 16 May 1958, adopted a resolution recommending that States members of the International Labour Organisation consider the possibility of acceding to this Agreement, and calling upon governmental authorities and organizations of shipowners and seafarers to inform refugee seamen of the possibilities offered to them by this Agreement of regularizing their position.
10. At the same session, the Conference adopted a Convention on reciprocal or international recognition of seafarers' national identity cards, which provides for the issue by States members of the ILO of an identity card to their nationals who are seafarers. The Convention further provides that these States may issue identity cards to seafarers who serve on board a vessel registered in a member's territory, or who are registered at an employment office in its territory. The Convention will therefore be of considerable importance to those refugees who do not fall within the scope of the Agreement relating to Refugee Seamen.
Conference on Elimination or Reduction of Future Statelessness
11. The United Nations Conference on the Elimination or Reduction of Future Statelessness, which was held in Geneva from 24 March to 18 April 1959, was attended by a representative from UNHCR. The Conference adopted the draft Convention for the Reduction of Future Statelessness prepared by the International Law Commission as a basis for discussion. It adopted a number of important articles, in particular provisions designed to grant nationality to children who otherwise would be stateless who are born in the territory of a contracting State, or born outside the territory of a contracting State if the nationality of one of its parents at the time of its birth was that of a contracting State. It also adopted a resolution recommending to contracting States that they treat de facto stateless persons, as far as possible, as stateless de jure in order to enable them to acquire an effective nationality. The Conference could not, however, complete its work and proposed to the competent organs of the United Nations that they reconvene the Conference at the earliest possible time in order to continue and complete its work.
Commission on Human Rights
12. A representative of UNHCR attended the fifteenth session of the Commission on Human Rights, which reconsidered the question of the right of asylum in the light of comments submitted by Governments and UNHCR on a draft Declaration on the Right of Asylum proposed by the Government of France at the Commission's thirteenth session. The French delegation proposed a revised draft Declaration. The Commission decided to request the comments of Government, of UNHCR and of interested non-governmental organizations on the revised draft and to undertake at its next session the drafting of a declaration on the right of asylum.
B. Admission, residence and expulsion
Eligibility
13. Approximately 30,000 persons were recognized as refugees coming within the mandate of UNHCR in the course of 1958, in countries where procedures in which UNHCR takes part have been established for determining eligibility. This authorization was subsequently prolonged until 31 December 1959. The breakdown is as follows:
| Austria | 1,4009 |
| Belgium | 1,460 |
| France | 21,300 |
| Germany (Federal Republic of) | 1,160 |
| Greece | 430 |
| Italy | 3,700 |
| Luxembourg | 10 |
| Netherlands | 440 |
| Total | 29,900 |
14. This total includes some 19,000 refugees who had been residing for some time in the country in which they had been granted refugee status and 11,000 new arrivals.
15. It will be noted that a large number of alien residents who have been potential refugees for a certain number of years have now applied for refugee status.
16. The new procedure for the determination of eligibility of refugees in Austria, which was described in the last annual report of the High Commissioner,10 came into full effect in June 1958. In addition to the two eligibility advisers resident in the provinces with the greatest influx of asylum seekers, members of the Branch Office for Austria visit other provinces at regular intervals to assist the authorities on eligibility matters. The Branch Office itself advises on cases of persons seeking asylum in Vienna, and on cases referred from the provinces to the Ministry of the Interior in Vienna.
17. An eligibility seminar arranged on the initiative of this Office was held in Vienna on 29 and 30 October to clarify problems arising in the determination of eligibility. The seminar was attended by Austrian Government officials and staff members from UNHCR Headquarters and Branch Offices in Austria, Germany and Italy.
18. In the Federal Republic of Germany, efforts continue to be made by this Office for speeding up the eligibility processing in the federal eligibility centre in Camp Valka in Nurnberg and in Camp Zirndorf. Once the number of departures from these camps is increased, it to may be possible to relinquish Camp Valka and to house all new arrivals in Camp Zirndorf, which offers better accommodation.
Fees for residence permits
19. In Belgium, fees for the issue or renewal of residence permits of refugees are now being waived, in accordance with a law which came into force in April 1958.
Illegal entrants
20. In the Federal Republic of Germany, further efforts have been made to clarify the position of refugees entering Germany illegally from a country of second asylum, and the Federal Administrative Court has decided in two cases that these persons have, in certain circumstances, the right to formal recognition as refugees in Germany.
Legalization of status
21. In the United States, a Public law, A 85-559, was enacted which provides for the adjustment of the status of approximately 32,000 Hungarian refugees who had been admitted to the United States on parole. A refugee admitted under the provisions of this Law may be given the same status as another alien legally admitted to the United States provided his admission would have been legally authorized both at the time he entered the United States and at the time he applied for change of status.
C. Rights of Refugees in their countries of residence
Right to work
22. On 23 December 1958, the Austrian Ministry of Social Administration issued a decree authorizing the issue or extension of labour permits for Hungarian refugees up to 30 April 1959. The short period of validity of labour permits is due to the uncertainty of the employment situation in Austria, but the extension of this period is to be reconsidered in the light of the situation existing in April.
23. On 21 February 1959, the Ministry of Social Administration issued a decree authorizing the issue of labour permits up to 31 December 1959 for those Hungarian refugees receiving training under the programme financed by the Scandinavian Red Cross Societies and for whom employment should, if possible, be found immediately upon the conclusion of such training. On 1 April 1959, the Ministry of Social Administration issued a decree which provides that refugees entering Austria prior to 1 January 1956 and refugees arriving after that date for purposes of family reunion should be exempt from the requirement of employment permits. This decree brings forward the date-line of 1 January 1955 laid down by an earlier decree of 19 February 1958 and gives effect to article 17, paragraph 2 (a), of the Geneva Convention, which exempts refugees who have completed three years' residence in the country from restrictive measures imposed on the employment of aliens.
24. Facilities for access to employment already granted to Hungarian refugees resettled in Belgium from Austria have now been extended to other Hungarian refugees who had been selected for admission to Belgium on the understanding that they would engage only in specific trades or occupations.
25. In Greece, the Government is considering the possibility of an extension of the right to work to refugees on a more liberal basis. However, it cannot at present grant access to employment to all refugees, mainly for economic reasons. Refugees of Greek ethnic origin enjoy treatment similar to that accorded to Greek citizens with regard to employment; alien refugees, on the other hand, are granted the same rights as other aliens and are given work permits only if no Greek citizen is available or if they can provide new employment opportunities for Greek citizens.
26. In Italy, the Government continues to implement its declaration of 27 July 1957 concerning the issue of residence and work permits of unlimited duration to refugees under certain conditions, as described in paragraph 82 of the high Commissioner's annual report to the General Assembly at its thirteenth session.11 A total of 1,320 work permits had been issued to refugees in Italy from the time the declaration was made until the end of 1958.
Social security
27. In Belgium, social security benefits, including unemployment and sickness benefits, are now being extended to all Hungarian refugees admitted to that country, irrespective of whether they have worked the 150 days required by law.
28. The right to family allowances, which is normally reserved for those cases where the children concerned are brought up in Belgium, has now been extended, first to Hungarian refugees and subsequently to all refugees irrespective of the location of their children.
29. With regard to Germany, an agreement has been drawn up between the Governments of Austria and the Federal Republic of Germany where by a refugee who has moved from Austria into Germany, or vice versa may continue to draw disability or old age pensions in the country in which he has settled.
30. In Luxembourg, it has been confirmed that refugees will continue to have the same right to unemployment benefits as nationals. Furthermore, upon suggestions made by this Office, invalidity pensions may now be obtained by refugees under the same conditions as nationals, i.e., after 1,350 days of work, whereas previously refugees had to have performed 2,700 days of work.
31. In France, upon the suggestion of this Office, the French Ministry of Reconstruction has given authority for refugees to be listed as candidates for low-rent housing, a right hitherto reserved for French nationals.
D. Naturalization
32. No precise data concerning the total number of refugees naturalized in 1958 are at present available to this Office but, according to information received, the number of refugees who have obtained a new nationality under current legislation is higher than in 1957.
33. Austrian nationality was acquired during 1958 by 4,315 refugees, of whom 1,393 were foreign-speaking refugees and 2,022 were of German ethnic origin. Of the latter, 767 refugees obtained naturalization under the Option Law of 2 June 1954 and 2,115 by the ordinary process of naturalization.
34. In Belgium, exemption from naturalization fees has been extended to aliens, including refugees, engaged in the mining industry. This measure will facilitate and speed up their integration.
35. In France, an order was issued by the Ministry of Health and Population in October 1958 to the effect that refugee status should constitute a favourable element in the consideration of applications for French nationality through naturalization.
36. As a result of an amendment to the Netherlands Nationality and Residence Act, widows and divorced spouses of refugees who possessed Netherlands nationality before their marriage can regain their nationality. Their minor children may also obtain Netherlands nationality.
E. Movement of refugees
Facilitation of travel
37. In the Federal Republic of Germany, a decision has been taken that refugee travel documents issued pursuant to the London Agreement of 1946 will, upon expiry, be replaced by the travel document issued in accordance with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
38. Morocco, another party to the 1951 Convention, is now issuing the travel document for which that Convention provides.
39. The Government of Iran has declared that it will recognize for visa purposes the refugee travel document issued by other States under the London Agreement of 1946 and under the 1951 Convention.
40. The Government of Liberia, already a party to the London Agreement of 1946, has now declared that it will recognize for visa purposes travel documents issued under the 1951 Convention.
41. In March 1951, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, as a result of an initiative taken by this Office, adopted a resolution (No. (58) 5) on the facilitation of refugee travel. A number of European countries had already taken action in line with the resolution. Since that date, certain other European countries have adopted measures in pursuance of this resolution, some of which are described below.
42. The Government of Greece is studying the possibility of exempting refugees from visa fees. Pending a decision on this matter, the Greek authorities are granting refugee travel documents and visas free of charge in the case of indigent refugees. This concession is important in view of the number of indigent persons among the refugees emigrating from Greece.
43. The Government of Luxembourg has, from 1 January 1959, exempted persons who hold refugee travel documents from payment of fees for entry visas for visits not exceeding three months.
44. Similarly, the Netherlands Government has authorized the issue of entry visas free of charge for temporary visits of refugees resident in countries which are members of the Council of Europe.
45. The Government of Sweden has given instructions that indigent refugees may be issued with entry visas tree of charge.
46. The Council of Europe Special Committee of Senior Officials for the Simplification of Frontier Formalities, as mentioned in the previous annual report,12 was considering a draft multilateral agreement on the abolition of visas for refugees. At a session of the Special Committee in The Hague from 25 to 29 June 1958, at which this Office was represented, the text of a draft Agreement was adopted. The Agreement was subsequently adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and opened for signature.
Movement of refugees for employment - Action taken by the Organization for European Economic Co-operation
47. In October 1958, further to suggestions made by the French Government, the Council of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation, in consultation with UNHCR, adopted recommendation C(58)196 relating to refugees who travel to another country in order to take up employment under Council decision C(56)258, which governs the employment of nationals of member countries.
48. In its new recommendation, the OEEC recommended that member Government: (a) take steps to grant a right to return, which may be exercised for a period of at least two years from the time of departure, to refugees who have been granted refugee status in their country of residence and who are proceeding to take up employment, other than short-term employment, in another member country; (b) enter, where appropriate, into negotiations for the purpose of concluding agreements on this subject with one another on a reciprocal basis; and (c) report to the OEEC by 30 June 1959 on the action taken on this recommendation.
49. At its fifth session in June 1957, the UNREF Executive Committee had recommended that the High Commissioner continue his efforts to facilitate travel for refugees in conjunction with the Council of Europe and the Organization for European Economic Cooperation. Following consultations with OEEC, it was suggested that the Council's recommendation C (55) 295, on the simplification of administrative practices governing the movement and employment of nationals of member countries, might be made applicable to refugees, but that information should first be obtained on whether it was already being so applied. An inquiry was undertaken by UNHCR. and the information obtained was considered by a working party of the OEEC Manpower Committee in April 1959.
F. Legal assistance
50. In 1957, projects for legal assistance were begun in Austria and Greece under the UNREF programme, and by 31 December 1958 these had benefited some 500 and 150 persons, respectively. In Germany, a restricted contribution had also made it possible to maintain, outside the UNREF programme, a special small account for legal assistance with the UNHCR Branch Office.
51. The High Commissioner submitted to the Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session a Legal Assistance Programme designed to enable voluntary agencies to carry out legal assistance activities for refugees in certain areas and to obtain legal aid for refugees from qualified lawyers. The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme approved this Programme, and made allocations totalling $70,000, as follows:
| Austria | $4,000 |
| Germany (Federal Republic of) | 22,000 |
| Greece | 5,000 |
| Italy | 5,000 |
| Latin America | 30,000 |
| International Co-ordinating Centre on Legal Assistance | 3,000 |
| Reserve | 1,000 |
| $70,000 |
Annex II UNREF PROGRAMME FOR PERMANENT SOLUTIONS
A. Progress by country and stage of settlement
Programme for permanent solutions
1. The programme for permanent solutions has been carried out mainly in four countries, Austria, Germany, Greece and Italy, although refugees in five other countries, Belgium, France, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Republic, have received benefits under the programme. A country-by-country analysis follows.
