Refugees and displaced persons - UNHCR · Refugees and displaced persons The year 1990 marked an...

822 Economic and social questions

Chapter XV

Refugees and displaced persons

The year 1990 marked an unprecedented deteri-oration in the global refugee situation-with astaggering 15 million world wide-due in largepart to developments in the Horn of Africa andwestern Africa. The United Nations High Com-missioner for Refugees ( U N H C R) cont inued i tshumanitar ian act ivi t ies on behalf of refugeesand internally displaced persons throughout theworld, despite the financial constraints underwhich it was operating. In addition to respond-ing to increased requests for emergency assist-ance to new refugees , U N H C R, in co-operationwith concerned Governments and intergovern-mental and non-governmental organizat ions,continued to seek durable solutions to refugeeproblems through programmes of voluntary re-patriation, local integration in the country of asy-lum or resettlement in another country.

There were, however, many positive develop-ments during the year. The number of new arri-vals of Vietnamese “boat people” declined dra-matically, and Central America’s long-standingrefugee problem appeared to be diminishing,thanks to the concerted efforts of countries in theregion.

Voluntary repatriations took place in a numberof countries, notably in Central America, where,following a favourable political climate createdby elections, some 55,000 Nicaraguans returnedto their country. The Comprehensive Plan of Ac-tion, following the 1989 International Confer-ence on Indo-Chinese Refugees, brought hopefor a solution to the 16-year-old refugee situationin that area of the world. In Africa, encouragingpoli t ical developments brightened prospectswith regard to Angola, South Africa and WesternSahara.

In October 1990, the Executive Committee ofthe High Commissioner’s Programme consid-ered refugee protect ion, refugee women andch i l d r en , U N H C R p o l i c y o n r e f u g e e w o m e n ,Indo-Chinese refugees, repatriation of refugeesto Cambodia, Central American refugees and thesituation of refugees in Africa.

The Nansen medal—since 1954 bestowed inhonour of Fridtjof Nansen, the first League ofNations High Commissioner for Refugees-wasnot awarded in 1990.

Thorvald Stoltenberg assumed his functionsas the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees on 1 January 1990. He resigned fromthat position with effect from 2 November. On 21December, the General Assembly, on the recom-mendation of the Secretary-General, elected Sa-dako Ogata (Japan) as his successor, for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 1991 (decision45/319).

Regional developments

AfricaThe number of refugees in Africa continued to

rise, mainly due to influxes from Mozambique toMalawi, from Liberia to Côte d’Ivoire, Guineaand Sierra Leone, and from Somalia to Ethiopia.Similarly, civil disturbances in Chad, Rwanda andthe Sudan created new waves of refugees seekingasylum in Cameroon, the Central African Re-public, the Niger, Uganda and Zaire. The in-crease in numbers necessitated the launching ofn e w e m e r g e n c y o p e r a t i o n s a s w e l l a s t h est rengthening of U N H C R 'S f ie ld presence. Thelarge numbers of refugees made it difficult toc o n t i n u e a g e n e r o u s t r a d i t i o n o f a s y l u m -grant ing by African countr ies . Moreover , thegreat majority of the refugees found asylum incountries which themselves faced political oreconomic problems, and, in many cases, were un-able to provide adequate services to their ownnationals.

During 1990, expendi ture in Afr ica underUNHCR voluntary funds totalled $225.9 million,of which $144.3 million was obligated underGeneral Programmes, the greater part for careand maintenance of operations, and $81.5 mil-lion under Special Programmes.

The U N H C R Execut ive Commit tee noted the“Khartoum Declaration” on Africa’s refugee cri-sis issued by the Organization of African Unity(OAU) Commission of Fifteen on Refugees on 24September. I t encouraged the fol low-up con-tained in the Declaration, which called for the en-hancement of the capacity for management andconflict resolution to eradicate the causes of refu-gee flows and realize durable solutions. It calledon the international community to provide ade-quate resources to enable the High Commis-

Refugees and displaced persons 823

sioner to d i scharge h is mandate . The Commit teeinvi ted hos t count r ies to promote pro tec t ion , as -sistance and durable solutions in the most cost-effective manner.

ChadBy the end of 1989, some 107,000 voluntary re-

turnees in Chad had benefited from UNHCR as-sistance, receiving blankets, household utensils,seeds and agricultural tools, as well as food andt ranspor ta t ion , sa id the Secre ta ry-Genera l in anOctober report [A/45/651], submitted in responseto General Assembly resolution 44/153 [YUN 1989,p. 702]. Limited repatriation continued in 1990,particularly from Cameroon, the Central AfricanRepublic, Nigeria and the Sudan. It was esti-mated that at the end of 1990, some 4,000 return-ees benefited from UNHCR assistance.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

The General Assembly, on 18 December 1990,adopted reso lu t ion 45 /156 .

Assistance to voluntary returnees anddisplaced persons in Chad

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 44/153 of 15 December 1989

on assistance to voluntary returnees and displaced per-sons in Chad, as well as all its previous resolutions onthis question,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General,Deeply concerned about the persistence of the natural

disasters that are compounding the already precariousfood situation in Chad,

Considering that the large number of voluntary re-turnees poses serious social and economic problemsfor the Government of Chad,

Bearing in mind the many appeals made by the Gov-ernment of Chad for international assistance to the vol-untary returnees and displaced persons in Chad,

1. Endorses the appeals made by the Government ofChad for humanitarian assistance to the voluntary re-turnees and displaced persons in Chad;

2. Notes with satisfaction the action taken by the vari-ous organizations of the United Nations system andthe specialized agencies with a view to mobilizing hu-manitarian assistance to the voluntary returnees anddisplaced persons in Chad;

3. Reiterates its appeal to all States and intergovern-mental and non-governmental organizations to provide the necessary assistance to the Government ofChad in the implementation of programmes for the re-patriation and resettlement of returnees and displacedpersons;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to mobilize foodaid for the persons displaced as a result of natural dis-asters;

5. Again requests the United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees and the United Nations DisasterRelief Co-ordinator to mobilize humanitarian assist-ance to the voluntary returnees and displaced personsin Chad;

6. Calls upon the Secretary-General, in co-operationwith the United Nations High Commissioner for Refu-gees and the Uni ted Nat ions Disas te r Rel ie f Co-ordinator, to report to the General Assembly at itsforty-sixth session on the implementation of the pres-ent resolution.

General Assembly resolution 45/15618 December 1990 Meeting 69 Adopted without vote

Approved by Third Committee (A/45/838) without vote, 30 November(meeting 58); 38-nation draft (A/C.3/45/L.75); agenda item 12.

Meeting numbers. GA 45th session: 3rd Committee 48-50, 57, 58; ple-nary 69.

DjiboutiAs requested by General Assembly resolution

44/150 [YUN 1989, p. 703], the Secretary-General re-ported [A/45/445] in September that the move-ments of refugees in the Horn of Africa had notspared Djibouti, severely straining its already in-adequa te soc ia l and economic in f ras t ruc ture . Bythe end of July 1990, the country was host to anestimated 33,000 refugees, for the most part So-m a l i s l i v i n g i n D j i b o u t i - V i l l e . U N H C R ’ S a s s i s t -ance programme for those refugees was mostlyfor internal transport and storage of food do-nated by the World Food Programme (WFP).

U N H C R c o - o r d i n a t e d a s s i s t a n c e i n f a v o u r o ft h o s e S o m a l i r e f u g e e s w h o a r r i v e d i n t h e A l i -Sabieh district in June, making available $30,000from its Emergency Fund to purchase food lo-cally to supplement the basic food provided byWFP.


O n 1 8 D e c e m b e r , t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l yadopted resolution 45/157.

Humanitarian assistance to refugees anddisplaced persons in Djibouti

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 44/150 of 15 December 1989

on humanitarian assistance to refugees and displacedpersons in Djibouti, as well as all its previous resolu-tions on this question,

Having cons idered the repor t of the Secre ta ry-General,

Deeply concerned about the recent inflow of over fiftythousand ex terna l ly d isp laced persons , which hasadded considerably to the burden already being car-ried by Djibouti in respect of refugees in the country,

Noting that Djibouti is considered one of the least de-veloped countries and that the recent inflow of largenumbers of externally displaced persons and the con-tinued presence of refugees have severely strained thealready inadequate social and economic infrastruc-ture,

Noting also that the situation thus created has re-sulted in the dispersal of the country’s scarce resourcesand their diversion from economic development toemergency relief and precautionary measures,

Appreciating the determined and sustained effortsmade by the Government of Djibouti to cope with the


growing needs of refugees and externally displacedpersons,

Noting with appreciation the steps taken by the Gov-ernment of Djibouti, in close co-operation with theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, toimplement appropriate and lasting solutions with re-spect to the refugees and externally displaced personsin Djibouti,

Also noting with appreciation that over seven thousandrefugees have already been settled and integrated inDjibouti, despite the physical, social and economic ob-stacles that the country faces,

Appreciating the assistance provided by MemberStates, the specialized agencies, intergovernmental andnon-governmental organizations and voluntary agen-cies to relief and rehabilitation programmes for refu-gees and externally displaced persons,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-Generaland appreciates the efforts of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees to keep the situation un-der constant review;

2. Welcomes the steps taken by the Government ofDjibouti, in close co-operation with the High Commis-sioner, to implement appropriate and lasting solutionswith respect to the refugees and externally displacedpersons in Djibouti;

3. Expresses its appreciation to Member States, thespec ia l ized agencies , in te rgovernmenta l and non-governmental organizations and voluntary agenciesfor their assistance to the relief and rehabilitation pro-grammes for the refugees and externally displacedpersons in Djibouti;

4. Urges the High Commissioner to intensify his ef-forts to mobilize, on an emergency basis, the resourcesnecessary to implement lasting solutions with respectto the refugees in Djibouti and the increasing inflow ofexternally displaced persons;

5. Calls upon all Member States, the specializedagencies and other organizations of the United Na-t i ons sy s t em, a n d i n t e r g o v e r n m e n t a l a n d n o n -governmental organizations to continue to support thedetermined and sustained efforts made by the Govern-ment of Djibouti to cope with the urgent needs of refu-gees and externally displaced persons and to imple-ment lasting solutions as regards their situation;

6 . Requests the Secretary-General to report tothe General Assembly at its forty-sixth session,through the Economic and Social Council, on theimplementation of the present resolution.



Meeting numbers, GA 45th session: 3rd Committee 48-50, 57, 58; ple-nary 69.

EthiopiaThe presence of Ethiopian refugees in neigh-

bouring Somalia and the Sudan was matched byt h e p r e s e n c e o f a n a l m o s t e q u a l n u m b e r o frefugees from those countries in Ethiopia, saidthe Secretary-General in a September report[A/45/447], submitted pursuant to General Assem-bly resolution 44/154 [YUN 1989, p. 704].

At the end of 1990, Ethiopia was host to790,000 refugees, comprising 385,000 Somalis inthe east and 405,000 Sudanese in the west. In1 9 9 0 , U N H C R p r o g r a m m e s m a d e p r o g r e s s i nconsolidating and strengthening relief assistancefor those refugees, particularly in the transport,water and health/nutrition sectors, as well as foran estimated 13,000 Ethiopian returnees fromneighbouring countries. In March 1990, a specialappeal was launched to encourage large-scalevoluntary repatriation of Ethiopians from So-malia , resul t ing in the registrat ion of some107,000 Ethiopians in southern Somalia for repa-triation. Another 60,000 in north-western Soma-lia were also expected to register. The budgetneeded to assist those returnees was estimated at$28.3 million over a two-year period.


O n 1 8 D e c e m b e r , t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l yadopted resolution 45/161.

Assistance to refugees and returnees in EthiopiaThe General Assembly,Recalling all its resolutions, in particular resolution

44/154 of 15 December 1989, as well as all those of theEconomic and Social Council, on assistance to dis-placed persons in Ethiopia,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General,Having considered the report of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees,Recognizing the increasing number of refugees and

voluntary returnees in Ethiopia,Deeply concerned about the massive presence of refu-

gees and voluntary returnees in the country and theenormous burden this has placed on the country’s in-frastructure and meagre resources,

Deeply concerned also about the grave consequencesthis has entailed for the country’s capability to grapplewith the effects of the prolonged drought,

Aware of the heavy burden placed on the Govern-ment of Ethiopia and of the need for adequate assist-ance to refugees, voluntary returnees and victims ofnatural disasters,

1. Commends the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees and intergovernmentalorganizations and voluntary agencies for their assist-ance in mitigating the plight of the large number ofrefugees and voluntary returnees in Ethiopia;

2. Appeals to Member States and to international or-ganizations and voluntary agencies to provide ade-quate material, financial and technical assistance forrelief and rehabilitation programmes for the largenumber of refugees and voluntary returnees in Ethio-pia;

3. Requests the United Nations High Commissionerfor Refugees to continue his efforts to mobilize human-itarian assistance for the relief, rehabilitation and re-s e t t l e m e n t o f v o l u n t a r y r e t u r n e e s a n d t h e l a r g enumber of refugees in Ethiopia;

4. Requests the Secretary-General, in co-operationwith the High Commissioner, to apprise the Economicand Social Council, at its second regular session of

Refugees and displaced persons 8 2 5

1991, of the implementation of the present resolutionand to report thereon to the General Assembly at itsforty-sixth session.


