Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

A/RES/35/41

35. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE THIRD COMMITTEE

41. Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

A

The General Assembly,

Having considered the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the activities of his Office,¹ as well as the report of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner on its thirty-first session,² and having heard the High Commissioner's statement,³

Recalling its resolutions 34/60, 34/61 and 34/62 of 29 November 1979,

Expressing concern at the persistence and gravity of the problems of refugees and displaced persons in all parts of the world, particularly in different parts of Africa and Asia,

Noting with deep appreciation the positive responses of Governments to the problems of refugees and displaced persons of concern to the Office of the High Commissioner through offers of asylum, resettlement, rehabilitation and financial contributions, as well as the generous support given to the Office of the High Commissioner in its humanitarian task,

Reaffirming the humanitarian character of the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner,

Considering further the continuing and urgent need for a substantial international humanitarian effort to promote durable solutions to the problems of refugees and displaced persons, drawing particular attention to women and children the world over, and welcoming the recommendations on this subject in the Programme of Action for the Second Half of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace adopted at the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women,⁴

Noting with concern that refugees encounter serious difficulties in many parts of the world in obtaining asylum and that they are exposed to the threat of refoulement, arbitrary detention and physical violence,

Deploring, in particular, the instances of physical attacks on asylum seekers at sea and of military attacks on refugee camps in southern Africa,

Drawing attention to the problem of refugees rescued at sea and the difficulties encountered for their disembarkation,

Taking note of resolution CM/Res.814 (XXXV) concerning the situation of refugees in Africa, adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at its thirty-fifth ordinary session, held at Freetown from 18 to 28 June 1980,⁵ and of Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/55 of 24 July 1980 concerning the organization of an international conference on assistance to refugees in Africa,

1. Commends the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and his staff for the dedication they have continued to demonstrate in discharging their responsibilities for protecting and assisting refugees and displaced persons throughout the world;

2. Takes note of the efforts already made by the High Commissioner to adapt the management of his services to their vastly increased tasks and encourages him to continue these efforts within the framework of comprehensive action and in close contact with the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner and on the basis of the principles and guidelines of the General Assembly;

3. Calls upon the international community to share the burden of assisting refugees and displaced persons of concern to the High Commissioner the world over, in particular in the developing countries;

4. Reaffirms the essential importance of the High Commissioner's action to provide international protection to refugees and to promote durable and speedy solutions through voluntary repatriation or return, and subsequent assistance in rehabilitation, in consultation with the countries concerned, integration in countries of asylum or resettlement in other countries of refugees and displaced persons of concern to the Office of the High Commissioner;

5. Urges Governments to intensify their support for activities which the High Commissioner is carrying out in accordance with relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, especially by:

(a) Facilitating his efforts in the field of international protection by observing the principle of asylum and non-refoulement relating to refugees;

(b) Supporting his efforts to promote, in cooperation with Governments, United Nations bodies and non-governmental organizations, durable solutions to the problems of refugees and displaced persons, including those in urgent need, whenever emergencies occur;

6. Welcomes the steps already taken in implementing. the recommendations of the Conference on the Situation of Refugees in Africa, held at Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, from 7 to 17 May 1979, urges all States to provide the utmost support for the envisaged International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa⁶ and recommends that the High Commissioner should substantially increase, subject to the availability of funds, the assistance programmes allocated to Africa in order to respond effectively to the manifested needs;

7. Expresses its appreciation for the role of the High Commissioner in the repatriation of Zimbabwean refugees and in the co-ordination of the United Nations humanitarian assistance programme for the initial settlement and rehabilitation of returnees and displaced persons in Zimbabwe;

8. Stresses the importance of maintaining the relief efforts and the resettlement momentum for boat and land cases in South-East Asia and urges all Governments to provide opportunities for durable solutions to these refugees;

9. Urges the High Commissioner to explore the further elaboration of arrangements in order to facilitate the prompt and unhindered disembarkation of refugees rescued at sea and their resettlement;

10. Recognizes the High Commissioner's leading responsibility in emergency situations regarding refugees and takes note of his efforts to contribute to the improvement of the co-ordination and effectiveness of the action of United Nations bodies and other relevant organizations in providing international humanitarian assistance to refugees and displaced persons of concern to his Office;

11. Urges all Governments in a position to do so to contribute generously in order to provide the High Commissioner with the necessary means to attain the objectives of his humanitarian programme, taking into account that the over-all financial requirements of the High Commissioner are on the order of $500 million in 1980 and that the same amount might well be required in 1981.

73rd plenary meeting
25 November 1980

B

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 1166 (XII) of 26 November 1957, 2956 B (XXVII) of 12 December 1972 and 3271 B (XXIX) of 10 December 1974 in connexion with the Emergency Fund of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,

Noting recommendation F of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the High Commissioner,⁷

Authorizes the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to allocate from the Emergency Fund up to $10 million annually for refugees and displaced persons in emergency situations for which there is no provision in the programmes approved by the Executive Committee, it being understood that the amount made available for one single emergency shall not exceed $4 million in any one year and that the Fund is maintained at not less than $4 million.

73rd plenary meeting
25 November 1980

1 Ibid., Supplement No. 12 (A/35/12).

2 Ibid., Supplement No. 12A (A/35/Add.1).

3 Ibid., Thirty-fifth Session, Third Committee, 51st meeting, paras. 1-8.

4 Report of the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Copenhagen, 14-30 July 1980 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.80. IV.3 and corrigendum), chap. I, sect. A.

5 See A/35/463 and Corr.1, annex I.

6 See resolution 35/42 below.

7 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 12A (A/35/Add. 1), para. 69.