Austria
2. By 31 December 1958, a total of 11,401 refugees, 4,491 of them from camps, had been firmly settled under projects for permanent solutions in Austria. A further 8,227 refugees, including 5,258 from camps, had received benefits other than permanent settlement from such projects. Beneficiaries do not include Hungarian refugees, for whom a separate permanent solutions programme has been drawn up.
3. During 1958, eight camps were cleared in Austria, and plans are under way to clear a further twenty camps during 1959. By the end of 1958, 1,242 dwellings had been made ready for 4,308 refugees under UNREF housing projects, and a future 1,471 new dwellings were in process of construction.
4. The principal difficulty which the UNREF housing programme had to face in 1957, that of bearing a larger proportion of construction costs at a time when the refugees to be housed were economically weaker, was to some extent to overcome in 1958 thanks to more and cheaper capital becoming available from Austrian sources. Moreover, many projects were revised and put on a new financial basis in order to eliminate costly bank loans and to provide housing at a rent which the economically weaker refugees could afford.
5. As the programme becomes increasingly focused on individuals rather than on groups, the existence of a small number of refugees who show reluctance to being settled outside their present camp dwellings becomes evident, and special efforts will have to be made to persuade them to accept reasonable solution.
Germany
6. By 31 December 1958, a total of 5,360 refugees had been firmly settled under the permanent solutions programme, including 4,290 from camps. A further 10,600 refugees, including 8,900 from camps, had also benefited from the programme.
7. In Germany, as in Austria, the UNREF programme was concentrated on camp clearance, in co-ordination with the German Government's own barracks-clearance programme. Particular attention was paid during 1958 to the possibility of reducing rents of refugee housing, which, on the average, are higher than in Austria. In August 1958, an outside building expert was engaged to study the possibility of effecting economies in UNHCR housing projects in Germany. His principal recommendation was to construct dwellings of a more modest standard than in the past but which still conformed to national housing legislation. Blueprints of such modest dwellings are now being drawn up in consultation with a German building research institute.
8. During 1958, eleven camps were cleared with the aid of UNREF, including seven under the German barracks-clearance programme. UNHCR made ready 643 dwellings for some 2,000 refugees, and, at the end of the year, another 1,012 dwellings were in the course of construction.
9. Among the other solutions provided for refugees, two types of projects become increasingly important as camp clearance continues. The first type provides installation and furniture grants for the economically weaker refugees, thus encouraging them to leave the camps and to accept the responsibility of renting an apartment. The second type of project provides rehabilitation for handicapped refugees, again facilitating their departure from the camps. Beneficiaries of this type of project are given an average of six months' training. They include post-tubercular and other physically handicapped refugees, as well as refugees suffering from serious psychological and social handicaps. The planning of permanent solutions for these latter persons presents an especially difficult problem, and expert advice is being sought from German sources and from the Wold Health Organization.
Greece
10. By 31 December 1958, a total of 815 refugees, 425 of them from camps, had been firmly established under projects for permanent solutions. A further 489 refugees, including 262 from camps, had also benefited from such projects.
11. In 1958, two camps were closed under the UNREF programme. Since 1957 there has been an influx of new refugees into Greece, which has meant that certain of the camps will continue in use as reception centres, but it is expected that all refugees living in camps on 1 July 1957 and not eligible for United States Escapee Program assistance will have left them by the end of 1959.
12. Of special importance in Greece are projects for the establishment of refugees in agriculture, on tobacco or cotton farms or in stockbreeding. In particular, an agricultural community was created with the aid of UNREF at Vigla. When all houses now under construction there are completed in the spring of 1959, a total of 100 refugee families will have been established in that community. Its development has progressed so satisfactorily that the project has begun to attract other support; the land provided for the refugees in Vigla has been selected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as the first area to benefit under its land-improvement project started in the summer of 1958.
Italy
13. By 31 December 1958, a total of 1,320 refugees, including 431 from camps, had been firmly settled under projects for permanent solutions. A further 1,100 refugees, including 680 from camps, had also benefited from such projects.
14. The difficulties involved in integrating refugees in Italy have been described in previous reports; these difficulties arise partly from lack of employment opportunities and partly from the handicaps and limited qualifications of the refugees. Rehabilitation projects are thus becoming a most essential part of the programme in Italy.
15. By 31 December 1958, a total of 678 refugees had been integrated into the Italian economy through establishment in businesses or through grants of land or of tools and machinery. Vocational training has also played an important part in the integration of refugees into the Italian economy. An average of 270 persons a month are attending the courses which began in September 1958 at the vocational training centre in Capua, while some eleven refugees are benefiting from the rehabilitation centre at Garbagnate.
16. Migration, however, still remains the most satisfactory solution for refugees in Italy. By the end of 1958, a total of 560 refugees had emigrated to fifteen countries with the aid of UNREF. But the proportion of refugees included in migration projects is still limited and refugees not eligible for USEP assistance are often unqualified for migration under mass schemes; furthermore, counselling for emigration of individual cases brings necessarily limited results. New refugees entering Italy still outnumber those who leave.
Other countries
17. Projects for permanent solutions have been or are being implemented in five other countries: Belgium, France, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Republic.
18. In Belgium, a counselling project which was completed in 1957 enabled 781 refugees to become firmly settled and benefited 1,074 others.
19. In France, where there are no camps but many non-settled refugees, projects have been implemented for the rehabilitation of handicapped households for establishment in crafts and trades and for the integration of intellectuals. By 31 December 1958, a total of 765 refugees had been firmly settled and sixty-five others had benefited under UNREF projects.
20. In Lebanon, five refugees have been firmly settled and five others assisted under an UNREF project for establishment in crafts and trades.
21. In Turkey, projects designed to provide language and vocational training, aid to university students, establishment in crafts and trades, had by 31 December 1958 benefited 163 refugees, of whom 114 had been firmly settled.
22. In the United Arab Republic, projects for resettlement and for naturalization had benefited fifty-seven and ten refugees, respectively, by the end of 1958, while projects for establishment in crafts and trades and for vocational training had benefited forty and eight persons, respectively.
B. Settlement of difficult cases
23. By 31 December 1958, a total of 1,381 difficult cases, including eighty-seven dependents, had been settled under UNREF projects. Of these refugees, 581 had been settled in local institutions in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Middle East, Turkey and the United Arab Republic; 650 refugees, including forty-eight dependents, had been resettled outside their countries of residence in institutions in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland; and annuities had been provided for 150 refugees, including twenty-nine dependants, in Greece, Italy, and the Middle East. A further seventeen refugees have benefited from a special project for medical assistance in the United Arab Republic.
24. In addition, 463 difficult cases with 149 dependants have been accepted for resettlement in countries outside their present residence without cost to UNREF.
25. In Austria, Germany and Italy, efforts were concentrated on finding solutions for difficult cases living in camps, in conjunction with the over-all Camp Clearance Programme. It is hoped that funds will become available in the latter part of 1959 to start the settlement of difficult cases living outside camps in Austria who have been identified in the course of a survey carried out in 1957.
26. Resettlement overseas of difficult cases among the refugees of European origin on the mainland of china was accelerated in 1958 thanks, in particular, to the generosity of the United Kingdom in making two aircraft available for the movement of these refugees from Hong Kong. During the year, 144 difficult cases were settled abroad from Hong Kong, making a total of 544 since the UNREF programme began. Of this total, 162 have been resettled without cost to UNREF.
C. Liquidation of the United Nations Refugee Fund
27. At its first session13 in January 1958, the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme agreed that the High Commissioner should continue to exercise adequate supervision of all completed UNREF projects, and that he should ensure the orderly completion of UNREF projects whose implementation may be completed early in 1959 or 1960, in accordance with established practice and with the provisions of the financial rules for voluntary funds agreed to by the Executive Committee.
28. The Committee agreed that UNREF projects in an amount of $719,259 be added to the Camp Clearance Programme and that projects in an amount of $513,927 be cancelled. The former included all outstanding projects for assistance to refugees in camps, together with one other project, for housing and special assistance to refugees in Greece, for refugees outside camps.
29. With regard to contributions made available to UNHCR and specifically earmarked for projects whose implementation had not started on 31 December 1958, the Committee agreed that such contributions should be kept in a special account and used in accordance with the conditions stipulated by each donor. It agreed that the amount of $53,155, representing the unused balances of so-called open projects for difficult-to-resettle refugees, should be kept in a special reserve account for placement already under negotiation.
30. The committee further agreed that the unexpended balance of the provision for administrative expenditure in 1958 be reserved for additional fundraising expenditure in 1959 should it not be possible to provide for them within the 1959 appropriations, and that such balance as might be available from contributions to UNREF on 31 December 1958 be transferred to the Camp Clearance Programme after making allowances for earmarked contributions, difficult or difficult-to-resettle cases, and administrative expenses, provided that any increased needs of the Office of the High Commissioner for the Far Eastern Programme could be met from other sources.
(Note: Statistical and financial tables not included in this online version. See your nearest UN Depository Library.)
Annex VII RELATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
A. Specialized agencies of the United Nations
International Labour Organisation
1. Close co-operation between the International Labour Organisation and this Office has continued during the period under review particularly in connexion with measures taken for the benefit of refugee seamen, as described in annex I to the present report.
World Health Organization
2. The World Health Organization has continued to co-operate with this Office, particularly in connexion with arrangements for a team of psychiatric experts to study the problems raised by refugees suffering from serious psychological and social handicaps.
B. Council of Europe
3. Co-operation between the Council of Europe and this Office has been further developed during the period under review.
4. The High Commissioner addressed the Consultative Assembly of the Council at its tenth session on 15 October 1958. At that session the Consultative Assembly adopted a recommendation (No.169) that the Committee of Ministers urge Governments members of the Council of Europe to give their fullest support and a most generous response to the appeal to be launched by the High Commissioner for his 1959 programmes. The Committee of Ministers decided to bring this recommendation to the attention of member Governments.
5. The Consultative Assembly also adopted recommendation 170 asking the Committee of Ministers to invite member Governments to make available to the High Commissioner, for at least one journey before 1 March 1959, large transport planes for the evacuation of refugees of European origin from the Far East or, alternatively, to participate in the raising of the necessary funds. This recommendation was subsequently endorsed by the Committee of Ministers. Consequently, several Governments increased their contributions towards the cost of transport of these refugees; the Government of Switzerland has offered seats on an aircraft for their transportation and the Government of the United Kingdom has made aircraft available.
6. During the third part of its tenth session, the Consultative Assembly adopted recommendation 188 concerning Hungarian refugees in Austria who wish to settle in a member country of the Council of Europe. Pursuant to that recommendation, the Committee of Ministers invited member Governments to offer Hungarian refugees in Austria without delay, through UNHCR, opportunities for resettlement, taking into consideration, as far as possible, the preferences expressed by those refugee with regard to their emigration.
7. The council of Europe has shown considerable interest in the promotion of the World Refugee Year. At its eleventh session the Consultative Assembly held a debate on the subject and was addressed by the High Commissioner on behalf of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the World Refugee Year, the Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and himself. The Consultative Assembly subsequently decided on Council of Europe participation in the World Refugee Year and addressed recommendations to members of the Assembly and to the Committee of Ministers to the effect that Governments members of the Council fully participate in the World Refugee Year.
8. The Council of Europe has continued to co-operate with this Office in connexion with legal protection activities, as described in annex I to the present report, paragraphs 6, 7, 41 and 46.
C. United States Escapee Program
9. Relations with the United States Escapee Program have been continued as in the past. Particular attention has been given to the elimination of any duplication or overlapping in the respective programmes of USEP and UNHCR and detailed instructions on this subject are being observed by the respective field offices of both organizations.
10. The regular monthly meetings of senior officials of USEP, ICEM and UNHCR have continued to facilitate the co-ordination of activities of the three organizations.
D. Organization for European Economic Cooperation
11. Close co-operation has continued between UNHCR and the Organization for European Economic Co-operation, in particular its Manpower Committee, on the right to return of refugees taking up employment in other OEEC countries and on the simplification of administrative procedures for refugee travel. The results of this co-operation have been described in more detail in chapter I.
E. Intergovernmental Committee for European migration
12. The co-operation between ICEM and UNHCR which has grown over the past years continued successfully. ICEM has developed highly specialized migration techniques and is an indispensable instrument in the successful resettlement of refugees.
13. A number of new resettlement projects have been worked out by this Office in collaboration with ICEM, and new openings will continue to be explored.
14. During 1958, ICEM transported a total of 34,520 refugees under the mandate of UNHCR to immigration countries. In 1959, ICEM plans to move a further 37,600 refugees.
F. Voluntary Agencies
15. International and national voluntary agencies continue to act as the major implementing body for the High commissioner's programmes. During the past year, however, there has been a trend among international agencies towards handing over more responsibility for this work to their affiliated national agencies. This does not mean a withdrawal of interest on the part of the international agencies, but rather a transfer of responsibility to groups within the countries where refugees reside.
16. All agencies have co-operated fully in the increased counselling and social work which is taking place in the drive to clear the camps, and also in the newly introduced programme of assistance to refugees living outside camps. As in the past, frequent meetings with voluntary agencies have taken place to ensure the smooth co-ordination in the working out of procedures for the implementation of UNHCR programmes.