Approved by Third Committee (A/45/838) without vote, 30 November(meeting 58); 62-nation draft (A/C.3/45/L.80), orally revised: agendaitem 12.


LiberiaIn West Africa, the refugee population grew in

1990 from 200,000 to 875,000 due to the exodusof 759,000 Liberians to Côte d’Ivoire (300,000),Ghana (8,000), Guinea (325,000), Nigeria (1,500)and Sierra Leone (125,000). Expenditures for as-s i s tance to Liber ian re fugees a lone amounted to$15.9 million.


O n 1 4 D e c e m b e r , t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l yadopted re so lu t ion 45 /139 .

Emergency humanitarian assistance to Liberianrefugees and displaced persons

The General Assembly,Bearing in mind the civil strife that has in the past year

ravaged the West African State of Liberia, decimatedits population and forced thousands of Liberians to be-come refugees abroad or displaced persons withintheir own homeland,

Having considered the report of the United NationsHigh Commissioner for Refugees, in which he assertsthat developments in the West African subregion ne-cessitate new emergency operations,

Deeply concerned about the mass exodus of innocentvictims of the Liberian civil strife into neighbouringWest African countries and the enormous burden thatthis movement has placed on the infrastructure and al-ready insufficient resources of the West African coun-tries concerned,

Aware that the majority of the refugees and displacedpersons are women and children, who are particularlyvulnerable to the hardship imposed on them by the un-fortunate circumstances,

Noting the determined and sustained efforts beingmade by the Governments of the West African coun-tries hardest hit by the crisis to cater to and restore faithand hope among the Liberian refugees in their coun-tries,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-Generalfor having taken steps to encourage continued and con-certed international action in favour of Liberian refu-gees and displaced persons;

2. Acknowledges, with grateful appreciation, the emer-gency humanitarian assistance provided by the UnitedNations High Commissioner for Refugees and the gov-ernmenta l and in te rgovernmenta l agencies to thethousands of Liberian refugees and displaced personsin the West African subregion;

3. Appeals to the organizations of the United Na-tions system, Member States and international and vol-untary organizations, including non-governmental or-

ganizations in consultative status with the Economicand Social Council, to intensify urgent humanitarianand other assistance for the relief and rehabilitation ofthe victims of the Liberian civil strife taking refuge inneighbouring West African countries;

4. Also appeals to the organizations of the UnitedNations system, governmental and intergovernmentalbodies, as well as non-governmental organizations, toprovide the necessary material and financial assistancefor the return and resettlement of the victims of the Li-berian civil war;

5. Requests the High Commissioner to continue hisefforts to mobilize additional resources necessary forthe rehabilitation of Liberian refugees and displacedpersons and to find a durable solution to the problemof Liberian refugees;

6. Requests the Secretary-General, in co-operationwith the Office of the United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees, to report on the implementationof the present resolution to the General Assembly at itsforty-sixth session.




SomaliaI n S o m a l i a , a n e s t i m a t e d 6 0 0 , 0 0 0 E t h i o p i a n

refugees continued in 1990 to receive assistancefrom UNHCR. Some 9,000 refugees were repatri-ated in organized convoys to Ethiopia, with some4 , 5 0 0 o f t h a t n u m b e r m o v i n g f r o m n o r t h -western Somalia under a joint Internat ionalCommit tee of the Red Cross / U N H C R opera t ion .

Responding to General Assembly resolution44/152 [YUN 1989, p. 705], the Secretary-General, ina September report [A/45/508], outlined assist-ance provided to refugees in Somalia by organi-za t ions of the UN sys tem. He s ta ted tha t U N H C R

had launched an appeal to the international com-munity on 16 March to secure funds for the two-year spec ia l p rogramme for durab le so lu t ions tothe re fugee problem, which envisaged voluntaryrepatriation, spontaneous local integration andassistance to refugees. In accordance with theconclusions of the tripartite commission estab-lished in 1989, a registration of refugees in allsouthern camps was conducted between Novem-ber 1989 and February 1990 for one of thosethree options.

UNDP approved a $1 million project designedto increase the effectiveness of emergency assist-ance programmes to displaced persons and refu-gees. W F P cont inued the general feeding ofEthiopian refugees in Somalia through its refu-g e e o p e r a t i o n i n t h e s o u t h a n d t h e S e c r e t a r y -Gene ra l ’ s s i x -mon th ex t r ao rd ina ry i n t e r ime m e r g e n c y p r o g r a m m e f o r r e f u g e e s i n t h enorth-west. During 1990, that assistance covered


440 ,000 re - reg i s te red re fugees in the sou th and140,000 refugees in the north-west, in addition to5 0 , 0 0 0 v u l n e r a b l e c h i l d r e n a n d m o t h e r s i n t h er e f u g e e c a m p s .


O n 1 8 D e c e m b e r , t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l ya d o p t e d r e s o l u t i o n 4 5 / 1 5 4 .

Assistance to refugees in SomaliaThe General Assembly,Recalling its resolutions 35/180 of 15 December

1980, 36/153 of 16 December 1981, 37/174 of 17 Decem-ber 1982. 38/88 of 16 December 1983. 39/ 104 of 14 November 1984, 40/132 of 13 December 1985, 41/138 of 4December 1986,42/127 of 7 December 1987,43/147 of8 December 1988 and 44/152 of 15 December 1989 onassistance to refugees in Somalia,


Deeply concerned about the heavy burden that hasbeen placed on the fragile economy of Somalia by thecontinuing presence of large numbers of refugees,

Noting with concern the decision taken by the Officeof the United Nations High Commissioner for Refu-gees and the World Food Programme to suspend tem-porarily their food and other humanitarian assistanceprogrammes for refugees in the north-west districts ofSomalia, and the food shortages that have occurred inthe refugee settlements as a result of the termination ofthe extraordinary interim emergency programme,

Considering the urgent need to reactivate the extraor-d inary in te r im emergency programme to a l lev ia tehardship and human suffering of refugees in the af-fected north-west districts of Somalia,

Conscious of the fact that Somalia, as a least devel-oped country, does not possess the economic or finan-cial capacity to fill the gap created by the temporarysuspension of humanitarian assistance programmesfor refugees in the north-west districts of Somalia,

Aware of the fact that Somalia does not have the ca-pacity to provide humanitarian assistance from its lim-ited resources,

Noting with concern the deleterious effect of the pres-ence of refugees on the environment, which has re-sulted in widespread deforestation, soil erosion andthe threat of destruction to an already fragile ecologicalbalance,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;2. Commends the measures that the Government of

Somalia is taking to provide material and humanitari-an assistance to refugees, in spite of its own limited re-sources and fragile economy;

3. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General,the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,donor count r ies and in te rgovernmenta l and non-governmental organizations for their efforts to assistthe refugees in Somalia;

4. Calls upon the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees and the World Food Pro-gramme to resume their assistance programmes for therefugees in the north-west districts of Somalia as soonas possible;

5 . Reques ts the Secre ta ry-Genera l , in c lose co-operation with the Office of the High Commissioner,

the World Food Programme and the donor community,to resume the interim assistance programme so as toensure that essential food aid and other humanitariansupplies continue to reach the refugee settlements inthe north-west districts of Somalia until such time as amore permanent arrangement can be made;

6. Appeals once again to Member States, interna-tional organizations and voluntary agencies to give fullsupport to the Secretary-General in the implementa-tion of the interim assistance programme;

7. Reiterates its appeal to Member States, interna-tional organizations and voluntary agencies to rendermaximum and timely material, financial and technicalassistance to enable the Government of Somalia to im-plement the projects and activities identified in the re-port of the 1987 inter-agency mission annexed to thereport of the Secretary-General as the basis for a com-prehensive programme of action concerned with boththe humani ta r ian and the deve lopmenta l needs ofrefugees;

8 . Reques ts the per t inent organiza t ions of theUnited Nations system, namely, the Food and Agricul-ture Organization of the United Nations, the Interna-tional Labour Organisation, the World Health Organi-zation, the United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization and the United Nations Chil-dren’s Fund, as well as the United Nations Environ-ment Programme and the World Food Programme, toprepare, in consultation with the Government of So-malia, detailed project documentation for the imple-mentation of those projects and activities identified inthe report of the Secretary-General as priority endeav-ours for a comprehensive programme of action;

9. Calls upon the United Nations Development Pro-g r a m m e , t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s E n v i r o n m e n t P r o -gramme, the United Nations Sudano-Sahelian Officeand the Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations to continue and expand their activitiesin Somalia, in co-operation with the Government of So-malia, and to protect and rehabilitate its damaged envi-ronment;

10. Recognizes the important role that the non-governmental organizations are playing with regard toprogrammes for the care, maintenance and rehabilita-tion of refugees, particularly in activities related tosmall-scale development projects, and in the fields ofhealth and agriculture;

11. Requests the United Nations High Commis-s ioner for Refugees and the Adminis t ra tor of theUnited Nations Development Programme to apprisethe Economic and Social Council, at its second regularsession of 1991, of the progress made in their respectivefields of responsibility with regard to those provisionsof the present resolution which concern them;

12. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultationwith the High Commissioner and the United NationsDevelopment Programme, to submit to the General As-sembly at its forty-sixth session a report on the progressachieved in the implementation of the present resolu-tion.





Southern AfricaIn 1990, UNHCR continued to provide assist-

ance to more than 140,000 Mozambicans in Swa-ziland, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambiaand Zimbabwe. Some voluntary repatriation toMozambique took place during the year. At theend of the year, UNHCR, in co-operation with theGovernments concerned, organized the repatria-tion of 2,266 Namibian refugee children fromZambia by air. Since the middle of 1990, newwaves of South African refugees had been arriv-ing in neighbouring countries, fleeing violencein their townships. The estimated 38,000 SouthAfrican refugees in the southern Africa regioncontinued to receive UNHCR assistance, pendingtheir repatriation when conditions permitted.

Follow-up to the 1988Conference on refugees in southern Africa

In response to General Assembly resolution44/ 136 [YUN 1989, p. 701], the Secretary-General re-ported [A/45/480] in September on follow-up tothe 1988 International Conference on the Plightof Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons inSouthern Africa. He summarised the activities ofMember States and organizations of the UN sys-tem in implementing the Oslo Declaration andPlan of Action adopted at the Conference [YUN

1988, p. 665], which were designed to promoteemergency preparedness, needs assessment anddelivery assistance, recovery and development,and mobilization of resources.


T h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y , o n 1 4 D e c e m b e r ,adopted resolution 45/137.

International Conference on the Plightof Refugees, Returnees and

Displaced Persons in Southern AfricaThe General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 44/136 of 15 December 1989,Gravely concerned about the continuous deterioration

of the situation in southern Africa arising from thedomination and oppression of the people of South Af-rica by the minority racist regime of South Africa,

Having examined the report of the Secretary-General,Conscious of its responsibility to provide economic,

material and humanitarian assistance to independentStates in southern Africa in order to assist them in cop-ing with the situation resulting from the acts of aggres-sion and destabilization committed by the apartheidregime of South Africa,

Noting with appreciation the consultations undertakenby the Secretary-General to establish within the UnitedNations system a mechanism to ensure the implemen-tation and overall co-ordination of relief programmesfor internally displaced persons,

Convinced of the necessity to strengthen the capacityof the identified focal points within the United Na-tions system for the implementation and the overall

co-ordination of relief programmes for internally dis-placed persons,

Noting with indignation that South Africa’s policy ofapartheid and its direct and indirect acts of aggression,intimidation and destabilization through armed ter-rorists continue to be the main causes of refugee flowsand increasing displacement of persons in southernAfrica,

Convinced also that there is an urgent need for the in-ternational community to extend maximum and con-certed assistance to southern African countries shelter-ing refugees, returnees and displaced persons and alsoto highlight the plight of these persons,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of theSecretary-General;

2. Reaffirms the need to continue the implementa-tion of the Oslo Declaration and Plan of Action on thePlight of Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Personsin Southern Africa adopted by the International Con-ference on the Plight of Refugees, Returnees and Dis-placed Persons in Southern Africa, held at Oslo from22 to 24 August 1988;

3. Expresses its gratitude to the countries and organi-zations that have given assistance to the countries ofsouthern Africa to enable them to cope with the situa-tion of refugees, returnees and displaced persons intheir territories;

4. Calls upon the international community to provide increased assistance to the countries of southernAfrica to enable them to strengthen their capacity toprovide the necessary facilities and services for the careand well-being of the refugees, returnees and dis-placed persons in their territories;

5. Reiterates its appreciation to the Secretary-Generalfor his efforts, on behalf of the international commu-nity, to organize and mobilize special programmes ofeconomic assistance for the front-line and other neigh-bouring States to help them to withstand the effects ofthe acts of aggression and destabilization committed bythe apartheid regime of South Africa;

6. Notes with appreciation the efforts made by theSecretary-General, ‘the Office of the United NationsHigh Commissioner for Refugees and the Administra-tor of the United Nations Development Programme toimplement the specific tasks and responsibilities as-signed to them in the Oslo Declaration and Plan of Ac-tion, and encourages them to continue their efforts:

7. Endorses the recommendation of the Secretary-General aimed at assigning to the United Nationsresident co-ordinators the function of co-ordinatingassistance for internally displaced persons, in close co-operation with Governments, local representatives ofdonor countries and United Nations agencies in thefield;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to strengthen thecapacity of the identified focal points at the field levelto enable them to respond more effectively to govern-ment requests for assistance to refugees and displacedpersons;

9. Once again urges all Member States, organizationsof the United Nations system and governmental andnon-governmenta l o rganiza t ions to under take themeasures required of them under the Oslo Declarationand Plan of Action;


10. Decides to consider this question at its forty-sixthsession on the basis of a report to be submitted by theSecretary-General.