Annex VIII PUBLIC INFORMATION ACTIVITIES
1. At the request of several organizations which were appealing to the public in support of the Camp Clearance Programme, two films were produced in January and March 1958: the first one called "Kryfto" showed the life of the refugees in a camp in Greece and some of the work undertaken to establish these refugees in the Greek economy and to help the difficult cases; the other "We very much regret", filmed in Central Europe, stressed the need for international assistance for the refugees in camps. The two films were given wide international distribution, both theatrically and on television.
2. Five special television reports were also distributed on the resettlement of the refugees in the new housing settlement in Ayios Yiannis Kareas in Athens, the housing programme in Austria, the resettlement of difficult cases in the Beckhof Siedlung near Bielefeld in Germany, the resettlement of handicapped Hungarian refugees from Austria to Sweden and the movement of handicapped refugees to New Zealand; these events were also given wide photographic coverage. In addition, the Office of Public Information of the United Nations produced a half-hour television feature called "The Long Line" which was shown on television in Canada and the United States.
3. In co-operation with the Office of Public information, a half-hour broadcast narrated by Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco in English and French was distributed during the first half of 1958 and was accepted by almost every English- and French-speaking radio station in the world. The broadcast gave great impetus to fund-raising efforts in New Zealand and Australia.
4. About forty radio reports, each lasting from three to five minutes, were also distributed in co-operation with United Nations Radio.
5. The daily, weekly and monthly press was serviced by press releases, a comprehensive Reference Service (in English, French and German), and feature articles.
6. In December 1958, a press visit to refugee camps and UNHCR projects in Austria and Germany was organized. it resulted in articles in the Scandinavian press alone amounting to 40,000 words. A visit by eight French-speaking journalists to Greece was organized in April 1959.
7. Early in January, a half-hour broadcast was prepared for the opening of the World Refugee Year; by the end of March it had been broadcast, or accepted, by radio organizations in twelve different countries.
Appendix I REPORT ON THE FIRST SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER'S PROGRAMME14 (Geneva, 26-30 January 1959)
I. Introduction
Opening of the session and election of officers
1. The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme held its first session from 26 to 30 January 1959 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. All Governments members of the Executive Committee were represented as follows:
| Australia | Israel |
| Austria | Italy |
| Belgium | Netherlands |
| Brazil | Norway |
| Canada | Sweden |
| China | Switzerland |
| Colombia | Tunisia |
| Denmark | Turkey |
| France | United Kingdom of Great |
| Germany (Federal Republic of) | Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Greece | United States of America |
| Holy See | Venezuela |
| Iran | Yugoslavia |
2. The government of the United Arab Republic was represented by an observer, as was the Sovereign Order of Malta.
3. The International Labour Organisation, the Council of Europe, the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration and the League of Arab States were also represented by observers.
4. The session was opened by Dame May Curwen, D. B. E.(United Kingdom), Chairman of the ninth (special) session of the UNREF Executive Committee, the predecessor of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme.
5. In accordance with rule 10 of the rules of procedure, the Committee elected the following officers for the whole of the current year:
| Chairman: | Mr. M. Wershof (Canada) |
| Vice-Chairman: | Mr. A. Berio (Italy) |
| Rapporteur: Mr. | H. Scheltema (Netherlands) |
6. General tribute was paid to the outstanding work of Dame May Curwen as Chairman of the UNREF Executive Committee during its last year. Satisfaction was expressed that Dame May would be continuing her work for refugees even if she were not present at future meetings of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme.
7. On behalf of the members of the former UNREF Executive committee, the Chairman extended a welcome to the four new members, China, Sweden, Tunisia and Yugoslavia, which had been added to their number to constitute the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme. In thanking the Chairman, the representative of Sweden stated that his country was looking forward to a still closer association with the work of the High Commissioner's Office.
8. Mr. P. Coidan welcomed the representatives on behalf of the Secretary-General. The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme inherited a long tradition of refugee work going back to the League of Nations. Although much had been accomplished by its immediate predecessor, the UNREF Executive Committee, there were still many groups of refugees in need of assistance. He expressed his sincerest wishes to the new Committee for the successful accomplishment of its task.
Adoption of the agenda
9. The Committee adopted the following agenda:
(1). Election of officers;
(2). Adoption of the agenda (A/AC.96/1/Rev.2);
(3). Adoption of the rules of procedure (A/AC.96/2);
(4). UNREF progress report (A/AC.96/4 and A/AC.96/4/Add.1);
(5). Liquidation of the United Nations Refugee Fund (A/AC.96/5);
(6). Progress report on programme for new Hungarian refugees (A/AC.96/6);
(7). Action taken by the General Assembly at its thirteenth session (A/AC.96/7);
(a). Resolution on a World Refugee Year
(b). Resolution on refugees in Morocco and Tunisia;
(8). International assistance to refugees: action taken under General Assembly resolution 1166 (XII) (A/AC.96/8);
(9). Status of governmental and private contributions (A/AC.96/16);
(10). Camp clearance (A/AC.96/16);
(11) Far Eastern Operation (A/AC.96/11);
(12). Assistance to non-settled refugees living outside camps (A/AC.96/12);
(13). Assistance to new refugees in Greece (A/AC.96/13);
(14). Legal assistance (A/AC.96/14);
(15). Assistance to individual cases (A/AC.96/15);
(16). Adoption of financial rules for voluntary funds (A/AC.96/3);
(17). Provisional financial statements for 1958 (A/AC.96/17);
(18). Any other business.
Adoption of the rules of procedure
10. The Committee adopted the draft rules of procedure submitted to it by the High Commissioner in Conference Room document No. 1 (I) Rev.1. It invited the Sovereign Order of Malta to be represented by an observer. In accordance with rule 38, the Committee decided that the Council of Europe, the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration, the League of Arab States and the Organization for European Economic Cooperation should be invited by the High Commissioner to send observers to its public meetings.
Statement by the High Commissioner
11. The High Commissioner, in his introductory statement (A/AC.96/18) presented an account of the general work of his Office, of the problems it was facing and of the tasks that lay before the Executive Committee
12. He emphasized that the main function of his Office was to provide legal protection to refugees within his mandate, through helping them to overcome the disabilities caused by their lack of national protection and through safeguarding their rights and legitimate interests, particularly through the implementation of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. The General Assembly in its resolution 1284 (XIII), adopted at its thirteenth session, had recommended that the activities of his Office in this field should be increased. Protection measures were particularly important to assist refugees in receiving asylum and being recognized as refugees; but they were also required in connexion with repatriation; they were further needed in connexion with resettlement and integration in order to help a refugee to stabilize his position in a country of final settlement. The High Commissioner stressed in this connexion the importance of emigration in the achievement of solutions for the problems of refugees. He expressed the hope that more generous criteria of selection would be adopted by immigration countries and he welcomed the efforts that had already been made to liberalize certain immigration schemes
13. The UNREF programme had benefited some 46,000 refugees by 30 September 1958; over 26,000 of these had been firmly settled. When projects still under implementation had been completed, about 7,600 more refugees would be settled from camps alone. The total net income of UNREF had amounted to approximately $17,350,000, including about $14,500,000 in voluntary governmental contributions, compared with the target of $16,000,000. With the addition of supporting contributions made from sources within the countries where projects were being carried out, the total expenditure under all UNREF projects was estimated to amount to over $40,000,000.
14. The Executive Committee was asked to approve a series of programmes for 1959 which had been drawn up according to the decisions taken by the UNREF Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session under the authority conferred upon it by General Assembly resolution 1166 (XII). All programmes were on an annual basis except the Camp Clearance programme which was spread over two years and the Far Eastern Programme which had been drawn up as a three-year programme. It was now considered essential, however, that the Far Eastern Programme be greatly speeded up. The Camp Clearance Programme would have to provide settlement opportunities for some 12,000 refugees. The programme for refugees outside camps was small in relation to needs and it was therefore being concentration to needs and it was therefore being concentrated on handicapped refugees. Unlike the UNREF Executive Committee, the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme was called upon to make an annual review of needs and programmes and could authorize the High Commissioner to appeal for funds
15. Thanks to openings recently provided by several Governments, the problem of resettling 6,000 Hungarian refugees from Austria was well on the way to a solution. The permanent solutions programme carried out by his Office would succeed in integrating a substantial proportion of the 9,000 refugees who wished to remain in Austria but a survey would be made, probably in the spring of 1959, to determine whether further help would be needed. It might then be possible to amalgamate the Hungarian refugee programme with the other programmes carried out by his Office
16. Contributions from Governments had also enabled help to be provided for refugees from the Middle East as well as for refugees in Tunisia. In connexion with General Assembly resolution 1286 (XIII), a special representative of his Office had recently visited Morocco to examine the situation of the refugees there. An appeal to Governments was being issued by his Office, which was also supporting the appeal of the League of Red Cross Societies. Contributions for Chinese refugees in Hong Kong, for which the General Assembly had authorized him to use his good offices, were known to be under consideration by a number of Governments, which were studying the possibility of jointly-financed projects.
17. The General Assembly, at its thirteenth session, had adopted resolution 1285 (XIII) on a World Refugee Year for the benefit of all refugees. It was intended that the plan for a World Refugee Year would be carried out on a strictly humanitarian basis and it was hoped that it would result in considerable help being brought to refugees throughout the world.
II. Programme of the United Nations Refugee Fund
UNREF Progress report
18. The Committee considered document A/AC.96/4, in which the High Commissioner submitted a progress report on the programme of the United Nations Refugee Fund as at 30 September 1958. The document gave figures for progress achieved during the six months since 31 March 1958, and also gave cumulative figures for the effect of the programme since its inception in 1955. It was stated, in particular, that 4,405 refugees had been firmly settled during the six months' reporting period, bringing the cumulative total since the beginning of the programme to 26,444. Of this total, 9,149 refugees had come from camps. The High Commissioner stated that by 31 December 1958 the cumulative total had reached an estimated figure of 28,400.
19. The High Commissioner stated that sixteen camps had been successfully cleared in 1958. The overall proportion of refugees firmly settled from camps, which had bee 46 per cent during the six months to 30 September 1958, would show a considerable increase in the next reporting period. The majority of the recent beneficiaries had been settled under 1957, or even 1956, projects. The intensive concentration on refugees living in camps had started with the Revised Plan of Operations (1958), of which the greater part was only now nearing completion.
20. The representative of Greece informed the Committee of the further progress made in achieving solutions for the problems of refugees in Greece up to 31 December 1958, and stated, in particular, that at that date his Government had cleared five camps.
21. Satisfaction was expressed at the progress that had been made, particularly in Greece.
22. There was a general discussion of the problem raised in paragraph 10 of document A/AC.96/4 concerning a small number of refugees who steadfastly refused to accept settlement outside camp, despite the most intensive counselling. In particular, the question arose as to whether a date-line should be imposed after which such refugees should cease to be eligible for assistance from UNHCR.
23. The High Commissioner explained that a dateline did exist in one sense since the Camp Clearance Programme was to come to an end in 1960. Many of the refugees concerned were asocial cases and a special study of this problem was to be made by a small team of social workers starting on 15 February 1959. On the suggestion of the representative of the United Kingdom, the High Commissioner undertook to circulate the preliminary report of the team to the Executive Committee before its second session. Members of the Committee felt that the best solution for this particular problem would probably be the successful continuation of the Camp Clearance Programme now being implemented. Refugees reluctant to leave camp could best be influenced to change their minds by seeing their former camp companions happily established in new dwellings. The Committee agreed that it should await further results before taking a decision in the matter.
24. The importance of counselling was emphasized. The High Commissioner reported that, besides a large training seminar which had taken place in 1957, there were regular meeting of counsellors in the various countries every few months. He drew attention to the increasing amount spent on integration counselling.
25. At the request of the representative of Belgium, the High Commissioner agreed that the savings resulting from the cancellation of project PS/2/BEL referred to in paragraph 65 of document A/AC.96/4 would be used for the care and maintenance of European refugees in transit in Hong Kong.
26. In the course of the discussion, the representatives of Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Italy gave additional information on the progress made and the problems encountered in their respective countries. Details of their statements, and of other points raised in the course of the discussion, may be found in the summary record of the second meeting.
27. On the proposal of the representative of Denmark, it was decided that a table should be added to the progress report (A/AC.96/4), showing the number of refugees in camps and the number of refugees moved out of camps during the reporting period, together with contributions made by UNREF and by individual Governments. It was also decided that such a table should accompany future progress reports on the Camp Clearance Programme.
28. The Executive Committee took note of the progress report.
Liquidation of United Nations Refugee Fund
29. The Committee had before it, in document A/AC.96/5, the proposals of the High Commissioner for the liquidation of the United Nations Refugee Fund in accordance with paragraph 4 of General Assembly resolution 1166 (XII). The document included a list of UNREF projects for camp clearance which remained unimplemented on 31 December 1958, the value of which was to be added to that of the Camp clearance Programme for the years 1959-1960, and a list of other unimplemented UNREF projects which also had had to be cancelled.
30. To meet the wishes of the representative of Greece, it was agreed that project PS/12/GRE in an amount of $48,767 should be included in the 1959 Camp Clearance Programme. It was understood that the project, when implemented, would be extended to refugees who had left camps in return of payment of a so-called "quit claim"; these refugees were to be considered as living in camps.