Approved by Third Committee (A/45/763) without Vote, 28 November(meeting 55); draft by Tunisia, for African Group (A/C.3/45/L.60);agenda item 107.


Student refugeesIn September , the Secre ta ry-Genera l repor ted

[ A / 4 5 / 4 4 8 ] t h a t U N H C R e d u c a t i o n a l a s s i s t a n c eprogrammes con t inued in 1990 for South Afr icana n d N a m i b i a n r e f u g e e s t u d e n t s i n s o u t h e r n A f -r i c a . T h e a i m o f t h e a s s i s t a n c e w a s t o e n a b l ey o u n g r e f u g e e s t o b e c o m e s e l f - r e l i a n t i n t h e i rh o s t c o u n t r y , a n d t o a s s u m e l e a d e r s h i p r o l e supon the i r re turn . Most of the s tudent re fugeesi n t h o s e p r o g r a m m e s ( s o m e 2 1 2 N a m i b i a n s a n d6 0 0 S o u t h A f r i c a n s ) w e r e a t t h e p r i m a r y a n dl o w e r s e c o n d a r y l e v e l s , w i t h s m a l l e r n u m b e r se n r o l l e d i n s e c o n d a r y a n d p o s t - s e c o n d a r y e d u -ca t iona l ins t i tu t ions in Botswana , Leso tho , Mo-z a m b i q u e , S w a z i l a n d a n d Z i m b a b w e . T h e p r o -g r a m m e s w e r e i m p l e m e n t e d e i t h e r d i r e c t l y b yl o c a l U N H C R o f f i c e s o r t h r o u g h o t h e r a g e n c i e s .A p p r o p r i a t i o n f o r t h e p r o g r a m m e s f o r 1 9 9 0 t o -tal led $207,700.


O n 1 8 D e c e m b e r , t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l yadopted reso lu t ion 45 /171 .

Assistance to student refugees in southern AfricaThe General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 44/157 of 15 December 1989,

in which, inter alia, it requested the United NationsHigh Commiss ioner for Refugees , in co-opera t ionwith the Secretary-General, to continue to organizeand implement an effective programme of educationaland other appropriate assistance for student refugeesfrom South Africa and Namibia who had been grantedasylum in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia,


Noting with appreciation that some of the projects rec-ommended in the report continue to be successfullyimplemented,

Noting with concern that the discriminatory and re-pressive policies that continue to be applied in SouthAfrica cause a continued and increasing influx of stu-dent refugees into Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique,Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe,

Conscious of the burden placed on the limited finan-cial, material and administrative resources of the hostcountries by the increasing number of student refu-gees,

Appreciating the efforts of the host countries to dealwith their student refugee populations, with the assist-ance of the international community,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of theSecretary-General;

2. Expresses its appreciation to the Governments ofBotswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambiaand Zimbabwe for granting asylum and making educa-tional and other facilities available to the student refu-gees, in spite of the pressure that the continuing influxof those refugees exerts on facilities in their countries;

3. Also expresses its appreciation to the Governments ofBotswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambiaand Zimbabwe for the co-operation that they have ex-tended to the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees on matters concerning the welfare of therefugees;

4. Notes with appreciation the financial and materialsupport provided for the student refugees by MemberStates, the Office of the United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees, other bodies of the United Na-t i o n s s y s t e m a n d i n t e r g o v e r n m e n t a l a n d n o n -governmental organizations;

5. Requests the High Commissioner, in co-operationwith the Secretary-General, to continue to organizeand implement an effective programme of educationaland other appropriate assistance for student refugeesfrom South Africa, who have been granted asylum inBotswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambiaand Zimbabwe;

6. Also requests the High Commissioner, in co-operation with the Secretary-General, to continue thesponsorship of Namibian students still studying underprogrammes of the High Commissioner until theycomplete their studies;

7. Urges all Member States and intergovernmentaland non-governmental organizations to continue con-tributing generously to the assistance programme forstudent refugees. through financial support of theregular programmes of the High Commissioner and ofthe pro jec ts and programmes , inc luding unfundedprojects, that were submitted to the Second Interna-tional Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa,held at Geneva from 9 to 11 July 1984;

8. Also urges all Member States and all intergovern-mental and non-governmental organizations to assistthe countries of asylum materially and otherwise to en-able them to continue to discharge their humanitarianobligations towards refugees;

9 Appeals to the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees. the United Nations De-ve lopment , Programme and a l l o ther competent United Nations bodies, as well as other internationaland non-governmental organizations, to continue pro-viding humanitarian and development assistance so asto facilitate and expedite the settlement of studentrefugees from South Africa who have been grantedasylum in Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swazi-land, Zambia and Zimbabwe;

10. Calls upon agencies and programmes of theUnited Nations systems to continue co-operating withthe Secretary-General and the High Commissioner inthe implementation of humanitarian programmes ofassistance for the student refugees in southern Africa;

1 1 . R e q u e s t s t h e H i g h C o m m i s s i o n e r , i n c o -operation with the Secretary-General, to continue tokeep the matter under review, to apprise the Economicand Social Council, at its second regular session of1991, of the current status of the programmes and to re-


port to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth sessionon the implementation of the present resolution.




MalawiIn 1990, UNHCR assisted Malawi to meet the

burden of the presence of the large number ofMozambican refugees in the country, which in-creased by over 120,000 to a tota l of some927,000. The UNHCR assistance programme con-tinued to provide for the basic needs of refugeespending repatr ia t ion, but the f inancial con-straints faced by the Office resulted in a cut ofsome $6 million from the 1989/90 programmes.As a result, the refugees suffered a nutritional de-ficiency and there was a deterioration in commu-nity services and education.

The Secretary-General, in a September report[A/45/444] submitted pursuant to General Assem-bly resolution 44/149 [YUN 1989, p. 699], said thatt h e i n e v i t a b l e r e d u c t i o n i n t h e U N H C R p ro -gramme in Malawi had weakened the delivery ofbasic care and maintenance and hampered ef-forts to repair the ecological damage caused bythe arrival of over 800,000 persons. WFP contin-ued to co-ordinate the supply of basic food com-mod i t i e s , wh i l e U N H C R p u r c h a s e d a d d i t i o n a lsupplies. However, the long-term presence of thelarge and increasing refugee population in Ma-lawi continued to affect the country seriously, di-verting precious resources intended for nationaldevelopment. To alleviate the situation, UNHCR

and the Government in May addressed the ParisWorld Bank Consultative Group Meeting for thefirst time on the refugee crisis in Malawi.


T h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y , o n 1 8 D e c e m b e r ,adopted r e so lu t ion 45 /159 .

Assistance to refugees and displacedpersons in Malawi

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolutions 42/132 of 7 December 1987,

43/148 of 8 December 1988 and 44/149 of 15 Decem-ber 1989 on assistance to refugees and displaced per-sons in Malawi,


Having examined that part of the report of the UnitedNations High Commissioner for Refugees that dealswith the situation of refugees and displaced persons inMalawi,

Gravely concerned about the continuing serious socialand economic impact of the massive presence of refu-gees and displaced persons, as well as its far-reaching

consequences for the country’s long-term develop-ment process,

Appreciating the important measures that the Gov-ernment of Malawi is taking in order to provide shelter.protection, food, education and health’ and other hu-manitarian services to thousands of refugees and dis-placed persons,

Recognizing the heavy burden placed on the peopleand Government of Malawi and the sacrifices they aremaking in caring for the refugees and displaced per-sons, given the country’s limited social services and in-frastructure, and the need for adequate internationalassistance to enable them to continue their efforts toprovide assistance to the refugees and displaced per-sons,

Expressing its appreciation for the assistance renderedby Member States, the various organizations of theUnited Nations system, the Office of the United Na-tions High Commissioner for Refugees and other in-ternational, intergovernmental and non-governmentalorganizations in support of the refugee programme inMalawi,

Bearing in mind the findings and recommendationsof the inter-agency mission to Malawi, particularly onthe need to strengthen the country’s socio-economicinfrastructure in order to enable it to provide for theimmediate humanitarian relief requirements of therefugees and displaced persons, as well as the long-term national development needs of the country,

Recognizing the need to view refugee-related devel-opment projects within local and national develop-ment plans,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;2. Commends the measures that the Government of

Malawi is taking to provide material and humanitarianassistance to refugees and displaced persons, in spiteof the serious economic situation it faces, and stressesthe need for additional resources to lessen the impactof the presence of refugees and displaced persons onthe country’s long-term development process;

3 . Expresses i ts apprec ia t ion to the Secre ta ry-General, the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees, donor countries and intergovernmental andnon-governmental organizations for their efforts to as-sist the refugees and displaced persons in Malawi;

4. Expresses grave concern at the serious and far-reaching consequences of the massive presence ofrefugees and displaced persons in the country and itsimplications for the long-term socio-economic devel-opment of the whole country;

5. Appeals to Member States, the appropriate or-gans, organizations and bodies of the United Nationssystem, intergovernmental and non-governmental or-ganizations and the international financial institutionsto continue providing the Government of Malawi withthe necessary resources for the implementation of de-velopment assistance projects in regions affected by thepresence of refugees and displaced persons, as well asfor the development programmes now being imple-mented:

6. Requests the Secretary-General to continue his ef-forts to mobilize the necessary financial and materialassistance for the full implementation of ongoing proj-ects in the areas affected by the presence of refugeesand displaced persons and for programmes now beingimplemented;


7. Requests the High Commissioner to continue co-ordination with the appropriate specialized agencies inorder to consolidate and ensure the continuation of es-sential services to the refugees and displaced personsin their settlements;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to report to theGeneral Assembly at its forty-sixth session, through theEconomic and Social Council, on the implementationof the present resolution.


Approved by Third Committee (A/45/838) without vote, 30 November(meeting 58); 34-nation draft (A/C.3/45/L,78); agenda item 12.


S u d a nI n a S e p t e m b e r r e p o r t [ A / 4 5 / 4 4 6 ] , t h e

Secretary-General stated that in 1990 UNHCR as-sisted some 385,000 of the more than 768,000refugees estimated to be in the Sudan. With thecomple t i on o f t he vo lun t a ry r epa t r i a t i on o fUgandan refugees in 1989, UNHCR activities inthe south of the Sudan were phased out. Whileefforts were made to promote the voluntary repa-triation of the 20,000 Chadian refugees remain-ing in the west, no significant return movementtook place. To enhance the economic indepen-dence of Ethiopian refugees in the eastern andcentral regions, efforts were made towards pro-gramme rat ionalizat ion. A paral lel effort wasmade to reduce refugee dependence on direct as-sistance in the long term by linking assistance tonational development efforts. Refugee-specificactivities were linked with regional developmentprojects being implemented by the World Bank,the European Community and bilateral donorsin refugee-affected areas. Full implementationof the World Bank/UNHCR/Government of theSudan project in South Kassala targeting smallfarmers, including refugees in rural settlements,unassisted refugees and nationals, was hamperedby a lack of financial contributions towards therefugee component of the project. The projecthad to be redesigned to reduce its scope. UNHCR

continued to fund projects to improve infrastruc-tu re and services in refugee-affected areas ineastern Sudan.



Situation of refugees in the SudanThe General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 44/151 of 15 December 1989

and its other previous resolutions on the situation ofrefugees in the Sudan,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-Generaland the report of the United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees,

Expressing its appreciation for the efforts made by theGovernment of the Sudan for the reception of the refu-gees and the provision of protection, shelter, food, edu-cation and health and other humanitarian services tothe ever-increasing number of refugees who have beencrossing the borders into the Sudan since the early1960s,

Recognizing the heavy burden shouldered by the peo-ple and the Government of the Sudan and the sacri-fices they are making to host more than one millionrefugees, who constitute approximately 7.5 per cent ofthe total population of the country,

Deeply concerned that the great majority of the refu-gees have settled of their own accord in various urbanand rural communities throughout the country andare thus sharing with the indigenous population the al-ready meagre resources and services,

Expressing grave concern at the devastating and far-reaching effects of the successive calamities, rangingfrom the drought in 1984 to the torrential rains andfloods and locust infestations in 1988 and the droughtand food shortage of 1990, that have afflicted the coun-try, thus exacerbating the already deteriorating situa-tion resulting from the presence of this great numberof refugees,

Gravely concerned also that the Government of the Su-dan, besides dealing with the difficult prevailing eco-nomic and social problems. has the additional task oftaking care of more than 3.7 million persons displacedby successive calamities and civil strife in the south,

Recognizing the efforts undertaken by the Govern-ment of the Sudan to initiate a wide-ranging rehabilita-tion programme to redress the damages incurred bythe natural disasters,

Considering those serious circumstances, which ren-der the Government of the Sudan less prepared thanever to meet its obligations to its own people, and themore serious consequences, which affect the capacityof the Government of the Sudan to receive and grantasylum to additional numbers of refugees,

Expressing its appreciation for the assistance renderedby Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in support of the refugeeprogramme in the Sudan,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;2. Takes note also of the report of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees and, in particular, ofthe new trends identified in the area of refugee aid anddevelopment;

3. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General,the High Commissioner, donor countries and inter-governmenta l and non-governmenta l o rganiza t ionsfor their efforts to assist the refugees in the Sudan;

4. Expresses grave concern at the serious and far-reaching consequences of the presence of mass ivenumbers of refugees on the security and stability of thecountry and the overall negative impact on its basic in-frastructure and socio-economic development;

5. Also expresses grave concern at the shrinking re-sources available for refugee programmes in the Sudanand the serious consequences of this situation on thecountry’s ability to continue to host and assist refugees:

6. Appeals to Member States, the appropriate or-gans, organizations and bodies of the United Nationssystem, intergovernmental and non-governmental or-ganizations and the international financial institutions


to provide the Government of the Sudan with the nec-essary resources for the implementation of develop-ment assistance projects, in particular those preparedby the United Nations Development Programme, inthe regions affected by the presence of refugees;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to mobilize thenecessary financial and material assistance for the fullimplementation of ongoing projects in the areas af-fected by the presence of refugees;

8. Requests the High Commissioner to continue co-ordination with the appropriate specialized agencies inorder to consolidate and ensure the continuation of es-sential services to the refugees in their settlements andto explore ways and means to extend assistance to refu-gees who have settled of their own accord elsewhere;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to report to theGeneral Assembly at its forty-sixth session, through theEconomic and Social Council, on the implementationof the present resolution.


Approved by Third Committee (A/45/838) without vote, 30 November(meeting 58); 46-nation draft A/C.3/45/L.79); agenda item 12.


Asia and OceaniaIn 1990, efforts continued to implement the

Comprehens ive Plan of Act ion ( C P A ) adop ted a tt h e 1 9 8 9 I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e o n I n d o -Chinese Refugees [YUN 1989, p. 707] and aimed atachieving a durable solution to the problem ofIndo-Chinese refugees in the South-East Asiaregion.

In Viet Nam, a mass information campaignaimed at discouraging the organization of clan-destine departures was partly responsible for thedramatic decline in the number of new Vietnam-ese asylum-seekers in the region, from 83,700 in1989 to 40,500 in 1990. The campaign involvedclose co-operation between UNHCR and the Gov-ernment, as well as the media. By the end of 1990,under the Orderly Departure Programme, a totalof 252,760 Vietnamese had left the country by airto over 30 countries.

UNHCR worked closely with the Governmentsconcerned to establish status-determination pro-cedures for asylum-seekers. Under CPA, volun-tary repatriation for Vietnamese refugees contin-ued in 1990. To help in their re integrat ion,returnees were paid $30 per month over a one-year period and UNHCR staff undertook periodicvisits to their home provinces and villages tomonitor their progress. In China, UNHCR con-tributed $3 million to support 40 projects gearedtowards income-generation, education, job crea-tion and health care for the younger generationof 285,000 Vietnamese settled in China who suf-fered from lack of job opportunities and cultiva-ble land.

In Thailand, there were 99,821 Indo-Chineserefugees at the end of 1990, two thirds of whomwere Lao, and the rest Vietnamese and Cambo-dian. Under UNHCR auspices, more than 20,000left the country for resettlement, but that was off-s e t by new a r r i va l s and na tu r a l popu la t i ongrowth. U N H C R cont inued i ts programmes ofcare and maintenance, repatriation and resettle-ment assistance for refugees in Thailand, at acost of $24.5 million.

The fate of some 300,000 Cambodians on theborder with Thailand, assisted by the United Na-t ions Border Relief Operat ion, as well as of15,000 others in Thailand and an equal numberin Viet Nam, awaited a resolution of the Cambo-dia conflict. Preparations for the repatriation ofthose refugees and displaced persons were underway in anticipation of a political settlement. Aninter-agency mission, led by U N H C R, visi tedT h a i l a n d a n d C a m b o d i a i n M a y / J u n e 1 9 9 0 .Follow-up consultations were held to ensure ef-fective co-ordination and a definition of the re-sponsibilities of each organization involved. Amemorandum of understanding was concludedbetween UNHCR and WFP on food assistance anda contingency plan prepared to ensure a safe re-turn and a smooth transition of returnees.

The UNHCR Executive Committee, noting thatthe inter-agency mission had laid the ground-work for the repatriation operation, called on theHigh Commissioner to work with the Secretary-General to ensure that the financial and other re-quirements of the operation were addressed inUN overall planning. It appealed for a compre-hensive settlement in Cambodia and called onGovernments and other donors to respond rap-idly. The Committee also called for the creationof a climate of security and confidence so that re-patr ia t ion and reintegrat ion could be under-taken with international monitoring. In October1990, the Secretary-General launched an appealfor funds to cover the preparatory phase of therepatriation, which was met with a favourable ini-tial response of more than $10 million. Surveyswere conducted in Cambodia to determine theabsorption capacity of potential returnee areas.

Elsewhere in the region, in November 1990,UNHCR began an emergency relief programmefor some 43,000 Sri Lankan returnees and dis-placed persons in Mannar District. That popula-tion had repatriated from south India since 1987,and was helped by UNHCR to resettle in their na-tive towns and villages. However, since mid-1990the situation in the north-east had deterioratedrapidly, and large numbers of returnees wereagain displaced. Due to the increase of asylum-seekers in Australia and New Zealand, the Gov-ernments of those countr ies requested addi-


tional help in carrying out status-determinationprocedures; in response, UNHCR recruited addi-tional personnel. In both countries, persons ofIndo-Chinese origin formed the majority of newasylum-seekers, with others from Europe, theMiddle East, Africa and Latin America. At theend of 1990, the number of refugees in Australiastood at 97,915, and in New Zealand at 5,424.

Papua New Guinea gave permission to IrianJayan refugees from Indonesia to settle on its ter-r i t o ry ; t hey were encou raged t o engage i nincome-generating activities. However, duringthe year, 600 of those refugees voluntarily repa-tr ia ted to their country of or igin. During thesame period, Nepal saw an influx of some 2,000Bhutanese.

Total expenditures by UNHCR for the regionunder voluntary funds amounted to $102 millionin 1990, of which $52.6 million was expended un-der General Programmes and $49.4 million un-der Special Programmes. Care and maintenanceprogrammes accounted for $60 million of the to-tal.

1989 Conference on Indo-Chinese RefugeesIn September, the Secretary-General reported

[A/45/449] on the implementation of the Compre-hensive Plan of Action adopted at the 1989 Inter-national Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees[YUN 1989, p. 707]. He said that considerable pro-gress had been registered on all aspects of CPA,except the issue of the return of non-refugees.Concerning departures , a publ ic informationcampaign was conducted in northern Viet Namto inform inhabi tants about the s i tuat ion ofasylum-seekers, the establishment of proceduresto determine refugee status and the limitation ofresettlement opportunities. That campaign con-tributed largely to the drastic reduction in arri-vals in Hong Kong. In the rest of the region, how-ever , no s ignif icant change was noted in thenumber of arrivals and a public information cam-paign would be under taken in southern VietNam.

UNHCR conducted training/briefing sessionsfor government officials involved in the determi-nation of refugee status. Special procedures wereestablished with UNHCR assistance for unaccom-panied minors and other vulnerable cases. Con-siderable progress was also made on resettlementof the pre-cutoff date case-load; over 80 per centof the case-load had been accepted or had de-parted for resettlement. With respect to volun-tary repatriation, 3,345 Vietnamese returned toViet Nam. The Steering Committee of the Con-ference, at its third meeting (Geneva,24-25 Janu-ary), agreed on the principle of the return ofnon-refugees, but was unable to agree on a time-

table for implementation. At an informal meet-ing of the Steering Committee (Manila, Philip-pines, 17-18 May), first asylum countries issued astatement indicating that, if there was no solutionfor non-refugees by 1 July, they would reserve theright to take unilateral action to safeguard theirnat ional interest , including abandonment offirst asylum.

The UNHCR Executive Committee emphasizedthe need for continued efforts to ensure full andbalanced implementation of all mutually rein-forcing elements of CPA, including temporaryasylum and repatriation. It requested the HighCommissioner and the Steering Committee tocontinue their multilateral co-ordinating role towards that end and urged that a consensus bereached in the near future enabling full CPA im-plementation.

Europe and North AmericaChanges taking place in Central and Eastern

Europe led to a substantial increase in the activi-ties of UNHCR in the area. The agency undertooka number of missions with a view to encouragingGovernments to accede to international refugeeinstruments and to develop national legislationpertaining to refugees and asylum-seekers, repa-triation, resettlement and family reunification.In 1990, Hungary and Yugoslavia were the onlycountries in the region to have acceded to the1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refu-gees [YUN 1951, p. 520] and its 1967 Protocol [YUN

1967, p. 769], but almost all others had expressedtheir intention to do so in the near future. Thenumber of refugees in Eastern Europe was as yetrelatively small, but future mass flows were an-ticipated.

In Western Europe, the number of asylum-seekers continued to rise, from 290,000 in 1988 to420,000 in 1990. That resulted in strains on re-ception facilities and increased expenditures forpublic assistance, and created a large backlog inthe processing of asylum applications. At thesame time, public opinion became increasinglyless favourable to immigrants in general, andrefugees in particular. During 1990, Albania wasthe largest source of new refugees: 19,852 soughtasylum in Greece, 27,000 in Italy and 2,100 inYugoslavia.

In North America, asylum applicat ions inCanada during 1990 increased to about 36,000from 21,745 in the previous year. However, theirrate of acceptance was 70 per cent, reflectingthe country’s generous asylum policies. In theUnited States, requests for asylum during theyear numbered some 74,000, the major i ty ofwhich were from Cubans and Central Americans.


UNHCR worked closely with the United StatesImmigration and Naturalization Service in train-ing asylum adjudicators in the new asylum regu-lations instituted in 1990.

U N H C R expendi tures in Europe and NorthAmerica amounted to $27.3 million for 1990.

Latin America and the CaribbeanAt the end of 1990, 92,773 refugees were being

assisted by UNHCR in Central America and an-other 8,275 in South America (out of a refugeepopulation of 29,098 in that region). The mo-mentum created by regional peace efforts andthe 1989 International Conference on CentralAmerican Refugees (CIREFCA) [YUN 1989, p. 709]served as a catalyst to find durable solutions,through voluntary repatriation or integration inhost countries, to refugee problems in CentralAmerica, notably in El Salvador and Nicaragua.Following the elections in Nicaragua in March1990 (see PART Two, Chapter II), most of theNicaraguan refugees in Honduras expressed adesire to re turn home. At the request of theSecretary-General, UNHCR lent its good officesto the work of the International Support andVerification Commission. In 1990, in the largestsuch effort in Latin America by UNHCR, it helpedin the repatriation of 35,464 refugees and 18,883members of the Nicaraguan resistance within theframework of the Commission. It also set upseven field offices in returnee areas for rehabili-tation assistance. In addition to immediate reliefaid, U N H C R, in par tnership with U N D P, beganimplementing long-term development projectsfor the permanent reintegration of the return-ees. During the year, another 8,072 refugees wererepatr iated to El Salvador under U N H C R aus-pices, making a total of 30,000 returnees to thatcountry since 1987; UNHCR continued to monitorthe security conditions and welfare of the return-ees in more than 17 communities throughout thecountry. Some 783 refugees were repatriatedfrom Mexico to Guatemala in 1990—a slower rateof return than in the previous year.