31. After consideration of the document the Executive Committee took the following decisions:
(a) It agreed that the High Commissioner should continue to exercise adequate supervision of all completed projects in the same manner as hitherto.
(b) It agreed that the High Commissioner should ensure the orderly completion of UNREF project whose implementation may be completed only in 1959 or 1960, in accordance with established practice and with the provisions of the financial rules for voluntary funds agreed to by the Executive Committee.
(c) It noted that according to article XII, the new financial rules "shall supersede all previous rules relating to the High Commissioner's voluntary funds".
(d) It agreed that UNREF projects in an amount of $719,259 be added to the $4.800.000 target of the Camp Clearance Programme and that projects in an amount of $513,927 be cancelled. The specific projects were listed in annex I of document A/AC.96/5 as amended by the Committee.
(e) It agreed that contributions made available to UNHCR and specifically earmarked for projects the implementation of which had not started on 31 December 1958 should be kept in a special account and used in accordance with the conditions stipulated by each donor. It agreed that the amount of $53,155, representing the unused balances of so-called open projects for difficult cases or refugees difficult to resettle, as shown in annex II of document A/AC.96/5, should be kept in a special reserve account for placement already under negotiation.
(f) It agreed that the unexpended balance of the provision for 1958 administrative expenditure be reserved for additional fund-raising expenditure in 1959 should it not be possible to provide for them within the 1959 appropriations.
(g) It agreed that such balance as might be available from contributions to UNREF as of 31 December 1958 be transferred to the Camp Clearance Programme after making allowances for earmarked contributions, difficult or difficult-to-resettle cases, and administrative expenses, provided that any increased needs of the Office of the High Commissioner for the Far Eastern Programme could be met from other sources.
III. Progress report on programme for new Hungarian refugees
32. The Committee had before it document A/AC.96/6 containing a progress report on the programme for Hungarian refugees in Austria. The document showed, in particular, that 7,564 Hungarian refugees in Austria had benefited from permanent solutions projects by 30 September 1958, while 24,027 refugees had benefited from projects promoting but not effecting permanent solutions. It also stated that there were some 15,300 Hungarian refugees remaining in Austria on 30 November 1958.
33. The High Commissioner presented an analysis of resettlement opportunities currently available for the refugees in Austria. Some 5,000 refugees had expressed a wish to be resettled overseas, while about 1,000 wished to move to other European countries. The representative of the States believed that the scheme for resettling 3,000 Hungarian refugees to the United States of America would be completed successfully, but the Australian representative doubted whether his country's offer of 1,000 immigration opportunities would be fully utilized. The hope was expressed that any resettlement needs still subsisting might be covered by offers made within the framework of the World Refugee Year.
34. The importance of an intended registration of Hungarian refugees wishing to remain in Austria - to be financed from a restricted contribution - was strongly underlined. The representative of the united States pointed out that some data were already available to the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration and the United States Escapee Program, as well as to voluntary agencies. He hoped that the survey would be closely co-ordinated with these bodies. The representative of Austria felt that there might be some administrative difficulties in carrying out the survey as far as refugees living outside camps were concerned.
35. The representative of Yugoslavia thanked the High Commissioner and interested Governments for the efforts they had made to reduce his Government's deficit on its expenditures for Hungarian refugees. There still remained, however, an amount of $3,600,000 towards which he hoped further contributions might be forthcoming.
36. The United States representative reported that the deficit had reached its present figure after a programme of bilateral assistance, valued at $3,000,000, had been agreed between the Governments of his country and of Yugoslavia.
37. Satisfaction was expressed by members of the Committee at the implementation of the programme. The Executive Committee took note of the report with appreciation for the efforts of the High Commissioner and of the Governments that had enabled this progress to be made.
IV. Programmes of the High Commissioner's Office for 1959
Action taken under General Assembly resolution 1166 (XII)
38. The Committee had before it document A/AC.96/8, containing a report on action taken by the UNREF Executive Committee under paragraph 9 of General Assembly resolution 1166 (XII), in which the Assembly asked it to exercise in 1958 such functions incumbent upon the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme as it deemed necessary with a view to assuring the continuity of international assistance to refugees. The UNREF Executive Committee had requested the High Commissioner to plan the 1959 programmes to a level of $4,700,000 and it also authorized him to appeal for an alternative figure of $6,000,000. The break-down of these two figures was as follows:
(Note: table not included in this online version. See your nearest UN Depository Library.)
39. Paragraph 8 of document A/AC.96/6 quoted the directives given to the High Commissioner by the UNREF Executive Committee as an interim measure to govern the use of the Emergency Fund established by the General Assembly in resolution 1166 (XII), paragraph 7. The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme endorsed these directives and took note of the document as a whole.
Camp Clearance Programme
40. The Committee considered a note by the High Commissioner (A/AC.96/16) giving supplementary information on the Camp Clearance Programme contained in document A/AC.79/114 which had been approved by the UNREF Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session.
41. The High Commissioner stated that while the clearance of refugee camps in Europe was from the outset among the primary objectives of UNREF, the effort of camp clearance had been intensified as from 1958 with the aim of clearing refugees eligible for UNHCR programmes from all official camps in Europe by the end of 1960. The clearance of camps was now being continued under the Programme for Camp Clearance already approved by the UNREF Executive Committee at its ninth (special) session.
42. With regard to the situation in the Federal Republic of Germany, the High Commissioner had been assured by the Minister for Refugees that camp clearance would be completed by the end of 1960.
43. The High Commissioner further explained that, after allowing for the reduction of the camp population through UNREF projects and adjustments in the list of camps, there remained a total of 12,000 refugees to be settled under the Camp Clearance Programme during the two years 1959 and 1960. The 1959 programme had been drawn up with the aim of providing for the settlement of 6,000 of these refugees.
44. Mr. Rorholt, representative of the High Commissioner in Austria, reported on the progress made in achieving solutions for refugees in Austria since the establishment of the UNHCR Branch Office in 1951. Approximately 20,000 refugees had benefited from the UNREF programme, of whom 11,600 had been permanently settled. Upon the completion of UNREF projects in Austria, there would remain an estimated 1,800 refugees in official camps in addition to some 1,000 refugees who were provisionally put up in unofficial camps. Mr. Rorholt stressed the dynamic character of the refugee problem which made it difficult to obtain precise statistics. He also drew special attention to the problem of difficult cases, some of whom did not wish to leave the camps.
45. The representative of Sweden announced that his Government was considering for permanent settlement a certain number of tubercular cases and their families. The budgetary allocation to be made by his Government for this purpose would have to be taken into account in estimating the total Swedish contribution to the programme.
46. The representative of Norway stated that his Government would take the necessary measures for the permanent settlement in Norway of twenty difficult cases (excepting tubercular cases and mental cases), making thirty-five persons together with their families, who should preferably come from camps in Austria. An allocation of approximately $70,000 was being made by his Government for this purpose. The condition for admission of these refugees was that they had a real desire to settle in Norway.
47. The representative of Austria pointed out that the Camp Clearance Programme covered only a relatively small group of the camp inhabitants of his country. His government would still be left with the responsibility of caring for many thousands of former refugees who had been naturalized.
48. The Committee took note of the document on the Camp Clearance Programme.
Far Eastern Operation
49. The committee had before it document A/AC.96/11, in which a report was given on the development during 1958 of the joint UNHCR/ICEM Operation for refugees in the Far East and in which the UNHCR programme for 1959 was submitted for the approval of the Committee.
50. Introducing the document, the High Commissioner emphasized the clear distinction of tasks between the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM), which had the basic responsibility for providing transportation, and his Office, which was responsible for the provision of care and maintenance to refugees in transit in Hong Kong. Although it was a joint operation, there was no joint budget.
51. Mr. B. G. Epinat, Deputy Director of ICEM, reported that 2,183 refugees had been moved from the Far East in the course of 1958: Australia had taken 1,004 and Brazil 721. On 1 January 1959, ICEM had had funds available to move about 1,400 refugees. There were at that date 212 refugees in transit in Hong Kong and the remainder of those for whom funds were available were at once called forward to Hong Kong. The slowness in the response to the call-forward was attributed to administrative delays in the delivery of exit permits. There was complete agreement between UNHCR and ICEM that the three-year period previously allowed for the movement of the 9,500 refugees remaining in China was too long: the Operation must be greatly speeded up if it was to be brought to a successful conclusion.
52. The gravity and importance of the Far Eastern Operation was underlined by many speakers. It was the consensus of opinion that special efforts were urgently needed to complete the Operation as rapidly as possible. A number of representatives announced special contributions to the Far Eastern Operation.
53. The representative of the United Kingdom stated that the World Refugee Year Committee in her country had pledged £60,000 ($168,000) for the High Commissioner, to be used for transportation costs.
54. The representative of Switzerland stated that his Government would contribute 100,000 Swiss francs ($23,256) to the High Commissioner for his Far Eastern Programme and 120,000 Swiss francs ($27,907) to ICEM for transportation. In addition, 100 seats would be made available at no charge, under an arrangement with Swissair, on planes leaving Hong Kong. Furthermore, within the fifty difficult cases scheduled for settlement in Switzerland in 1959, his Government had accepted eleven aged tubercular cases.
55. The representative of the United States announced a contribution of $675,000 to ICEM for transportation costs in 1959. Although this contribution would be subject to matching conditions, it would be made available for immediate use in the confident expectation that the required matching basis would be forthcoming.
56. The representative of Norway stated that his Government would admit five difficult cases for settlement in Norway. This contribution might be regarded as symbolic, and he hoped that other interested Government would consider making a similar gesture. The representative of Italy pointed out that fifty visas had been made available for the settlement of refugees in his country and the representative of the Sovereign Order of Malta promised to take up with the Grand Magister of his Order the possibility of aircraft being made available for the movement of refugees.
57. Mr. Epinat, Deputy Director if ICEM, stated that the contributions announced so far during the meeting would enable about 1,700 more refugees to be moved, thus bringing the total of those of those who could be transported to about 3,100.
58. Mr. Elfan Rees, speaking on behalf of the World Council of Churches, expressed his satisfaction at the contributions just announced. The case-load of his agency included the majority of the refugees of European origin still in the Far East. At the beginning of 1959, visa assurances had been secured for about 4,000 refugees still on the mainland of China leaving, according to the figures available to his agency, about 5,500 persons for whom visas were still required. He was confident that these could be obtained. The speeding up of the Operation was of the utmost importance; even to wait for the benefits of the World Refugee Year might be to wait too long.
59. The representative of France recalled that UNHCR and ICEM were conducting a joint operation in the Far East. France did not contribute to the operational budget of ICEM, but, wishing to participate in the Joint ICEM/UNHCR Operation for the resettlement of refugees from the Far East, had asked that a part of its contribution to UNHCR be used for the transportation and the care and maintenance of the refugees.
60. The Committee considered the various projects submitted to it by the High Commissioner in document A/AC.96/11. These included a project amounting to $115,000, which was over and above the original allocation for the Far Eastern Programme, and was designed to provide settlement grants for the establishment of refugee farm workers in Latin America. At the request of the High Commissioner, the Committee agreed that per capita grants made under this project might reach a maximum of $210. The High Commissioner hoped that this project would be financed from special sources.
61. In reply to the representative of Australia, who stressed that the High Commissioner should have the greatest flexibility in the use of funds for the care and maintenance of refugees in Hong Kong, the High Commissioner stated that special funds would be available to avoid any recurrence of a crisis in the care and maintenance operation. If any difficulties were experienced they were more likely to occur in the provision of resettlement grants.
62. The Committee approved all the projects before it. The Committee then took note of the document as a whole and, in particular, of paragraph 15, in which the High Commissioner reserved his right to seek the guidance of the Committee if, owing to a speed-up in the Far Eastern Programme, the existing allocations should prove insufficient.
Assistance to non-settled refugees living outside camps
63. The Committee had before it document A/AC.96/12, Programme for Non-Settled Refugees Living Outside Camps. The High Commissioner, introducing the report, said that the UNREF Executive Committee, at its ninth (special) session, had requested him to draw up the 1959 Programme for Non-Settled Refugees Living Outside Camps in an amount of $700,000. As explained in the document, the projects in this programme had been selected in the light of the following criteria;
(a) The economic position of the countries in which the projects were to be implemented;
(b) The number and the relative needs of refugees in those countries;
(c) Other programmes for refugees being implemented in those countries;
(d) Value of unimplemented UNREF projects designed for each country.
64. The limited allocation had made it necessary to restrict assistance to handicapped refugees, except in the case of projects for counselling, training and education and supplementary aid. The projects submitted were designed to assist small pre-identified groups of refugees, and were intended as pilot projects to act as stimuli for national and private initiative on behalf of non-settled refugees. Projects of a new type, in an amount of $516,000, had been designed to allow maximum flexibility in providing complete solutions to various types of handicapped refugees such as institutional difficult cases, other difficult cases, rehabilitable physically handicapped cases and socially handicapped cases.
65. During the general discussion on this document, the representative of France recalled the remarks made by him at the meeting of the Working Party, when he expressed the preoccupation of the French Government with the disproportion between the number of non-settled refugees living outside camps (100,000 persons including some 32,000 refugees in handicapped households) and the amount of $700,000 allocated for assistance to these refugees, the more so since part of the amount would not benefit the neediest among them. He did not wish to suggest that the Executive Committee should at this stage attempt to change the distribution of funds for the 1959 programmes, but he would like the Committee to undertake to reconsider this matter at its next session.
66. The representative of Greece stated that the problem of non-settled refugees living outside camps in Greece was one of great concern for his Government; their situation was often worse than that of refugees in camps. He recalled that the Greek Government had received successive waves of refugees since before the First World War, and that, as a result of earthquakes and destruction cause by the last war, the housing problem had deteriorated to such an extent that in 1955 there was an estimated lack of 700,000 housing units. He wished to put the problem to the Executive Committee at this session and to suggest certain measures for its alleviation.
67. There were approximately 6,500 non-settled refugees in Greece living outside camps who were not expected to benefit from UNREF projects under implementation or from migration opportunities. Of these, 3,500 belong to the handicapped categories. He would suggest that the Executive Committee might attempt an ad hoc pilot operation having two facets, one to solve the problem of old refugees within a reasonable period of time and the second to assist the new refugees in Greece. He emphasized that his Government would make every effort to match contributions received from international sources.
68. The representative of Greece informed the Committee that he had been requested by refugee organizations in his country to suggest that, in view of the urgent need of housing in Greece, the Executive Committee give absolute priority in the 1959 programmes to housing projects. In reply to his suggestion that $90,000, allocated under project OC/GRE/5.1/59 for integration of handicapped refugees, be used only for housing, the High Commissioner pointed out that for most refugees in this category housing alone was not sufficient; provision must also be made for other types of assistance. The High Commissioner undertook, however, to examine this proposal in the fullest possible manner; he explained that a case-by-case examination would be necessary to establish the individual needs of refugees.
69. The representative of Austria pointed out that in view of the large numbers of refugees living outside camps in Austria and coming within the categories of handicapped cases, only a small proportion of whom could be assisted under the 1959 programme, strict priorities had to be established. He outlined the selection procedure which the Austrian Public Welfare Authorities proposed to apply in co-operation with voluntary agencies and UNHCR in carrying out the programme. He pointed out that consultations with provincial welfare offices of the competent Laender would be necessary before finally deciding on this procedure. The Austrian delegation would discuss with the Office of the High Commissioner the possibility of reducing expenses for pre-selection and follow-up of this group of refugees.
70. The representative of Italy emphasized the seriousness of the problem of refugees living outside camps in Italy, in view of the limited possibilities of employment in that country. The Italian Government had made every effort to overcome these difficulties and 1,264 refugees had been granted the right of residence and the right to work since the beginning of 1958. He hoped that more funds would be available in the future to provide for permanent solutions for these refugees.
71. In response to a suggestion made by the representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom, the High Commissioner will undertake to provide the Committee with up-to-date estimates of the numbers of non-settled refugees living outside camps.
72. The Committee approved the Programme for Non-Settled Refugees living Outside Camps contained in document A/AC.96/12. The Committee also authorized the High Commissioner to implement without delay those projects for handicapped refugees for which specifically earmarked contributions would be received.
Assistance to new refugees in Greece
73. The Committee had before it, in document A/AC.96/13, projects in an amount of $100,000 for new refugees in Greece.
74. The representative of Greece gave a description of this refugee group, which comprised some 400 persons according to his Government's statistics. His Government had done everything in its power to assist these refugees but international help was still urgently required for many of them. It was therefore essential that this programme be implemented as soon as possible and that it be given the highest priority.
75. Several representatives expressed themselves in favour of a high priority being given to this programme and the Committee decided that a decision on the matter be taken in connexion with the consideration of priorities (see paragraph 94 below).
76. The Executive Committee approved all projects submitted to it in document A/AC.96/13.
Legal assistance
77. Introducing document A/AC.96/14 on the legal assistance programme, the High Commissioner explained that available facilities for giving legal assistance to refugees, and unfilled needs in the various countries where there were large groups of refugees were still being investigated. The break-down by country of the $70,000 programme should therefore be regarded as tentative and authorization for adjustments was requested.
78. The representative of the United Kingdom expressed the hope that the assistance provided would neither encourage unnecessary litigation nor place refugees in a more favourable position than nationals of their country of residence. The High commissioner promised that these points would be borne in mind.
70. In answer to inquiries from the Canadian representative, it was explained that legal assistance to be provided under this programme was to be in addition to free legal assistance given to indigent nationals under the law of the country concerned, and also in addition to assistance given to refugees according to article 16 of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees in countries parties to that Convention. Thus, for instance, the law did not always provide for legal aid in the case of minor criminal offences or in civil litigation, nor was legal advice always given free; court fees were not always wholly remitted in case of indigence, particularly stamp duties. The UNHCR programme was intended to help fill these gaps.
80. The allocation of $30,000 for Latin America was questioned by two representatives. The High Commissioner explained that this was one of the areas where a thorough investigation of needs and available facilities was still to be made; an adjustment might therefore have to be made later. The relatively high allocation now proposed was to be explained in part by the high cost of living in that part of the would, which affected the salary rates payable to legal counsellors.
81. Several questions were raised in connexion with the "programme for various countries" described in paragraphs 17 and 18 of the document. It was felt that this project could more correctly be entitled "grant to the International Co-ordinating Centre on Legal Assistance".
82. Mr. B. H. Coursier, Director of the Centre, explained its functions to the Committee.
83. The Committee approved all projects submitted to it in document A/AC.96/14. The project for the International Co-ordinating Centre was approved with the comment that there was no commitment to continue such assistance on a long-term basis and that a report on progress should be submitted to the Committee at its next session.
Assistance to individual cases
84. The Committee considered document A/AC.96/15, in which the High Commissioner explained the procedure which he proposed to follow in assisting special individual cases from the Emergency Account which he had been authorized by the UNREF Executive Committee to open in an amount of $50,000.
85. The Committee approved the proposed procedure.
Status of governmental and private contributions
86. The Executive Committee considered document A/AC.96/9 and addendum 1 which gave the status of governmental and private contributions to UNREF during the period 1955 to 1958 as well as of contributions paid, pledged or promised for 1959 programmes.
87. As of 24 January 1959, the total governmental contributions to UNREF amounted to $14,491,768, private contributions totalled $2,132,088, while miscellaneous income amounted to $482,256; the total income of UNREF during the four-year period therefore came to $17,106,112.
88. For 1959 programmes, the total amount paid, pledged or promised came to $2,933,267 on 24 January 1959.
89. In the course of the discussion, the representative of Norway announced that his Government intended to seek parliamentary approval for a contribution of $98,000 for UNHCR programmes in 1959. The representative of China announced a contribution of $5,000.
90. The representative of France hoped that his Government would be able to make an adjustment in its 1959 contribution to compensate for the recent devaluation of the French franc.
91. The representative of Belgium stated that his Government had decided that $150,000 out of its 1959 contribution of $200,000 should be earmarked for the transportation of refugees of European origin in the Far East.
92. The Executive Committee took note of the document submitted to it.
Priorities
93. In accordance with rule 8.2 of the financial rules for voluntary funds, the High Commissioner submitted recommendations for the priorities to be established in the implementation of 1959 programmes.
94. The Committee adopted the following priority order:
(a) Far Eastern programme;
(b) Continuing projects in other programmes which cannot be interrupted, including supplementary aid;
(c) Emergency account for aid to individual cases;
(d) Camp Clearance Programme and the programme for new refugees in Greece, on an equal basis.
95. It was understood that the High Commissioner would, in dealing with the programmes mentioned under (d), give first priority to the programme for new refugees in Greece, except for continuing projects within the Camp Clearance Programme; in allotting funds the High Commissioner would retain sufficient latitude so as not to jeopardize satisfactory progress of either programme.
96. The representative of Denmark wished to record his abstention on the decision concerning item (d), since in his opinion it would endanger the priority previously established for the Camp Clearance Programme.
97. It was agreed that the High Commissioner should submit to the Executive Committee at its next session further recommendations on priorities.
98. The Committee authorized the High Commissioner to carry out the gradual implementation of all projects within the Far Eastern Programme in accordance with a detailed time schedule to be worked out by his Office, taking into account the needs of the Programme and the availability of funds at the close of the year.
99. The Committee also authorized the High Commissioner to earmark from voluntary funds the amount of $480,000 which was to be paid in to the United Nations budget in respect of administrative expenditure.
V. Action taken by the General Assembly at its Thirteenth session
Re-election of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
100. The re-election of Dr. Auguste R. Lindt as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, referred to in document A/AC.96/7, paragraph 7, was welcomed by members of the Committee. The Chairman, on behalf of the Committee, paid high tribute to the High Commissioner on the way in which he was discharging his duties.
Plan for a World Refugee Year
101. The Committee had before it in document A/AC.96/7 the text of resolution 1285 (XIII) on a World Refugee Year adopted by the General Assembly at its thirteenth session.
102. The representative of the United Kingdom announced that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had accepted to be Patron of the World Refugee Year in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Party had agreed to be Vice-Patrons. The United Kingdom Government had started the World Refugee Year central fund in the United Kingdom by a grant of £100,000 to the World Refugee Year Committee, which had set a "minimum interim target" of £2,000,000. Support was being given by religious leaders and also by leading representatives of industry - both management and workers - as well as by the arts and sport, the British Broadcasting Corporation, television and the Press.
103. The voluntary agencies, with all the support this publicity would given them, were setting out to double their annual income during the Year and a concerted effort was being made to gain the support of many individuals and firms who had never supported or never adequately supported the cause of refugees. The help of all Lord Mayors and Mayors was being sought and all funds raised would be devoted as far as possible to permanent solutions for:
(a) In-camp and out-of-camp refugees in Europe;
(b) The transport of European refugees from the Far East;
(c) Chinese refugees in Hong Kong;
(d) Arab refugees from Palestine.
104. Members of the Committee paid tribute to the initiative shown by the United Kingdom in promoting the idea of a World Refugee Year and on the outstanding progress that had been made in the plans of that country for the Year. The representatives of Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, the Holy See, Iran, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, the United States and Yugoslavia, expressed the interest of their Governments in the World Refugee Year. Most of these representatives described the steps that were being taken in their respective countries. Details of these statements may be found in the summary record of the fifth meeting.
105. The representative of China drew attention to refugees in Hong Kong who had received assistance from a few Governments but who were still in great need of aid. The representative of the United Kingdom described the measures set on foot by the Government of Hong Kong to bring relief to these refugees whom the United Kingdom Government considers eligible under the High Commissioner's mandate; he also drew attention to the assistance given by other Governments. The representative of Germany stated that his Government was in touch with the German chemical industry and would appreciate receiving a list of the pharmaceutical products needed by the Hong Kong Government for Chinese refugees. It was emphasized by several representatives that the Chinese refugees should be among the beneficiaries of the World Refugee Year.
106. Several representatives recalled the global nature of the Would Refugee Year, and stressed that it was therefore not intended to benefit exclusively refugee groups under United Nations auspices but should extend to all groups of refugees without distinction.
107. Statements in support of a World Refugee Year were made by Mr. Donald Anderson (representing the Chairman of the Standing Conference of Voluntary Agencies Working for Refugees), Mr. Elfan Rees (Commission of the Churches on International Affairs), and the Abbé Bouvier15 (International Conference of Catholic Charities). Details of these statements may also be found in the summary record of the fifth meeting.
108. The representative of Norway submitted a communication (A/AC.96/19) informing the Committee that a resolution had been addressed to the Norwegian Parliament requesting it to levy on Norwegian citizens a refugee tax of one krone in a manner which Parliament would consider most appropriate. The revenue was to be placed at the disposal of the High Commissioner.
109. The Chairman suggested that after having considered this communication the Governments members of the Committee might submit their observations to the Norwegian delegation or to the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the World Refugee Year.
110. Mr. Claude de Kemoularia, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the World Refugee Year, was welcomed by members of the Committee. He stated that he and his small staff could fulfil three main functions: the provision of information to national committees on the needs of refugees, the promotion of legal measures such as the ratification of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and the provision of help or information specifically requested by Governments or national committees. He asked that all Governments and committees keep him informed of the progress that they were making so that this information could be passed on to other countries. There would be no special World Refugee Year fund; contributions for United Nations programmes should be paid directly to the organizations concerned, while notifications of special contributions might be addressed to the Chairman of the Negotiating Committee for Extra-Budgetary Funds or to himself, or might be announced at the General Assembly Pledging Conference.
111. The High Commissioner emphasized the importance of not only raising funds during the World Refugee Year but of also providing immigration quotas for refugees and of taking legal measures to improve the status of refugees in their countries of residence. It would greatly assist rational planning if notifications of special contributions could be given even before the funds were actually available. It was essential that support be secured from the Press, from radio and from television in order that world-wide publicity might be given to the World Refugee Year and in order to mobilize public opinion.
112. The Executive Committee expressed its readiness to do everything in its power to co-operate with the Secretary-General, Mr. de Kemoularia and the High Commissioner in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 1285 (XIII) on a World Refugee Year.