In South America, following the growing trendtowards voluntary repatriation, 2,500 Chileansre turned under U N H C R auspices from variouscountries of asylum, most notably from Argen-tina, receiving assistance within a frameworkagreed upon between the Chilean Government,the Internat ional Organizat ion for Migrat ionand U N H C R.

With funds made available through CIREFCA

projects, local integration efforts were pursued toassist those refugees who did not wish to returnhome. In Costa Rica, five CIREFCA projects wereimp lemen ted by U N H C R t o p r o v i d e h o u s i n g

credit, job training and education to Nicaraguanrefugees. As a result of those measures, it was ex-pected that by the end of 1991 there would be nomore refugee camps in Costa Rica. In Mexico,the Government announced a new pol icy of“secure settlement” aimed at providing a meas-ure of self-sufficiency for 7,000-8,000 Guatema-lan refugees in the State of Chiapas.

UNHCR opened a Regional Office in Caracas,Venezuela, in April, and intensified its activitiesin the Caribbean. Voluntary repatriation of Hai-tian refugees continued and a rehabilitation proj-ect for returnees was re-opened.

Expenditures for the year in Latin Americaand the Caribbean amounted to $43.4 million, ofwhich $24 million was obligated under GeneralProgrammes and $19.4 million under SpecialProgrammes.

Follow-up to the 1989Conference on Central American Refugees

During 1990, UNHCR, in collaboration withUNDP, provided technical and material supportfor the finalization of development and recon-struction projects presented at the 1989 Interna-tional Conference on Central American Refu-gees [YUN 1989, p. 709], said the Secretary-Generalin a September report [A/45/450]. In compliancewith the Concerted Plan of Action adopted atthat Conference, a governmental national com-mittee was formed in each affected country to de-fine priorities regarding the linkage of develop-ment projects for uprooted populations to theircountries’ national plans. Also in compliancewith the Plan of Action, donor Governments,N G O S , t h e a f f e c t e d G o v e r n m e n t s , U N D P a n dU N H C R w o r k e d t o g e t h e r i n a s u p p o r t g r o u pwhich served as a forum for sharing informationand viewpoints regarding project design and im-plementation.

T h e F i r s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l M e e t i n g o f t h eFollow-up Committee of CIREFCA was held inNew York on 27 and 28 June. The Meeting re-viewed the progress reports of the seven affectedGovernments on the appl icat ion of the Con-certed Plan of Action in their respective countriesand showed their support for the CIREFCA pro-cess during its implementation stage. Contribu-tions for the financing of projects totalling $156.2million were made or announced at the Meeting.The Meeting adopted the Declaration of the FirstInternational Meeting of the Follow-up Commit-tee, which supported the strengthening of themechanisms set in motion by CIREFCA and calledfor consideration in development-related proj-ects for uprooted persons in the region of theparticipation of women, physical and intellectualdevelopment of children, conservation of ethnic


and cultural values and protection of the environ-ment . The Meet ing requested the Secretary-General , U N H C R and U N D P to support the af-fected Governments, in particular through theCIREFCA Joint Support Unit.

The UNHCR Executive Committee welcomedthe Declaration of the First International Meet-ing of the Follow-up Committee. It requested theGovernments in the region to s t rengthen thefunctioning of the mechanisms established un-der the Concerted Plan of Action at the nationaland internat ional levels and asked the HighCommissioner to ensure effective implementa-tion of CIREFCA projects and reinforce his col-l abo ra t i on w i th U N D P a n d n a t i o n a l s u p p o r tgroups. The Committee appealed to the Govern-ments of Central America, Belize and Mexico,the international community, intergovernmentalorganizations and NGOs to increase their effortstowards full implementation of the ConcertedPlan of Action to achieve durable solutions forrefugees, returnees and displaced persons.



International Conference onCentral American Refugees

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolutions 42/1 of 7 October 1987,

42/110 of 7 December 1987, 42/204 of 11 December1987, 42/231 of 12 May 1988, 43/118 of 8 December1988 and 44/139 of 15 December 1989,

Recalling also that the International Conference onCentral American Refugees is related to the initiativeof the Central American Presidents expressed in theprocedures for the establishment of a firm and lastingpeace in Central America concluded at the EsquipulasII summit meeting in August 1987, as indicated in theSan Salvador communique on the Central Americanrefugees, of 9 September 1988,

Recognizing the importance and validity of the Decla-ration of the International Conference on CentralAmerican Refugees, held at Guatemala City from 29 to31 May 1989, and especially of the framework con-tained in the Concerted Plan of Action in favour ofCentral American Refugees, Returnees and DisplacedPersons, adopted by the-Conference,

Noting the establishment of the national and interna-tional follow-up mechanisms contemplated in the Con-certed Plan of Action,

Taking into account that the Conference has becomean integral part of the Special Plan of Economic Co-operation for Central America, as referred to in Gen-eral Assembly resolution 42/231, thus responding tothe needs of refugees, returnees and displaced per-sons,

Recalling the important declarations of support forthe Conference process and its objectives contained inthe communiques issued by the Central AmericanPresidents following the summit meetings at Tela,Honduras, on 7 August 1989, Montelimar, Nicaragua,

on 3 April 1990, and Antigua, Guatemala, on 17 June1990: in General Assembly resolution 44/139 and inresolution 1021(XIX-0/89) of the General ‘Assembly ofthe Organization of American States; in the conclusionadopted by the Executive Committee of the Pro-gramme of the United Nations High CommissionerFor Refugees on the Guatemala Declaration and theConcerted Plan of Action; and, lastly, in the commu-nique of the meeting between the Ministers for ForeignAffairs of the countries of the European Communityand of Central America, held at Dublin on 9 and 10April 1990,

Noting the generous support provided by the coun-tries participating in the First International Meeting ofthe Follow-Up Committee of the International Confer-ence for the proposals presented at the Meeting by theCentral American countries, Belize and Mexico,

Convinced that peace, development and democracyare essential in order to solve the problem of uprootedpopulations in the region,

Recognizing the valuable co-operation of theSecretary-General. the Office of the United NationsHigh Commission& for Refugees and the United Na-tions Development Programme with the affected coun-tries through the Joint Support Unit of the Conferenceto ensure the follow-up of the Concerted Plan of Actionand the proper implementation of the objectives andproposals contained therein,

Noting with satisfaction the progress made in the re-ion through dialogue and national reconciliation.which contribute to the consolidation of peace and thestrengthening of democratic processes,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-Generaland the report of the United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees relating to the International Con-ference on Central American Refugees;

2. Welcomes with satisfaction the meetings held by theFollow-Up Committee established by the Conferenceas the mechanism provided in the Concerted Plan ofAction in favour of Central American Refugees, Re-turnees and Displaced Persons, and encourages fur-ther meetings with a view to the effective follow-up ofactivities related to the implementation of plans andprojects in favour of displaced persons of the CentralAmerican region;

3. Recognizes the efforts made by the affected coun-tries to establish conditions conducive to resolving theproblem of uprooted populations in the region;

4. Urges the affected countries, according to theircapacities, to strengthen their efforts to deal with theproblem of refugees, returnees and displaced personsand to adapt the solutions to national and regional de-velopment plans and programmes and to action aimed,specifically, at eradicating extreme poverty;

5. Agrees on the need for projects in favour of refu-gees, returnees and displaced persons to promote, interalia;

(a) The participation of women;(b) The physical and intellectual development of

children;(c) The preservation of ethnic and cultural values;(d) The protection of the environment;6. Reaffirms its conviction that the voluntary repatria-

tion of refugees and the return of displaced persons totheir countries or communities of origin is one of the


most positive signs of the progress of peace in the re-gion;

7. Expresses its conviction that the process of return toand reintegration in the countries and communities oforigin should take place in conditions of dignity andsecurity and with the necessary guarantees to ensurethat the affected populations are included in the re-spective national development plans;

8. Reaffirm the validity of the Concerted Plan ofAction as a framework for solving the problems posedin the affected countries by the massive presence of up-rooted populations of the Central American region,while recognizing that it constitutes only an initial re-sponse to the many problems to which uprootednessgives rise;

9. Expresses its appreciation for the resources commit-ted to finance the proposals submitted by the Govern-ments of Central America, Belize and Mexico at theFirst International Meeting of the Follow-Up Commit-tee, and welcomes with satisfaction the willingness ex-pressed by the Follow-Up Committee to give favourableconsideration to future projects submitted by the af-fected countries within the Conference framework andto explore all possible sources for funding them;

10. Stresses in particular the need to support the Of-fice of the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees and the United Nations Development Pro-gramme in the discharge of the special function as-signed to them by the Secretary-General within theframework of the International Support and Verifica-tion Commission in order to provide them with the re-sources required for assistance for and voluntary re-patriation and reintegration of members of theNicaraguan resistance and their families, as well as ofthe Nicaraguan refugees being repatriated voluntarily;

11. Urges Member States and organs, specializedagencies and other organizations of the United Na-tions system, as well as regional and subregionalorganizations and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations involved in humanitariantasks in favour of the Central American refugees, re-turnees and displaced persons, to continue and in-crease their assistance to and support for the responsi-ble authorities of the affected countries in theimplementation and follow-up of the guidelines, goalsand objectives of the Concerted Plan of Action, and ex-presses its gratitude to all the national and interna-tional organizations engaged in assistance to the up-rooted populations and in the development of theregion;

12. Requests the Secretary-General, the Office of theHigh Commissioner and the United Nations Develop-ment Programme to continue their support for the af-fected countries in the implementation of the Con-certed Plan of Action, especially through the activitiesof the joint Support Unit of the Conference:

13. Urges the responsible authorities to ‘continueand strengthen measures to ensure the efficient imple-mentation of the proposed programmes;

14. Stresses the importance of strengthening and de-veloping the follow-up and promotion mechanisms es-tablished under the Concerted Plan of Action, in par-ticular the support groups, in order to ensureco-ordination and co-operation between all the partiesinvolved, and calls upon the Governments of the regionto take the necessary measures to facilitate this process;

15. Recognizes the importance of the role played bynon-governmental organizations, as well as by the af-fected populations, in identifying their needs and par-ticipating in the planning and execution of projects inco-ordination with national committees and in accord-ance with the Concerted Plan of Action, and urgesthem to continue in this humanitarian and non-political endeavour;

16. Requests the Secretary-General, in collaborationwith the High Commissioner, to submit to the GeneralAssembly at its forty-sixth session a report on the im-plementation of the present resolution.

General Assembly resolution 45/141

14 December 1990 Meeting 68 Adopted without vote



South-West Asia, North Africaand the Middle East

In 1990, the situation of Afghan refugees inneighbouring Pakistan and Iran was the princi-pal focus of U N H C R act ivi t ies in the region,though assistance continued to pockets of refu-gee populations elsewhere.

The expected mass return of Afghan refugees,following the complete withdrawal of foreignarmed forces from Afghanistan in February1989, did not materialize. Although significantrepatriations, involving some 300,000 persons,took place in 1989 and 1990, by the end of 1990there were 3,185,265 Afghan refugees in Paki-stan and more than 2.3 million in Iran. In Paki-stan, the majority of Afghans lived in some 345refugee villages, with women and children com-prising 75 per cent of the refugee population.Most of UNHCR services were geared towardsc o m m u n i t y - b a s e d a c t i v i t i e s a n d i n c o m e -generating schemes for those refugees who hadnot attained economic self-sufficiency. Food aidto the refugees was provided by WFP at an esti-mated value of $120 million.

Besides the 2.3 million Afghans, Iran hostedover 500,000 Iraqi refugees. Only a small percen-tage of the Afghan refugees lived in camps, thema jo r i t y be ing i n t eg ra t ed i n u rban cen t r e sthroughout the country, where they enjoyed theright to employment and access to education andhealth facilities on an equal footing with Iraniancitizens. UNHCR assistance was limited to health,sanitation, water, education and income genera-t ion. In the f ield of heal th, U N H C R comple-mented the efforts of Iran by procuring vaccines,medicines and water-distribution systems, andby providing salaries of Afghan health workers,at a cost of $8 million. Another $4 million was ex-pended on similar assistance to Iraqi refugees.


In order to promote a durable solution to theproblem of Afghan refugees, UNHCR took part ina Pi lot Repatr iat ion Project launched in July1990. In Afghanistan, UNHCR continued to sup-port the Peace Guest House project, where re-turnees were received and assisted with transpor-tation to their areas of origin. Guest houses wereestablished in Kabul, Herat and Mazari-i-Sharif,where WFP provided food aid to the returnees. Byt h e e n d o f 1 9 9 0 , U N H C R h a d a s s i s t e d s o m e30,000 persons through that project.

During 1990, UNHCR voluntary funds expend-iture in South-West Asia, North Africa and theMiddle East totalled $97.6 million, $63.6 millionof which was for care and maintenance.