Resolution on refugees in Morocco and Tunisia
113. The Committee had before it in document A/AC.96/7 the text of resolution 1286 (XIII) on refugees in Morocco and Tunisia adopted by the General Assembly. The High Commissioner informed the Committee that he was about to send out a letter of appeal for assistance to those refugees. In this letter he supported the appeal launched by the League of Red Cross Societies; he was asking for contributions in kind and for funds to enable the purchase in the nearest and cheapest market of those foodstuffs which were lacking; he also had included in the letter a summary of the needs of the refugees.
114. The representative of the United States announced a contribution of $100,000 from his Government.
115. The representative of Tunisia gave an account of the situation of the refugees, whose influx into Tunisia had resulted from a feeling of insecurity in their own country. He described their problem as one requiring a humanitarian solution, which would be made possible through a joint effort of all those willing to help.
116. Up to the present, some 20,000 of the refugees in Tunisia had benefited form assistance through the Office of the High Commissioner. According to the latest census, the number of refugees in Tunisia had reached almost 125,000. They were completely destitute and were growing in numbers. Their needs for food, clothing and shelter were too heavy a burden for the Tunisian Government, which had also to provide for the education, vocational training and social care of the refugees.
117. He wished to thank, on behalf of his Government and of the Tunisian Red Crescent, those Governments and organizations which had so far helped his country in looking after those refugees, but he had to emphasize that further assistance was badly needed to provide the bare minimum for these refugees, nearly all of whom were women and children or aged persons. In addition to the foodstuffs, clothing and medical supplies required, there was an urgent need for barracks to replace the tents, which were proving inadequate to house the refugees.
118. A similar situation prevailed in Morocco, so that in the two countries there was a total of 200,000 destitute refugees. He considered that appeals were not enough and he wondered why an appropriate programme was not being envisaged. In its resolution the Assembly "Recommends the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to continue his action on behalf of the refugees in Tunisia on a substantial scale and to undertake similar action in Morocco". The refugees in Tunisia and Morocco had not been included in the recommendations on the continuation of international assistance made to the UNREF Executive Committee by its Working Party. In view of the above, he suggested to the Committee that a working group of member Governments particularly interested in refugee problems might be set up by the Committee or by the High Commissioner himself to advise the High Commissioner on ways and means to afford assistance on a substantial scale to refugees in Tunisia and Morocco.
119. The representative of France stated that the French Government, while maintaining its reservations on the number of persons concerned and on their legal status, wished that the humanitarian task of the High Commissioner be pursued without any obstacle, pending a final solution of the problem which, in his opinion, could only be achieved through repatriation of those who had withdrawn into Morocco or Tunisia. He recalled that any person returning to Algeria was entitled to all advantages granted to other French citizens who had remained in Algeria and had suffered as a result of present events. He also thanked the High Commissioner, the Red Cross organisations and the Governments that had responded to requests for assistance.
120. In the course of the ensuing discussion, several representatives expressed their Governments' sympathetic interest in the problem of refugees in Morocco and Tunisia and felt confident that the High Commissioner would pursue his study of the problem and continue the measures he had already taken to assist these refugees.
121. The observer for the Arab League drew attention to the humanitarian aspect of the problem and expressed the wish that the Executive Committee itself would take action to assist in its solution.
122. The representative of the League of Red Cross Societies stated that his organization would be glad to continue its relief work for these refugees in co-operation with the Moroccan and Tunisian Red Crescent Societies.
123. The High Commissioner pointed out that, in addition to funds totalling $116,000 given through his Office, approximately $1,000,000 worth of supplies had been furnished bilaterally, while at the end of 1958 the League of Red Cross Societies had given relief valued at over $1,000,000 to those refugees. This group of refugees had not been included in the programmes with which the Working Party of the UNREF Executive Committee had been concerned, as the Working Party had been appointed to deal with a limited number of refugees whose number was known and had been reduced to manageable proportions. The problem now before the Committee was a dynamic one, the extent of which was unknown, as it was still developing. Emergency measures were required to deal with the problem and the necessary funds had to be obtained through special appeals. The High Commissioner thought, however, that he might set up a small advisory group of interested delegations from which he could seek advice on an informal basis.
124. The Committee expressed the hope that the High Commissioner would continue his action on behalf of the refugees in Tunisia on a substantial scale and undertake similar action in Morocco and agreed that the High Commissioner could seek advice on an informal basis from a small advisory group of representatives of Governments specially interested in the refugee problem.
VI. Financial questions
Financial rules for voluntary funds
125. The High Commissioner submitted to the Executive Committee, in document A/AC.96/L.1 draft financial rules for voluntary funds which he had prepared in consultation with the Secretary-General and which had been reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions. The rules were based on those previously adopted by the UNREF Executive Committee but took into account the provisions of General Assembly resolution 1166 (XII).
126. In connexion with rule 3.1, the High Commissioner explained that he could not accept contributions for purposes other than the functions laid upon him by the Statute of his Office or with specific authorization by the General Assembly or the Executive Committee. The representative of the United States assumed that an appropriate offer within the meaning of this rule would be one that was humanitarian and non-political and that the source of the offer would be taken into account in considering its appropriateness.
127. In answer to an inquiry from the representative of Belgium, the High Commissioner explained that under rule 7.2 it was for him to submit supplementary or revised projects to the Executive Committee. It was a standing practice, however, for the High Commissioner to prepare such projects upon the request or the recommendation of the Executive Committee and also to place before the Committee, with appropriate comments if required, projects suggested by member Governments.
128. The financial rules were agreed to by the Executive Committee and promulgated by the High Commissioner.
Provisional financial statements for 1958
129. In document A/AC.96/17, the High Commissioner submitted the provisional financial statements of the United Nations Refugee Fund for the period 1 January to 31 December 1958. The Executive Committee took note of the provisional financial statements.
VII. Any other business
Schedule of meetings of the Executive Committee
130. The High Commissioner proposed that in future the two half-yearly sessions of the Committee to be held in March/April and in September/October. This would enable him to submit to the spring session of the Committee a complete report on progress achieved in respect of each programme during the preceding financial year. A Concise interim report covering the first half year would then be presented to the autumn session. Several representatives pointed out that such a change in schedule might conflict with the pattern of conferences established by the Economic and Social Council and might inconvenience certain delegations. Most delegations, however, expressed themselves in favour of this proposal, which was adopted by the Committee without opposing vote.
131. In order to facilitate the transition to the new schedule, the Committee decided to hold a special session in June 1959 when the programme allocations for 1960, the administrative budget for 1960 and any emergency problem that might arise would be considered.
Programme appraisals
132. The High Commissioner stated that at its twenty-fourth session, in its resolution 665 (XXIV), the Economic and Social Council had requested the Secretary-General to submit to the Council at its twenty-eighth session an appraisal of United Nations programmes for the period 1959-1964. The Committee noted that the High Commissioner would submit a document on this question to the June session.
Invitation to members of the Committee to visit projects for refugees in Greece
133. The representative of Greece invited members of the Executive Committee to go to Greece to see the progress made in achieving solutions for the problems of refugees. The invitation was welcomed by members of the Committee.
Appendix II REPORT ON THE FIRST SPECIAL SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER'S PROGRAMME16 (Geneva, 15-19 June 1959)
I. Introduction
Opening of the session
1. The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme held its first special session from 15 to 19 June 1959 at the International Labour Office, Geneva. All Governments members of the Executive Committee were represented as follows:
| Australia | Israel |
| Austria | Italy |
| Belgium | Netherlands |
| Brazil | Norway |
| Canada | Sweden |
| China | Switzerland |
| Colombia | Tunisia |
| Denmark | Turkey |
| France | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Germany (Federal Republic of) | United States of America |
| Greece | Venezuela |
| Holy See | Yugoslavia |
| Iran |
2. The Chairman welcomed the members of the Executive Committee and recalled that, in accordance with rule 10 of the rules of procedure, the following officers had been elected at the first (regular) session for sessions to be held throughout 1959:
| Chairman: Mr. M. Wershof (Canada) |
| Vice-Chairman: Mr. A. Berio (Italy) |
| Rapporteur: Mr. H. Scheltema (Netherlands) |
3. The Government of United Arab Republic was represented by an observer, as was the Sovereign Order of Malta.
4. The International Labour Organisation, the Council of Europe, the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration and the League of Arab States were also represented by observers.
Adoption of the agenda
5. Members of the Committee considered that this special session would be an opportunity for the Committee to be informed of the latest progress made in the World Refugee Year which was beginning this month. The Committee therefore decided to insert an additional item in the agenda entitled "World Refugee Year". The agenda (A/AC.96/24) was adopted as follows:
(1) Adoption of the agenda;
(2) Appraisal of United Nations programmes for the period 1959-1964 - Economic and Social Council resolution 665 (XXIV);
(3) Target allocations towards UNHCR programmes for 1960;
(4) Administrative expenditure for 1960;
(5) Control and limitation of documentation - General Assembly resolution 1272 (XIII);
(6) World Refugee Year;
(7) Any other business.
Statement by the High Commissioner
6. The High Commissioner in his introductory statement (A/AC.96/30) reminded Committee members that the special session had been convened in order to facilitate the transition to the new schedule of meetings whereby the regular sessions of the Committee would be held in the spring and the autumn. In particular, the special session would have to decide on target allocations for 1960 so that the necessary programmes could be planned by his Office.
7. The High Commissioner stated that he was hopeful that on the occasion of World Refugee Year more countries would accede to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. He pointed out that in co-operation with UNHCR a European agreement for the abolition of visas for refugees had been adopted by the Council of Europe, and that the agreement, which he considered very important, would enter into force after it had been ratified by one more Government. The High Commissioner also announced that Norway and Sweden had ratified, and Morocco acceded to, the Agreement on Refugee Seamen.
8. In the opinion of the High Commissioner, World Refugee Year would have an important impact on the resettlement of refugees. He had always pleaded for a flexible approach by Governments to the admission of refugees and felt encouraged both by the recent decisions of Australia and New Zealand to admit handicapped families and by the decision of the United States Government to prolong the provisions of Section 6 of Public Law 85/316 providing for the admission of tubercular refugees.
9. Reviewing the progress of UNHCR programmes during 1959, the High Commissioner stated that between 1 January and 30 April some 3,500 refugees had been enabled to leave the camps. Under the Far Eastern Operation, the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration now had funds to move 3,400 of the 9,500 refugees of European origin who were still in China at the beginning of 1959. By the beginning of June, movements totalled 725 persons. The expenditure on care and maintenance of refugees in transit in Hong Kong had been higher than expected since the average case-load of refugees in transit had increased beyond the agreed figure of 250, owing to the hold-up in Hong Kong of persons deferred on medical grounds.
10. For the refugees in Morocco and Tunisia, the High Commissioner stated that since 1 February 1959 the League of Red Cross Societies had accelerated its relief action and that distribution of foodstuffs to the 180,000 refugees for whom the League budgeted had now nearly reached the planned level of 1,600 calories per person. This was due in large measure to the generosity of Governments, to which UNHCR had appealed, to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and to the other voluntary agencies. Between 1 February and 31 May 1959, donations in cash and kind received by the League and UNHCR totalled $3,277,000. Inquiries were being made with a view to providing winter shelter for at least the most needy and most exposed of the refugees.
11. The High Commissioner stated that he was aware that there was a new refugee problem in South-East Asia, the refugees from Tibet. He was following this question closely and would continue to do so.
12. In conclusion, the High Commissioner gave an account of his recent visit to Latin America. In view of the preparations being made for a World Refugee Year, the High Commissioner and the special Representative of the Secretary-General for the World Refugee Year had decided that between them they would visit all Latin American countries. During his own visit to seven Latin American countries, Governments had shown great understanding of refugees problems, and he had felt that both the Governments and public opinion were deeply interested in the World Refugee Year.
13. Most of the countries had promised to ratify the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and several Heads of State had promised special contributions during the Year. As far as immigration was concerned, he had emphasized that, although new countries could not be expected to accept old or sick refugees by themselves, it was in the interest of the new immigration countries to take refugees in family units which were self-supporting. Already, the Government of Brazil had declared itself willing to grant 700 additional visas to refugees and the High Commissioner thought that similar decisions could be expected from other countries.
Statement by the New Zealand Minister of Labour and Immigration
14. The Right Honourable Frederick Hackett, New Zealand Minister of Labour and Immigration, who was leading the New Zealand Government delegation to the International Labour Conference, was invited to address the Committee.
15. Mr. Hackett said that his Government had always been interested in immigration. He assured the Committee of his Government's continuing support of the task of the High Commissioner's Office. To meet the special problem of refugees who had lived for many years in camps, his Government had recently taken twenty handicapped families from camps. Under the plans for the World Refugee Year, the Prime Minister had just opened a campaign which it was hoped would raise $100,000 for assistance to refugees.
Statement by the Austrian Minister of Interior
16. Mr. Oskar Helmer, the Austrian Minister of Interior, was invited to address the Committee.
17. Mr. Helmer stated that Austria would continue to stand firm on the principle of the right of asylum. Between 1945 and 1955, some 1.5 million refugees and displaced persons had passed through Austria, and the cost of assistance to these people from federal funds amounted to some $70 million. In spite of all these efforts, there were still over 50,000 refugees in Austria, half of them in camps. In addition, there were thousands of needy persons who had been excluded from international assistance because they had acquired Austrian nationality.