Refugee protection and assistance

Protection issuesIn 1990, there was an overall improvement in

the international protection of refugees, said theHigh Commissioner in his annual report to theGeneral Assembly [A/46/12]. That was evidencedby the implementation in Central America andSouth-East Asia of plans of action developed in1989 to deal with the refugee situation in thoseregions; the setting up of a regional mechanismin Africa to contain the rapidly worsening refu-gee situation there; and the voluntary repatria-tion of refugees in several parts of the world andthe consequent closure of camps set up over adecade earlier. However, that was offset by nega-tive trends in other parts of the world. Althoughmany States admitted the vast majority of theworld’s refugees, granting them temporary asy-lum at least and protection from refoulement, anumber of countr ies denied entry to asylum-seekers on various grounds and concern did notlessen over violations of the principle of non-refoulement.

In August, the High Commissioner, in a note oninternational protection [A/AC.96/750] to the Ex-ecutive Committee, gave an overview of the prob-lems faced in the area of protection and suggestedcertain considerations for any broad-based ap-proach to the refugee problem in the coming dec-ade. The aim was to underpin suggestions for fu-ture direction for refugee policy that States andthe international community might develop.

Refugee problems were identified as opera-tional in nature, especially where there were com-munities of refugees for whom no lasting solu-tion to their situation had been found; the seriousand growing challenge to the institution of asy-lum as a main way of offering protection to refu-

gees; and the financial crisis of UNHCR whichhad adversely affected its ability to protect refu-gees.

The High Commissioner stated that the physi-cal security of refugees during their flight andafter arrival in asylum countries was of para-mount concern. Mil i tary or armed at tacks onrefugee camps or settlements destroyed lives andproperty, refugees were forcibly recruited intoregular and irregular armed forces and womenand children were subjected to physical violenceo r s e x u a l a b u s e . D e n i a l b y G o v e r n m e n t s o fU N H C R access to refugee populat ions fur therimpeded effective monitoring or intervention. Arelated concern was the detention of refugeesand asylum-seekers in circumstances outside theguidelines agreed to in 1986 by the ExecutiveCommittee. There were also restrictions on thefull enjoyment of rights of refugees guaranteedby international instruments. Protection trainingand promotion act ivi t ies inst i tuted by U N H C R

had proved only partially effective. The institu-tion of asylum, which was critical to refugee pro-tection, was increasingly being undermined. Cer-tain States expelled refugees individually and, insome instances, in large numbers. In addition,many States , some of which were among thearchitects of the international refugee protectionstructures, adopted measures denying admissionand hindering access to procedures for the deter-mination of status. As a complement to such poli-cies, a number of States had adopted a narrowview of the scope of their responsibilities underthe 1951 Convention relating to the Status ofRefugees [YUN 1951, p. 520], particularly article 1 onrefugee definition, so that it was held to apply toonly a limited group of persons. As a result ofsuch restrictive approaches there was a higher re-jection rate. Additionally, there was the problemof the rigid adherence by some countries to thecountry-of-first-asylum principle. Those prob-lems had the combined effect of making asylumless accessible. The situation was further under-mined by the serious f inancial cr is is facingUNHCR, which threatened to compromise its abil-ity to meet the refugees’ basic needs, includingprotection. The Office was forced to identify pri-orities even among mandated activities, resultingin enforced reductions affecting not only the im-mediate welfare of refugees, but also their pro-tection and prospects for solutions, particularlyvoluntary repatr iat ion. Concerning long-termapproaches, UNHCR was of the view that an over-all and global approach was required to developasylum and refugee policies so that humanitar-ian and human rights concerns could be inte-g ra t ed and p rope r ly ba l anced in r e l a t i on t o


development, foreign policy and immigrat ioncontrol procedures.

In the conclusions to the report, the High Com-missioner suggested that, as part of new strate-gies, human rights institutions and organizationsshould be utilized more actively and effectively toaddress the human rights concerns in refugeesituations. International co-operation to ensureearly warning of developing humanitarian emer-gencies and to facilitate their timely mediationshould be promoted and activities strengthened.Future policies should reflect new and broadly en-dorsed human rights positions regarding tortureand inhumane and degrading t reatment . Na-tional and international development assistanceagencies, in implementing policies on develop-ment aid, should promote positive human rightssituations and target socio-economic difficultiescausing people to leave or hindering their returnto their countries of origin. States must respond tothe legitimate concerns of all affected States, in-cluding the protracted nature of refugee prob-lems in many developing countries with their owntroubled economies, their limited ability to pro-vide for substantial regfugee populations, con-cern about waning internat ional sol idari ty insharing the burden, and the political and securitydifficulties. The manner in which regional bodiesmight more actively contribute to positive resolu-tion of problems in their respective regions shouldbe explored. Response strategies employing thethree t radi t ional durable solut ions should in-clude measures to broaden their acceptability.New thinking on solutions should develop theconcept of State responsibility under interna-tional law, particularly as it related to the responsi-bi l i t ies of countr ies of origin. Governmentsshould share with UNHCR the responsibility tolead and educate public opinion and to encouragepositive attitudes by making public informationactivities an integral part of new strategies to ad-dress refugee problems. Open debate on possiblenew strategies should precede any final decisionat the political level. Migration control should beexamined with a view to assessing the appropri-ateness of legal migration as an alternative chan-nel for departures for some groups, particularlythose with no compelling reasons for their depar-ture that were pertinent to refugees status. Any newstrategy must contain measures to deal humanelyand effectively with rejected asylum-seekers.

In an October conclusion, the UNHCR Execu-tive Committee called for measures to ensure thatrefugees were effectively protected and, in thatregard, reiterated the importance of the 1951United Nations Convention relating to the Statusof Refugees [YUN 1951, p. 520] and its 1967 Protocol[YUN 1967, p. 769]. It also called on the High Com-missioner to continue to ensure that protection

measures were fully integrated into assistanceand durable solutions programmes. The Com-mittee noted the accomplishments of UNHCR inpromoting and disseminating refugee law andcal led on the High Commissioner to pursuethose activities within existing resources. Notingmatters emphasized by the High Commissionerin his note on refugee protection, it decided to re-fer those matters to its Working Group on Solu-tions and Protection.

The Executive Committee took note of the es-tabl ishment of that Working Group and re-quested that a further meeting of the Group beconvened as soon as possible after the October1990 session of the Committee and that a reporton the Group’s work be submitted in 1991.

Refugee women and childrenIn an August report [A/AC.96/754], the High

Commissioner outlined UNHCR's policy on refu-gee women, which was based on the principle thatthe resources and needs of refugee women shouldbe integrated into all aspects of programme plan-ning and implementation rather than creatingspecial women’s projects. The organizationalgoals were to provide protection appropriate tothe specific needs of women, identify durable so-lutions and provide assistance that would encour-age the realization of their full potential and en-courage their participation in preparing for thedurable solution. The main policy objectives tosupport those goals were to recognize that refugeewomen represented approximately 80 per cent ofUNHCR'S target population and that programmescould be effective only if they were planned withan understanding of, and in consultation with,that group; to ensure that specific protectionneeds and the legal rights of refugee women wereunderstood and that adequate response measureswere taken; to support their efforts and ensuretheir participation in UNHCR'S protection and as-sistance activities; to ensure that differing needsand resources of refugee men and women wereconsidered in programme activities and, wherenecessary, for cultural and social reasons; to placeparticular emphasis on strategies to protect andassist refugee women; and to ensure that refugeewomen were equitably represented in resettle-ment programmes.

The Secretary-General submitted to the Com-m i s s i o n o n t h e S t a t u s o f W o m e n a r e p o r t[E/CN.6/1991/4] on refugee and displaced womenand children, based on the work of the ExpertGroup on Refugee and Displaced Women andChildren (Vienna, 2-6 July 1990), in which hedealt with, inter alia, the issue of refugee protec-tion as it related to women and children.

3 8 Economic and social questions

The report stated that women and childrenshared the same protect ion problems experi-enced by all refugees but they had additional le-gal and physical protection problems peculiar totheir gender and age. Women faced special diffi-culties in obtaining refugee status, and few coun-tries had an adequate number of female staffinvolved in the procedures for determining refu-gees to respond to the needs of those women. Inaddition, women were also underrepresented inthe protection staff of UNHCR and that of imple-menting partners. Refugee women also experi-enced diff icul ty in register ing and obtainingdocumentation of their refugee status and eligi-bility for assistance. Children also faced difficul-ties in establishing refugee status, particularlyunaccompanied chi ldren. They frequently didnot have access to information to substantiatetheir claims. Statelessness was one of their majorp rob l ems . The phys i ca l s ecu r i t y o f r e fugeewomen and children was also at risk both duringflight and after they had found asylum. Problemsincluded rape, abduction, sexual harassment andthe forced induction of children into the military.Additionally, camp design and operation contrib-uted to physical insecurity. In urban settings,minimal assis tance programmes forced manyrefugee women into prostitution.

In October, the UNHCR Executive Committeea p p r o v e d t h e p o l i c y o n r e f u g e e w o m e n[A/AC.96/754] and urged States, relevant UN or-ganizations and NGOs to implement the policy,including in the area of training. It called on theHigh Commissioner to present a progress reportin 1991 on the implementation of the policy inprotection and assistance activities and to de-velop comprehensive guidelines on the protec-t ion of refugee women and their appl icat ionwithin the framework of the policy.

The Commit tee urged States , U N organiza-tions and NGOs to ensure that the needs and re-sources of refugee women were fully understoodand integrated into their act ivi t ies and pro-grammes and to pursue measures for improvingthe international protection of refugee women.

Early warning of refugee flows

Co-ordinationIn October [A/45/649 & Corr.1], the Secretary-

General submitted to the General Assembly thereport of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) on theco-ordination of activities related to early warn-ing of possible refugee flows. The report exam-ined the policy framework for a co-ordinated

early-warning system, UN system involvement inactivities relevant to early warning of possiblerefugee flows as a basis for co-ordination, meth-ods and techniques to monitor early warning andco-operation and co-ordination.

The report concluded that although 10 yearshad passed since the importance of early warningwas recognized by the General Assembly, massexoduses of refugees cont inued to increase.Many organizations of the UN system had al-ready developed techniques and methods tomonitor certain factors within their mandate.However, activities related to early warning werenot well co-ordinated in the light of the fragmen-tation and decentralization of the work of the UN

system. JIU concluded that there was a need to in-troduce early warning as a regular component ofwork of the UN system in a co-ordinated manner.To that end, the report recommended that theAdmin i s t r a t i ve Commi t t ee on Co-o rd ina t i on(ACC) should include in the agenda of its forth-coming session an item on the subject, which itshould fur ther consider f rom t ime to t ime asneeded; designate a central focal point of the UNsystem for the co-ordination and monitoring offactors related to possible refugee flows; estab-lish a working group on early warning of refugeeflows to work out modes of co-operation and pro-cedures to develop an effective early-warning sys-tem for refugees; set up a regular inter-agencyconsul tat ive mechanism to consider concretecases and to meet urgently in case of emergen-cies; and make arrangements for UN resident co-ordinators to serve as co-ordination points forearly warning of refugee flows. The Secretary-General should make administrat ive arrange-ments to increase the capacity of the Office forResearch and the Collect ion of Information(ORCI) in early warning of refugee flows; the ex-e c u t i v e h e a d s o f r e l e v a n t U N o r g a n i z a t i o n sshould strengthen early-warning activities re-lated to refugee flows; ORCI should develop aneffective early-warning system, give priority tothe finalization of specific indicators concerningthe root causes of refugee flows, promote consul-tative discussions with relevant entities and fur-ther develop links with existing internal and ex-ternal data bases; and UN research institutionsshould disseminate information on their work re-lated to alert function by sending their productsto the entities involved.

In November [A/45/649/Add.1], the Secretary-General submitted his comments on the JIU re-port. He noted that the information and observa-tions contained therein could be useful in de-signing the UN arrangements for early warningand prevention of possible refugee flows. How-ever, the report did not sufficiently emphasize


the necessity of developing an early-warning ca-pacity at the country level and the role that couldbe played by the resident co-ordinators . TheSecretary-General agreed that the envisaged ar-rangement should extend to all displaced per-sons, but noted that the involvement of UNHCR inearly-warning activities would have to take intoaccount the scope of its mandate. He said that hewould consider arrangements to increase the ca-pacity of ORCI in early warning of refugee flowsand undertook to expedite the work related toearly warning as proposed by JIU. He indicatedthat the comments of ACC on those recommenda-tions with system-wide implications would besubmitted to the General Assembly at a later date.

AssistanceDuring 1990, UNHCR continued to co-operate

with concerned Governments and the interna-t ional community to meet the humanitar ianneeds of refugees throughout the world, as wellas in the pursuit of durable solutions, throughprogrammes of voluntary repatriation, local inte-gration and resettlement. Those efforts were af-fected by the financial constraints of the Office aswell as by requests for emergency assistance in anincreasing number of new refugee situations.