18. Austria was also faced with a continuing problem of new refugees and had recently had to cope with the mass influx from Hungary. The vast majority of Hungarian refugees had been resettled elsewhere, but several thousands still remained. His Government would facilitate the naturalization of Hungarian refugees wishing to settle in Austria. There would be no forced repatriation of Hungarian youth, but assistance was still needed for the care and training of younger refugees. Referring to the problem of new refugees as a whole, Mr. Helmer suggested that the countries of first asylum could effectively be assisted by allocations of surplus goods.
19. As regards World Refugee Year, his Government would do all it could to make the venture a success. National committee, headed by the President of the Republic, was in process of formation. Mr. Helmer expressed the hope that World Refugee Year would provide the High Commissioner with the necessary funds to bring about the final solution of the refugee problem in Austria.
II. Programme appraisal for the period 1959-1964
20. The Committee considered the draft programme appraisal for the period 1959-1964 (A/AC.96/25) which had been drawn up by the High Commissioner in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 665 c (XXIV) of 1 August 1957. In this resolution the Secretary-General was requested "to make an appraisal of the scope, trend and cost" of the regular economic, social and humanitarian programmes of the United Nations "for the period 1959-1964 for consideration by the Council".
21. The High Commissioner pointed out that in view of the essentially dynamic character of the refugee problem it was difficult to make long-term forecasts in respect of assistance to refugees. Chapter IV of the programme appraisal, which dealt with trends in programmes likely to be carried out after 1960, and chapter V, concerning budgetary and costing implications, had, therefore, to be tentative. The High Commissioner stated that he proposed to give the programme appraisal its final form after he had taken into account the views expressed in the Executive Committee at its present session.
22. In the course of the discussion, particular attention was devoted to the general policy considerations and to the premises set forth in paragraphs 61 to 64. Several representatives expressed the opinion that the actual appraisal (chapter IV) and the budgetary and costing implications (chapter V) should be expanded. Several representatives stressed the fact that the refugee problem had been the concern of the international community for some forty years. They felt that the final programme appraisal of UNHCR activities should more adequately reflect this continuing character of the refugee problem which was likely to persist. The representative of the United States feared that the draft appraisal might leave the impression that refugee problems within the mandate of UNHCR had become stagnant and that very little remained to be done after 1960. He emphasized in this connexion that a presentation of future needs and programmes in more detail could be based on the initial assumption that the necessary funds would be forthcoming. It was also argued that owing to the dynamic character of the problem it was difficult to make long-term forecasts and that a five-year programme appraisal would not be entirely in accordance with the spirit of resolution 1166 (XII) of the General Assembly, whose intent was that UNHCR programmes be established and reviewed on a yearly basis.
23. The representative of China stressed that the refugee problem should be treated from a humanitarian point of view and with the concept of universality rather than regionalism in mind. The General Assembly of the United Nations had already recognized that greater flexibility was required in the High Commissioner's mandate. To this end he felt that the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees might be supplemented by another convention or that some of its restrictive provisions should be amended so that refugees throughout the world could enjoy its benefits. He similarly felt that refugees whatever their origin should be given equal opportunities for resettlement in immigration countries.
24. The representative of Italy pointed out that, contrary to the assumptions made in paragraph 61 of the draft appraisal, the influx of new refugees into Italy showed no signs of decrease. There was, on the other hand, evidence of a slow-down in the rate of emigration, with the result that the number of refugees in his country tended to increase. He proposed that the final text of the appraisal should emphasize the need for increased resettlement opportunities to be provided by immigration countries.
25. During the discussion, the French representative read out a statement issued by the French Government concerning French nationals of Algerian origin at present in Morocco and Tunisia. The full text of this statement is included in the summary record of the tenth meeting.
26. Commenting on this statement, the French representative stated, in particular, that the French Government considered the position of Algerians in Tunisia and Morocco as essentially one of those responsibilities for distressed subjects which devolved on any country, and that it therefore intended to meet it fully, irrespective of political considerations.
27. In reply, the Tunisian representative said that his Government had felt in duty bound to receive and assist the refugees who were arriving in ever-increasing numbers on its territory. Their arrival was raising serious problems for the Tunisian Government, and Tunisia had therefore requested the Office of the High Commissioner to help them. He stressed the humanitarian aspect of the problem and stated, in reply to the French representative's statement, that the refugees, who were arriving in a state of utmost destitution, complied with the definition of refugees coming within the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner, since they had left their country as a result of measures directed against them. He was grateful, therefore, to the Governments, the High Commissioner, the League of Red Cross Societies and the other agencies which were helping these refugees. Since their position was still most precarious, he appealed to the Executive Committee to see to it that, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 1286 (XIII), assistance on a substantial scale was furnished as speedily as possible to the refugees from Algeria. (For a more detailed summary, see the summary record of the tenth meeting.)
28. The High Commissioner recalled that the action undertaken by his Office on behalf of those refugees, through the League of Red Cross Societies and the Morocco and Tunisian Red Crescent Societies, was based on General Assembly resolution 1286 (XIII).
29. Specific amendments suggested to the programme appraisal in the subsequent chapter-by-chapter review of the document may be found in summary record of the tenth meeting. Upon the suggestion of the Chairman, the Committee agreed that in putting the programme appraisal into its final form the High Commissioner should take into account the comments and suggestions made in the course of the debate.
III. Allocations for UNHCR programmes for 1960
General observations
30. The Committee considered proposed allocations for UNHCR programmes for 1960 related to the needs of non-settled refugees (A/AC.96/26), submitted by the High Commissioner, a memorandum by the Greek delegation on the programme of the Greek Government for 1960 (Conference Room document No. 1), a draft resolution proposed by the Greek delegation on a programme for new refugees in Greece (A/AC.96/L.2) and the report of the Working Group on Allocations for UNHCR Programmes for 1960 (Conference Room document No. 2). A note on camp clearance (A/AC.96/29) was submitted for information to the Committee by the High Commissioner.
31. In introducing document A/AC.96/26, the High Commissioner stated that part I was factual, being an inventory of the present needs of refugees. He stressed that it was difficult to estimate the exact costs of providing permanent solutions to refugees before their individual needs had been assessed through an individual registration.
32. Part II of the paper outlined the UNHCR programmes proposed for 1960. As it was hoped that efforts on behalf of refugees would be doubled during World Refugee Year, a target of $9 million, nearly twice as large as that of 1959, had been proposed for 1960. However, as funds were expected to become available only progressively in the course of that year, the High Commissioner proposed to work out, for consideration by the Committee at its next session, detailed programmes in the amount of $6 million only.
33. The Committee devoted its main attention to the financial targets to be set for the 1960 programmes. It appointed a working group to submit recommendations on those targets. In this report the account of the action taken by the Committee is divided as follows:
(a) Present needs of non-settled refugees in document A/AC.96/26, Part I.
(b) UNHCR programmes for 1960 in document A/AC.96/26, Part II.
Present needs of non-settled refugees (A/AC.96/26, Part I)
34. In the course of the discussion, the attention of the Committee was drawn to the needs certain categories of refugees and to the problems of refugees in particular countries.
35. The representative of France stressed that, once the Camp Clearance Programme and the Far Eastern Operation had been completed, the most serious problem would be that of the non-settled refugees outside camps. His delegation hoped that solutions taking account of the aggregate needs of these refugees and of the resources available to meet their needs would be considered in close consultation with the Governments concerned.
36. The representative of Italy stressed the serious problem of non-settled refugees, in particular of difficult cases, in Italy. He informed the Committee that the Italian Government's arrangements of 1957, whereby some 1,400 refugees had obtained work and residence permits during 1958 and 1959, had been extended for a further two years.
37. A discussion took place on paragraph 37 of document A/AC.96/26 where it was suggested that, if the problem of providing adequate accommodation to non-settled refugees in various countries who need accommodation only was to be brought nearer to a solution, further measures to provide housing should be investigated, such as the creation of an international guarantee fund to make available low-interest capital for housing loans. Having heard from the High Commissioner that he considered the international guarantee fund as only one of many possible measures, the Committee agreed that a study be made by the Office of the High Commissioner. The High Commissioner stated that the study would probably be presented to the Committee at its first session in 1960.
38. A suggestion by the United Kingdom representative that bi-monthly reports be made available on the progress of camp clearance was welcomed by the High Commissioner.
39. Referring to section C of part I of document A/AC.96/26, the representative of Austria emphasized the heavy burden borne by the Austrian authorities in respect of the large number of refugees admitted to his country. Permanent solutions for former refugees who had become naturalized were to be financed entirely from Austrian sources. He therefore hoped that it might be possible to finance programmes of international assistance to refugees in Austria on different terms in the future.
40. The High Commissioner pointed out that the amounts proposed for the various programmes in document A/AC.96/26 were based on the assumption that the financing of programmes would be distributed between international sources, on the one hand, and supporting contributions from local sources within the countries of residence, on the other hand, in the same manner as hitherto. He referred to paragraphs 47 to 52, where the proportions between the various sources were indicated. The High Commissioner pointed out that if the Committee had different views on the distribution of funds between international and local sources, the targets for the UNHCR programmes would have to be readjusted accordingly.
41. The representative of Greece informed the Committee that, within the framework of an over-all plan for economic development, his Government had drawn up a four-year integration programme for refugees for the period 1960-1963. The object of that programme was to achieve the firm establishment in Greece of all refugees who were there at present. It was anticipated that the clearance of refugee camps in Greece would be completed in 1959; however, most of the non-settled refugees outside camps could not emigrate and the only solution for them, therefore, was integration in Greece. He pointed out that their condition was in most cases worse than that of refugees living in camps.
42. The representative of Greece stressed that, in spite of the natural catastrophes, wars and other upheavals that had plagued his country in the course of several decades, it had admitted large numbers of refugees in the past. Furthermore, the influx of new refugees was continuing.
43. With regard to the proposed programme, the representative pointed out that the greatest need was for housing. Over the four-year period, the Greek Government intended to establish 8,000 refugees, plus 200 difficult cases (280 persons). For their establishment, a total of $14,300,000 was needed, of which $8,200,000 would be sought from international sources. These amounts included a programme for new refugees and the representative hoped that, as had been the case in 1959, there would again be an allocation for assistance to new refugees in Greece within the 1960 programmes of UNHCR. He also hoped that at least a part of the proposed Greek programme for assistance to refugees in 1960 would be financed from international sources.
44. Details of further comments on part I of document A/AC.96/26 may be found in the summary record of the fourteenth meeting.
45. The Committee took note of part I of the document.
UNHCR programmes for 1960 (A/AC.96/26, Part II)
46. From the outset of the discussion it was clear that the impact of the World Refugee Year (WRY) should be reflected in the financial target for UNHCR programmes for 1960. The representative of the United States proposed that whatever financial target was adopted by the Committee, it should be divided into two parts: one which would be similar to that for the 1959 programmes, and a special target for World Refugee Year contributions to UNHCR. Such a division would ensure a certain continuity in the current programme of UNHCR and, at the same time, give an opportunity for WRY contributions to be made to specific parts of the UNHCR programmes. Regarding the over-all target, the United States delegation would be willing to support the level suggested by the High Commissioner or a higher level, whichever was the wish of the Committee.
47. The Committee established the Working Group referred to in paragraph 33 above, with the following membership: Belgium, Greece, the Holy See, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Working Group was to make recommendations as to the amount of the over-all target, the way in which it could best be divided, and the distribution of allocations between various programmes. Mr. H. Scheltema (Netherlands) was elected Chairman of the Working Group.
48. After two meetings, the Working Group recommended to the Committee that an over-all financial target of $12 million be adopted, $4,7 million of which would represent the regular target, and $7,3 million the special World Refugee Year target for UNHCR programmes. When considering special WRY contributions to UNHCR programmes, it was realized that the latter would by no means be the only objective of WRY. Varying proportions of the proceeds of WRY in participating countries were likely to benefit refugees outside the High Commissioner's programme.
49. In the course of the general discussion, some representatives questioned the wisdom of setting the target as high as $12 million. There was a risk of a short-fall with all its adverse psychological effects. Too high a target might also give the impression that national committees were being steered into a particular course, whereas it was not questioned that they retained full autonomy in allocating the proceeds of World Refugee Year campaigns. The consensus of opinion, however, was that the target should initially be set at a total of $12 million from all sources.
50. In reply to a question raised by the representative of China, the High Commissioner stated that any request for emergency relief which the Executive Committee or he himself considered to be justified would be met from the Emergency Fund established in accordance with the terms of General Assembly resolution 1166 (XII), and, further, from such contributions as might become available for that purpose, particularly during World Refugee Year 1959/1960.
51. Taking into account amendments proposed in the course of the debate, including the proposal from the Greek delegation contained in document A/AC.96/L.2, the Committee adopted the following financial targets for 1960:
a Including administrative expenditures in an amount of $480,000.
b Including administrative expenditures in an amount of $270,000.
c Including administrative expenditures in an amount of $750,000.
52. The Committee recognized that the above allocations were to some extent tentative since individual programmes had been outlined for only $9,000,000 in document A/AC.96/26. With particular reference to paragraph 87, which gives the allocations by type of project within the programme proposed for non-settled refugees living outside camps, the Committee agreed that the High Commissioner be given liberty to determine the break-down of the additional amount now adopted for this programme.