UNHCR continued its large care and mainte-nance programmes in Ethiopia ($42.4 million),Malawi ($36.3 million) and the Sudan ($13.9 mil-l ion). The deteriorat ing si tuat ion in Somaliaconsiderably hampered the implementation ofUNHCR activities in the latter part of the year andfinally led to the evacuation of all UN personnel.Assistance was provided in neighbouring coun-tries to refugees fleeing Somalia. The situationin Liberia throughout the year resulted in an in-flux of large numbers of refugees in need of as-sistance in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Le-one. Assistance provided included infrastructurein host vi l lages, and agricultural and smallincome-generat ing projects . Large care andmaintenance programmes continued throughoutSouth-East Asia, especially in Thailand ($21.4million), Hong Kong ($15.1 million) and Malay-sia ($6.1 million). In South-West Asia, the largestprogramme was in Pakistan in favour of Afghanrefugees ($44.1 million). In Latin America, carea n d m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m m e s c o n t i n u e d i nMexico ($3.3 million) and Honduras ($3.7 mil-lion).

In 1990, some $183 million was spent underGeneral and Special Programmes to promote du-rable solutions. UNHCR emphasized the need forStates to create the necessary conditions to makevoluntary repatriation a viable option, and in thatregard advocated the establishment of tripartite

commissions whenever possible. In Africa, some2,774 Namibians, mostly students from Zambia,were repatriated. Another 32,000 persons re-turned to Mozambique, including 25,800 fromMalawi, 2,500 from Zimbabwe and over 3,500from South Africa. However, the two-way re-patriation to Angola and Zaire remained sus-pended at the end of the year for financial and se-curity reasons. In Latin America, the repatriationof Nicaraguan refugees f rom Honduras andother countries in the region was successfullycompleted. In Asia, a new outbreak of violence inSri Lanka disrupted ongoing repatriation activi-ties. Under the Comprehensive Plan of Actionfor Indo-Chinese Refugees, some 5,462 refugeesreturned from Hong Kong, and smaller numbersfrom Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sin-gapore and Thailand. In addition, 1,476 personsvoluntarily returned to the Lao People’s Demo-cratic Republic and projects continued to providethem with assistance for reintegration and to at-tain self-sufficiency. Also in 1990, 70,000 Af-ghans returned home through the Voluntary Re-patriation Pilot Project, and an additional 30,000spontaneous returnees from Iran were assistedthrough the U N H C R Guest House Programme.An estimated 100,000 Afghans also returned totheir country of origin unassisted by UNHCR.

The emphasis of resettlement was on South-East Asia, where in 1990 new homes were pro-vided for 49,313 Indo-Chinese. Some 3,600 refu-gees from the Middle East and South-West Asiawere resettled. In Africa, the number of refugeesresettled was a small portion of the total refugeepopulation on the continent; a total of 4,274 werereset t led, mainly in Canada and the UnitedStates. The number of refugees resettled in LatinAmerica under the auspices of UNHCR was just1,537. The historic changes in Eastern Europe re-sulted in a marked decline in resettlement fromthe region; 1,429 persons were resettled in 1990.

UNHCR also responded to numerous requestsfor emergency assis tance. The U N H C R Emer-gency Fund was used for situations in Angola$1.6 million), Burundi and Rwanda ($0.2 mil-lion), Ethiopia ($0.5 million), Guatemala ($0.2m i l l i o n ) , t h e S u d a n ( $ 1 . 4 m i l l i o n ) , U g a n d a($0.42 million), Zaire ($1.4 million) and Zambia($0.9 million).

UNHCR promoted greater public awareness ofthe refugee problem by producing and distribut-ing a variety of written and audio-visual materi-als. Ten editions of the magazine Refugees werepublished in English, French and Spanish, six inJapanese, five in German, four in Italian and oneeach in Arabic and Greek. Other activities in-cluded the further development of relations with


the media and the organization of exhibitionsand special events.

In October, the Executive Committee ad-dressed the High Commissioner’s need for moreflexibility to respond to a range of contingencies.Subsequently, the level of the Emergency Fundwas increased from $10 million to $20 millionand the High Commissioner was authorized tospend up to $6 million in any one year for a givenemergency. The ceiling of the Working Capitaland Guarantee Fund was also raised, from $10million to $50 million.


On 14 December 1990, the General Assemblyadopted resolution 45/140 B.

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolutions 1166(XII) of 26 November

1957, 2956 B (XXVII) of 12 December 1972, 3271 B(XXIX) of 10 December 1974 and 35/41 B of 25 No-vember 1980 in connection with the Emergency Fundof the United Nations High Commissioner for Refu-gees,

Noting with appreciation the work of the ExecutiveCommittee of the Programme of the United NationsHigh Commissioner for Refugees in relation to thefunding and administration of programmes and proj-ects, including those aimed at responding to emer-gency situations,

Authorizes the Executive Committee of the Pro-gramme of the United Nations High Commissionerfor Refugees to determine in future the terms and con-ditions for the operation of the Emergency Fund of theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

General Assembly resolution 45/140 B14 December 1990 Meeting 68 Adopted without vote



Development assistanceThe presence of large numbers of refugees,

displaced persons and returnees continued tocause environmental degradation and to divertscarce human and financial resources from de-velopment efforts in already fragile economies.Recognizing the need to link refugee assistancewith economic development, UNHCR continuedto co-operate with other agencies in supportingincome-generating schemes for refugees and de-velopment projects in various host countries.

In 1990, UNHCR efforts to assist refugees anddisplaced persons was complemented by the de-velopment initiatives of other agencies. The tech-nical planning for phase III of the income-generating project for refugee areas in Pakistanhad begun. Joint project identification and ap-praisal missions were undertaken by UNHCR with

development and donor agencies. Missions wereundertaken, with the European Economic Com-munity, to Mexico, where an operational plan wasdrawn up for the Guatemalan refugee pro-gramme in Campeche, and to Viet Nam, for thedevelopment of projects for those Vietnamese re-turning home. In co-operation with the Organi-zation of African Unity, UNHCR prepared a planof action for the integration/reintegration ofRwandese refugees/returnees. Projects in Iran,Somalia and the Sudan were awaiting funding.

In May, the Administrator of the United Na-tions Development Programme (UNDP) submit-ted a report [DP/1990/66] to the UNDP GoverningCouncil on the present and future role of UNDPin the field of refugee aid and development. Thereport reviewed the impact of the growing num-bers of refugees and displaced persons on tem-porary and permanent host environments, creat-ing an impediment to development; divertingscarce resources; and engendering hostile reac-tions as their presence created economic hard-ships. It focused on the role of UNDP in helping tobridge the gap between relief assistance and de-velopment. Among the future strategies recom-mended were inclusion of the problem of dis-placement as a new criterion for calculatingindicative planning figure levels; co-ordinationof overall UN assistance in the field; continuedcollaboration between UNDP and UNHCR in for-mulating programmes and mobilizing resources;establishment of a trust fund; promotion of thefullest participation of NGOs in refugee rehabili-tation; integration of women into mainstream ac-tivities relating to refugees and development ef-forts; and the establishment of a focal point forUN policy on the matter.

On 22 June [E/1990/29 (dec. 90/22) ], the Govern-ing Council encouraged UNDP to assist Govern-ments to assess the impact and take into accountthe problems of refugees, displaced persons andreturnees in their development plans and pro-grammes, which could help attract additionalco-financing or other resources. It invited the Ad-ministrator to participate with UNHCR in rehabili-tation, reconstruction and long-term develop-ment of areas affected by massive populationdisplacements and to collaborate with UNHCR, theUnited Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), theWorld Health Organization (WHO), the Interna-tional Labour Organisation (ILO), the World FoodProgramme (WFP), the United Nations Popula-tion Fund and the United Nations Volunteers andNGOs in providing assistance. The GoverningCouncil authorized the Administrator to utilizefor the remainder of the fourth programmingcycle (1987-1991) up to $500,000 from the SpecialProgramme Resources allocation for disaster-


relief activities, for the assessment of needs causedby population displacements. It requested UNDP

to train its field staff and that of national Govern-ments to react effectively in situations of popula-tion displacements and to plan rehabilitation ac-t ivi t ies . I t invited the Economic and SocialCouncil to request the Secretary-General to initi-ate a UN system-wide review to assess the experi-ence and capacity of organizations of the systemin assisting refugees and in supporting affectedcountries.

In October, the UNHCR Executive Committeecal led on the High Commissioner to assuregreater inter-agency co-operation in respondingto the needs of refugees and in seeking to comple-ment the Office’s humanitarian endeavours withdevelopment initiatives from specialized agen-cies. It called on member Governments to supportthose efforts in the governing bodies of thoseagencies.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION

On 27 July, the Economic and Social Counciladopted r e so lu t ion 1990 /78 .

Refugees, displaced persons and returneesThe Economic and Social Council,Recalling decision 90/22 adopted on 22 June 1990 by

the Governing Council of the United Nations Develop-ment Programme at its thirty-seventh session,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 44/137 of 15December 1989, in which, inter alia, the Assembly in-vited the agencies of the United Nations system, as wellas all other relevant international organizations, bothgovernmental and non-governmental, to establish assoon as possible specific mechanisms of co-operationto assure an agreed division of responsibilities and ar-rangements for the financing of operational activitiesrelating to refugees, while preserving the mandate ofthe United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,

Noting the substantial increase in the number of refu-gees, displaced persons and returnees and their impacton the development prospects of the often fragile eco-nomic infrastructure of the countries concerned,

Realizing the immense human suffering occasionedby the phenomenon of mass population movements re-sulting from conflict, natural and man-made disastersand war,

Recognizing that relief, rehabilitation, reconstruc-tion and development are part of the same continuum,and stressing that the impact of refugees and displacedpersons on the development prospects of affectedcountries is frequently severe, multifaceted and re-quires a system-wide approach in order to ensure thatthe full spectrum of their needs is covered and thatserving those needs should complement the develop-ment efforts of the affected countries,

Recognizing the primacy of the mandate of the Officeof the United Nations High Commissioner for Refu-gees in providing international protection and assist-ance to refugees and in seeking durable solutions totheir problems, and commending the efforts beingmade by the Office in that regard,

1. Requests the Secretary-General to initiate aUnited Nations system-wide review to assess the expe-rience and capacity of various organizations in the co-ordination of assistance to all refugees, displaced per-sons and returnees, and the full spectrum of theirneeds, in supporting the efforts of the affected coun-tries;

2. Also requests the Secretary-General, on the basis ofthe system-wide review and within existing resources,to recommend ways of maximizing co-operation andco-ordination among the various organizations of theUnited Nations system in order to ensure an effectiveresponse by the United Nations system to the problemsof refugees, displaced persons and returnees, keepingin mind the mandates of the United Nations organiza-tions concerned;

3. Further requests the Secretary-General to reporton the results of the system-wide review and on the rec-ommendations emanating therefrom to the Economicand Social Council at its second regular session of 1991.

Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/7827 July 1990 Meeting 37 Adopted without vote

Approved by Third Committee (E/1990/115), 24 July (meeting 17); 12-nation draft (E/1990/C.3/L.16); agenda item 9.

International instrumentsAs at 31 December 1990, the 1951 Convention

relating to the Status of Refugees [YUN 1951, P. 520]

had been ratified or acceded to by 103 States andthe 1967 Protocol to the Convention [YUN 1967,p. 769] had 104 States parties as a result of the 1990accession of Belize to both instruments.

Other intergovernmental legal instruments ofbenefit to refugees included the 1957 Agreementrelating to Refugee Seamen and its 1973 Proto-col, the 1959 European Agreement on the Aboli-tion of Visas for Refugees, the 1969 Conventiongoverning the Specific Aspects of Refugee Prob-lems in Africa, the 1969 American Convention onHuman Rights, Pact of San Jose, Costa Rica, andthe 1980 European Agreement on Transfer of Re-sponsibility for Refugees.

As at 31 December 1990, there were 37 Statesparties to the 1954 Convention relating to theStatus of Stateless Persons [YUN 1954, p. 416] and 15States parties to the 1961 Convention on the Re-duction of Statelessness [YUN 1961. p. 533].

UNHCR programme and finances

Programme policyAt its forty-first session (Geneva, 1-5 October)

[A/45/12/Add.1], the Executive Committee of theProgramme of the United Nations High Com-missioner for Refugees reaff i rmed the HighCommissioner’s central and basic role in interna-


tional protection of refugees. It expressed con-cern that refugee protection was seriously jeop-ardized in many countries through expulsion,refoulement and threats to the security, dignity andwell-being of refugees, and, noting the link be-tween protect ion and reset t lement , cal led onStates to assist refugees in need of resettlementand on the international community to continueto share the burden of refugee assistance withcountries of first asylum. The Committee ex-pressed concern about the lack of adequate inter-national protection for various groups of refu-gees, including a large number of Palestinians,and urged continued efforts within the UN sys-tem to address their needs.