53. The Committee further requested the High Commissioner to keep separate records of current contributions and special World Refugee Year contributions which will be made towards his 1960 programmes. However, in order to allow for the necessary flexibility in the administration of programmes, it was understood that the High Commissioner could implement, within the total allocation for each programme, projects up to the total amount of funds available for a particular programme irrespective of whether they paid as current contributions or as special WRY contributions. While making available such separate reports on self-contained projects as may be required, the Office of UNHCR would prepare its progress report as hitherto on a programme basis, irrespective of the origin of the funds financing a given programme.
54. The Committee recommended that for reasons of expediency, detailed programmes within the over-all target of $12 million should be elaborated, for the time being, to the value of $6 million according to the following break-down:
| US $ | |
| Far Eastern Programme | 1,100,000 |
| Programme for camp clearance | 2,620,000a |
| Fund for special hardship cases | 170,000 |
| Programme for non-settled refugees living outside camps preferably handicapped refugees | 1,550,000 |
| Programme for new refugees in Greece | 100,000 |
| Emergency account for individual cases | 50,000 |
| Programme for legal assistance | 80,000 |
| Contribution to United Nations administrative budget. | 330,000 |
| TOTAL | 6,000,000 |
a Including $150,000 for administrative expenses.
55. These detailed programmes, to be submitted to the Executive Committee at its second regular session on the basis of the outline given in part II, section B, of document A/AC.96/26, would comprise projects to be financed from regular contributions towards the UNHCR programme as well as special WRY projects. Directives concerning the actual programming of the remaining amount in the over-all target of $12,000,000 would be given to the High Commissioner at that session.
56. The Executive Committee emphasized that allocations of funds to be made by the Committee towards programmes of international assistance to refugees in specific countries, should fully take into account national plans and programmes elaborated by each national Government. Before such detailed programmes are submitted to the Committee, they should be agreed upon, in the light of the general policy directives defined by the Executive Committee, both by the Government concerned and by the High Commissioner.
57. The Committee further recommended that the High Commissioner should continue to make available, within the framework of his 1960 programmes as approved by the Executive Committee, detailed descriptions of projects or other proposals for expenditure of given amounts at the request of contributing Governments, non-governmental organizations, including national World Refugee Year committees, and private persons. The Committee believed that this would facilitate fund-raising efforts and that the facilities to be made available by the Office of the High Commissioner would be particularly important within the framework of the World Refugee Year.
IV. Administrative and financial matters
Plan of administrative expenditure for 1960
58. The Committee considered document A/AC.96/27, containing the plan of administrative expenditure for 1960. A figure of $480,000 was put forward as the estimated total of expenses incidental to the administration of programmes financed from voluntary funds up to an amount of $4,700,000.
59. The Committee approved a grant of $480,000 as a contribution from voluntary funds towards the consolidated UNHCR budget for 1960. In reply to questions, the High Commissioner explained that it was in practice difficult to work out the exact amounts of the administrative expenditure involved in the planning and implementing of each of the various individual programmes. The figure of $480,000 was the same as that for the preceding year since it was no longer possible to calculate the exact proportion of the total budget which was attributable to the voluntary funds programme. The Committee also noted that it would prove necessary to submit supplementary estimates for administrative expenditure to a later session if contributions to the 1960 programmes exceeded the amount of $4,700,000. In adopting the over-all financial target for 1960, the Committee had already included in the special World Refugee Year allocations additional amounts for administrative expenditure totalling $270,000.
Administrative expenditure for 1959
60. The High Commissioner recalled to the Committee the decision recorded in the report on its first session (A/AC.96/20, para. 99) authorizing him to earmark from voluntary funds the amount of $480,000 which was to be paid to the United Nations budget for administrative expenditures for 1959. He was now proposing that $80,000 of the $480,000 be allocated from the special funds for Hungarian refugees. This proposal was approved by the Committee.
Allocation from UNREF surplus
61. The High Commissioner informed the Committee that the surplus of the United Nations Refugee Fund, which amounted to $367,664 on 31 May 1959, included an amount of $12,000 representing a saving in respect of preselection work in Greece postponed from 1958 to 1959. As no financial provision had been made for this work in the 1959 estimates, the High Commissioner proposed that the sum of $12,000 be reserved from the UNREF surplus as an additional allocation for preselection work in Greece in 1959. The Committee approved the High Commissioner's proposal.
Revision of supplementary aid project in Italy
62. The Committee had before it document A/AC.96/12/Amend. 1 relating to the programme for non-settled refugees living outside camps. It had become necessary to revise one of the projects in this programme, project OC/ITA/S.1/59/R.1 under which medical care was provided for refugees, owing to the rise in insurance premiums.
63. The Committee authorized the High Commissioner to increase the UNHCR contribution to this project by $5,600 to $20,600.
Control and limitation of documentation
64. The Committee had before it document A/AC.96/28 on the control and limitation of documentation. It had been presented in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1272 (XIII), which had requested all organs and subsidiary bodies of the United Nations to include this question in the agenda of their next session. The High Commissioner stated that every effort was being made by his Office to keep documents as brief as possible and that a substantial reduction in their volume would automatically result from the absence in 1959 of lengthy refugee surveys.
65. The Committee took note of the document.
V. World refugee year
66. Accounts of progress achieved in preparing for World Refugee Year were given by the representatives of the following States: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Republic of China, Colombia, Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, the Holy See, Iran, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Yugoslavia. In most cases World Refugee Year committees, representing all walks of life, had already been formed, usually under the patronage of the Head of State, while in others committees were in the process of formation. In some countries the World Refugee Year had already been inaugurated, while in other countries the opening ceremonies would take place in the near future. In many countries this would be the occasion for a message or an appeal by Heads of State. Attention would be drawn to World Refugee Year through the press, television, radio, films and public meetings.
67. The representative of the Holy See said that Pope John XXIII had sent a message to the United Nations for the opening of World Refugee Year. The Holy See would instruct its diplomatic missions to do all possible to ensure the Year's success and would invite the faithful to participate both by prayer and by joining in national initiatives.
68. From statements made in the Committee (see summary records of the tenth, eleventh, thirteenth and seventeenth meetings) it was clear that participation in World Refugee Year would take one or more of the following forms: fund-raising, increased resettlement opportunities for refugees, including the handicapped, and improvement in the legal status of refugees. One method of fund-raising and publicity announced by many representatives would be the issue of postage stamps. In general, fund-raising would be spread over the whole of World Refugee Year. It would provide the opportunity for Governments or private organizations to assume financial responsibility for specific refugee projects, such as the clearance of a camp, or to offer assistance to specific groups of refugees in certain countries.
69. Several representatives were already in a position to announce special governmental contributions for World Refugee Year. The Government of Australia would make a special contribution of £A50.000 to UNHCR programmes. It would also grant taxation rebates on contributions from private sources. The Danish Government would make a special contribution of 100,000 Danish Kroner to ICEM to bring a 'planeload of European refugees from Hong Kong later in 1959. Sweden would increase its contribution to UNHCR programmes by 25 per cent from 600,000 to 750,000 Swedish kronor. The United Kingdom representative stated that his Government had made a second contribution of £100,000 to the United Kingdom World Refugee Year Committee.
70. The Committee enthusiastically received statement from the representative of Belgium and the High Commissioner that the Belgian World Refugee Year Committee had fixed as its goal for World Refugee Year the complete establishment of 3,000 refugees now in camps in Austria, Italy and Greece approximately 12 per cent of the total refugee camp population in Europe within the UNHCR mandate. The Belgian national committee would seek a solution to the problems of each individual among this number. Solutions offered would include local integration or resettlement in Belgium or elsewhere, according to the preference expressed by each refugee and the possibilities open to him.
71. The United States representative stated that his Government would shortly make available special contributions totalling $1,630,000 for refugee programmes. Of this amount, $500,000 would be contributed for the UNHCR Camp Clearance Programme, $50,000 for assistance to Greek ethnic refugees under the mandate of UNHCR in Greece, and $150,000 for the relief of refugees in Morocco and Tunisia. A sum of $730,000 would be contributed to ICEM for the transport of refugees of European origin from the mainland of China and $200,000 would be made available for assistance to Chinese refugees in Hong Kong.
72. The observer of the United Arab Republic and the representative of the Sovereign Order of Malta also made statements assuring the Committee of support for World Refugee Year.
73. Mr. Epinat, Deputy Director of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration, said that ICEM was giving its full co-operation to Governments and organizations concerned with the World Refugee Year and would continue to do so.
74. The Secretary of the International Committee for World Refugee Year, Mr. Chenard, informed the Committee that some seventy non-governmental organizations had either joined or were on the point of joining that Committee in an effort to bring the plight of refugees to the attention of the world community. No amount of private efforts, however, would lessen the responsibility of Governments and he appealed to members of the Committee to support and encourage the voluntary agencies during World Refugee Year.
75. Mr. Kelly, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the World Refugee Year, reported to the Committee on general progress made since January 1959. At the present time, forty-five countries, including all members of the Executive Committee, had officially declared to the United Nations their participation in the World Refugee Year. Mr. Kelly also paid tributes to ICEM and the Council of Europe, both of which had recently held special sessions on World Refugee Year.
76. Among the non-governmental organizations, fifty-five had up till now united to form the International Committee for World Refugee Year; this was said to be the greatest number ever to unite in one cause. The leaders of many of the world's faiths had called for special prayers on the occasion.
77. Mr. Kelly pointed out the necessary limits of any one Year's action, however successful it might be. Although the Camp Clearance Programme and the Far Eastern Operation might be completed as a result of World Refugee Year, other refugee groups would still require assistance. It was hoped, however, that the Year would bring some improvement in their condition.
78. The High Commissioner referred to the Stamp Plan which was being promoted by his Office and UNRWA in co-operation with the World Refugee Year secretariat and with help from the Universal Postal Union. Governments had been requested to issue two postage stamps on 7 April 1960 with designs relating to the refugee problem. Besides the psychological effect on public opinion of such a simultaneous action on a world-wide scale, it was hoped that many countries there would be financial proceeds for refugees through, for instance, the issuance of surcharge stamps.
79. In conclusion, the Committee recorded its deep appreciation of the way in which Governments, organizations and the public at large had so far responded to the plan for a World Refugee Year. It expressed the sincere hope that further progress would be made to ensure the success of the World Refugee Year, on whose results the fate of so many human beings depended.
VI. Other business
Refugees in Morocco and Tunisia
80. The representative of the Netherlands announced that his Government would contribute 10,000 guilders to UNHCR for assistance to refugees from Algeria. The representative of the United Kingdom announced that his Government was making £13,000 available to the League of Red Cross Societies for the purchase of one month's supply of edible oil for these refugees. The representative of Italy stated that his Government was following the problem with great interest.
Refugees from Tibet
81. The representative for China welcomed the reference in the High Commissioner's opening statement (A/AC.96/30) to the refugees from Tibet. Estimates of the number of these refugees varied between 12,000 and 18,000, but they were all persons in urgent need of assistance. The representative of China stated he reserved the right to bring this matter to the attention of a subsequent session of the Committee. The representative of the United States said that the High Commissioner's statement on this problem had been received by his delegation with approval.
Persons of Greek ethnic origin from China
82. The representative of Greece drew the attention of the Committee to the fact that his country had accepted 165 ethnic Greeks from among the refugees of European origin on the mainland of China. Because the Greek Government had issued these persons with passports, they could not be counted as refugees within UNHCR mandate. However, they were persons in need of assistance and it was hoped that they would not be forgotten during World Refugee Year.
Date of second session
83. The Committee agreed that its second session begin on Tuesday, 6 October 1959.
1 Unless otherwise stated, the statistics in this report relate to the year 1958.
2 See chapter II, section A.
3 Including 2,380 new Hungarian refugees.
4 For the liquidation procedure see annex II to the present report, paras. 27-30.
5 The joint ICEM/UNHCR operation for the evacuation of some 14,000 refugees of European origin from the Far East was launched in March 1952 and was at first financed from an IRO trust fund. A programme for emergency aid, including the settlement of difficult cases, was put into effect on a limited scale in 1952 under the terms of General Assembly resolution 538(V*I) of 2 February 1952.
6 Referred to in the 1959 programmes as supplementary aid.
7 Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iran, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Venezuela.
8 Document A/AC.79/111.
9 Estimation based on results during last seven months of 1958.
10 Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirteenth Session, Supplement No.11 (A/3828/Rev. 1) paras . 62-64.
11 Ibid.
12 See ibid., para.97.
13 For report of the session, see appendix I to present report.
14 Transmitted to the General Assembly in accordance with paragraph 6 of Economic and Social Council resolution 565 (XIX) of 31 March 1955.
15 Speaking also on behalf of: national Catholic welfare Conference, International Catholic Migration Commission, World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations, Catholic International Union for Social Service, Pax Romana, World Federation of Catholic Young women and Girls and International Catholic Press Union.
16 Originally issued in mimeographed form as document A/Ac.96/31. Transmitted to the General Assembly in accordance with paragraph 6 of Economic and Social council resolution 565 (XIX) of 31 March 1955.