Noting the widespread violations of the rightsof refugee women, the Committee approved theUNHCR policy on refugee women and invited theOffice to develop comprehensive guidelines togive effect to that policy. It urged States, relevantUN organizat ions and non-governmental or-ganizations (NGOs) dealing with refugees to en-sure that the needs of refugee women were inte-grated into their programmes and activities, andto encourage refugee women to participate in theplanning and implementation of assistance pro-grammes.

Realizing that the problem of refugees in Af-rica had assumed alarming proportions, and thatAfrican countries, despite their limited resources,continued to host and provide assistance to mil-l ions of refugees, the Execut ive Committeecalled on the international community to provideadequate resources to enable the High Commis-sioner, in co-operation with other organizations,to discharge his mandate. The Committee recog-nized that substantial progress had been achievedin the implementat ion of the ComprehensivePlan of Action of the 1989 International Confer-ence on Indo-Chinese Refugees [YUN 1989, p. 707]and emphasized the need for continued efforts toensure full implementation of all elements of thePlan. Concerning the repatriation of Cambodianrefugees under the framework for a comprehen-sive political settlement of the Cambodia conflictendorsed by the Security Council in Septemberby re so lu t ion 668(1990) , the Committee cal ledon the High Commissioner to work with theSecretary-General to ensure that the financialand other requirements for repatriation and re-integration programmes were adequately and ur-gently addressed in UN overall planning. TheCommittee noted the valuable role of various as-sistance programmes of repatriation and integra-tion within the context of the 1989 InternationalConference on Central American Refugees (Cl-REFCA) [YUN 1989. p. 709], and urged the High

Commissioner to continue to support, throughthe CIREFCA Joint Support Unit, Governments inthe region and to strengthen collaboration withthe Uni ted Nat ions Development Programme(UNDP) in implementing development projectsfor refugees and returnees.

The Committee endorsed the allocation underGeneral Programmes of $340.9 million (includ-ing $10 million for the Emergency Fund) for1990, and $345.6 million for 1991.

At its extraordinary session (Geneva, 28-30May) [A/AC.96/747], the Executive Committee ap-proved the revised target of General Programmeactivities for 1990 of $378.9 million and adoptedthe report of the Temporary Working Group onP r o g r a m m e , B u d g e t a r y , A d m i n i s t r a t i v e a n dOrganizational Matters containing recommen-dat ions on the most effect ive use of U N H C R

funds, bearing in mind the severe financial con-straints imposed on the Office (see below).


By decision 1990/260 of 17 July 1990, the Eco-nomic and Social Council transmitted the reportof the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees [A/45/12] to the General Assembly at itsforty-fifth (1990) session.


O n 1 4 D e c e m b e r , t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l yadopted resolution 45/ 140 A.

The General Assembly,Having considered the report of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees on the activities ofhis Office, as well as the report of the Executive Com-mittee of the Programme of the High Commissioneron the work of its forty-first session, noting the state-ment made by the Officer-in-Charge of the Office ofthe High Commissioner on 15 November 1990, andhaving considered the report of the Secretary-Generalon the International Conference on Indo-ChineseRefugees,

Recalling its resolutions 44/137 and 44/138 of 15 De-cember 1989,

Reaffirming the purely humanitarian and non-political character of the activities of the Office of theHigh Commissioner, as well as the fundamental im-portance of the High Commissioner’s internationalprotection function and the need for States to co-operate with the High Commissioner in the exercise ofthis primary and essential responsibility,

Noting with satisfaction that one hundred and sevenStates are now parties to the 1951 Convention and/orthe 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees,

Welcoming the valuable support extended by Govern-ments to the Office of the High Commissioner in car-rying out its humanitarian tasks,

Noting with concern that refugee protection continuesto be seriously jeopardized in many States, includingthrough expulsion, refoulement and other threats to thephysical security, dignity and well-being of refugees,


Commending the Office of the High Commissionerfor its efforts to continue to address the special prob-lems and needs of refugee and displaced women andchildren, who in many cases are exposed to a variety ofdifficult situations affecting their physical and legalprotection as well as their psychological and materialwell-being,

Emphasizing the need for States to assist, on as wide abasis as possible, the efforts of the Office of the HighCommissioner in its search for durable and timely so-lutions to the problems of refugees based on new ap-proaches that meet the current size and characteristicsof these problems and are built on respect for funda-mental human rights and basic internationally agreedprotection principles and concerns,

Aware of the need for the international community tocontinue to provide adequate resettlement opportuni-ties for those refugees for whom no other durable solu-tion is in sight,

Commending those States which, despite severe eco-nomic and development problems of their own, con-tinue to admit large numbers of refugees and displacedpersons of concern to the Office of the High Commis-sioner into their territories, and emphasizing the needto share the burden of these States to the maximum ex-tent possible through international assistance, includ-ing development-oriented assistance,

Aware also that the application of the principle of in-ternational solidarity implies an improved sharing ofresponsibilities and arrangements between relevantagencies of the United Nations system and other con-cerned governmental and non-governmental organi-zations for the financing and implementation of re-lated activities and that such activities need also includespecific development assistance to avert new flows ofrefugees as well as to solve problems of refugees and re-turnees and areas hosting them,

Commending the Office of the High Commissionerand its staff for the dedicated manner in which theydischarge their responsibilities, and paying tribute tothose staff members who have endangered their livesin the course of their duties,

1. Strongly reaffirms the fundamental nature of thefunction of the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees to provide internationalprotection and the need-for States to co-operate fullywith the Office in fulfilling this function. in particularby acceding to and fully and effectively implementingthe relevant international and regional refugee instru-ments;

2. Recognizes the urgent need to put all issues re-lated to refugees, asylum-seekers and other migratoryflows firmly on the international political agenda. es-pecially in view of the fortieth anniversary of the Officeof the High Commissioner and the 1951 Convention re-lating to the Status of Refugees, and in this connectionwelcomes initiatives to promote further awareness ofand support for the Office, including accessions to thisinstrument;

3. Calls upon all States to refrain from taking meas-ures that jeopardize the institution of asylum, in par-ticular returning or expelling refugees and asylum-seekers contrary to fundamental prohibitions againstthese practices, and urges States to ensure proper de-termination procedures and to continue to give hu-mane treatment and to grant asylum to refugees;

4. Condemns violations of the rights and safety ofrefugees and asylum-seekers, in particular those per-petrated by military or armed attacks on refugee campsand settlements, forced recruitment into armed forcesand other forms of violence, and reiterates the conclu-sions on military and armed attacks on refugee campsand settlements adopted by the Executive Committeeof the Programme of the United Nations High Com-missioner for Refugees at its thirty-eighth session;

5. Calls upon States to give high priority to the rightsof refugee children and to their survival, protectionand development as reflected in the Convention on theRights of the Child and in the World Declaration onthe Survival, Protection and Development of Childrenand the Plan of Action for Implementing the WorldDeclaration on the Survival, Protection and Develop-ment of Children in the 1990s. adopted by the WorldSummit for Children in New York on 30 September1990;

6. Endorses the High Commissioner’s policy onrefugee women, which-provides for the integration ofrefugee women into all the programmes of the Officeof the High Commissioner, as welt as the conclusion onrefugee women and international protection adoptedby the Executive Committee of the Programme of theHigh Commissioner at its forty-first session;

7. Urges States, relevant agencies of the United Na-tions system and other international intergovernmen-tal and non-governmental organizations to support theimplementation of the policy on refugee womenthrough their own efforts;

8. Recognizes the importance of attaining durablesolutions to refugee problems and, in particular, theneed to address in this process the root causes of refu-gee movements in order to avert new flows of refugeesand to facilitate the solution of existing problems;

9. Underlines the concept of State responsibility par-ticularly as it relates to the countries of origin, includ-ing addressing root causes and facilitating voluntaryrepatriation and the return of their nationals who arenot refugees;

10. Urges all States to support the Office of the HighCommissioner in its efforts to search for durable solu-tions to the problem of refugees and displaced personsof concern to the Office, primarily through voluntaryrepatriation or return, which remain the most desir-able solution to the problem of refugees, or, whereverappropriate, through integration into countries of asy-lum or through resettlement in third countries;

11. Welcomes the decision of the Executive Commit-tee of the Programme of the High Commissioner at itsextraordinary session in May 1990 to adopt the reportof the Temporary Working Group established by theExecutive Committee at its fortieth session, and callsupon all parties concerned to continue to implementthe recommendations contained in that report;

12. Endorses the decisions on administrative and fi-nancial matters adopted by the Executive Committeeof the Programme of the High Commissioner at itsforty-first session, and notes with satisfaction the ef-forts under way to find an appropriate mechanism thatwill address the need of the High Commissioner tohave a higher degree of flexibility to ensure funding ofongoing-needs under approved general programmesand of initial emergency needs under special pro-


grammes pending the receipt of contributionspledged:

13. Calls upon the High Commissioner to sustain hisefforts in assuring greater inter-agency co-operation inresponding to the needs of refugees and, in particular,in seeking to complement the humanitarian endeav-ours of the Office of the High Commissioner with de-velopment initiatives from specialized agencies so as toattain, in an effective and efficient manner, furtherand more concrete results towards achieving durablesolutions, and calls upon the member Governments tosupport these efforts in the governing bodies of theseagencies;

14. Welcomes Economic and Social Council resolu-tion 1990/78 of 27 July 1990, in which, inter alia, theCouncil requested the Secretary-General, within exist-ing resources, to initiate, with a view to recommendingways of maximizing co-operation and co-ordinationamong the various organizations of the United Nationssystem, a system-wide review to assess the experienceand capacity of these organizations in the co-ordination of assistance to all refugees, displaced per-sons and returnees, and the full spectrum of theirneeds, in supporting the efforts of the affected coun-tries, and to report on the results to the Economic andSocial Council at its second regular session of 1991;

15. Endorses the conclusion on the note on interna-tional protection adopted by the Executive Committeeof the Programme of the High Commissioner at itsforty-first session, in which, in particular, the Execu-tive Committee recognized the importance of humanrights and humanitarian principles and recognizedthat the current size and characteristics of the refugeeand asylum problem necessitate appropriate reassess-ment of international responses to the problem to date,with a view to developing comprehensive approachesto meet present realities, and at the same time notedthe difference between refugees and persons seeking tomigrate for economic and related reasons;

16. Also endorses, with these objectives in mind, theconclusion on solutions and protection adopted by theExecutive Committee of the Programme of the HighCommissioner at its forty-first session, in which the Ex-ecutive Committee noted the establishment of theWorking Group on Solutions and Protection, whichwill present a report to the Executive Committee at itsforty-second session;

17. Further endorses the conclusions of the ExecutiveCommittee of the Programme of the High Commis-sioner at its forty-first session on the implementationof the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indo-ChineseRefugees and on repatriation to Cambodia, welcomesthe decision of the Secretary-General to designate theHigh Commissioner as his Special Representative toco-ordinate efforts with all parties concerned to pro-mote the phased and orderly return of non-refugees ina manner that is fully compatible with the humanitari-an mandate of his Office and under conditions ofsafety and dignity, and requests the Secretary-Generalto continue to monitor closely the progress towards theimplementation of these conclusions and to report tothe General Assembly at its forty-sixth session;

18. Endorses the conclusions on the InternationalConference on Central American Refugees and on thesituation of refugees in Africa, adopted by the Execu-

tive Committee of the Programme of the High Com-missioner at its forty-first session, and calls upon theOffice of the High Commissioner and all other partiesconcerned to continue their efforts in implementingthese conclusions;

19. Expresses deep appreciation for the valuable mate-rial and humanitarian response of receiving countries,in particular those developing countries which, despitelimited resources, continue to admit large numbers ofrefugees and asylum-seekers on a permanent or tem-porary basis;

20. Urges the international community, includingnon-governmental organizations, in accordance withthe principle of international solidarity and in thespirit of burden-sharing, to continue to assist the coun-tries referred to in paragraph 19 above and the HighCommissioner in order to enable them to cope with theadditional burden that the care for refugees andasylum-seekers represents;

21. Calls upon all Governments to contribute to theHigh Commissioner’s programmes and, taking into ac-count the need to achieve greater burden-sharingamong donors, to assist the High Commissioner in se-curing additional and timely income from traditionalgovernmental sources, other Governments and the pri-vate sector in order to ensure that the needs of refu-gees, returnees and displaced persons of concern tothe Office of the High Commissioner are met.

General Assembly resolution 45/140 A14 December 1990 Meeting 68 Adopted without vote

Approved by Third Committee (A/45/763) without vote, 28 November(meeting 55); 44-nation draft (A/C.3/45/L.64), orally revised; agendaitem 107.


Financial and administrative questionsThe financial limitations, which UNHCR faced

in 1989, continued to a greater extent in 1990 anddid not allow the Office to provide the level of as-sistance that it otherwise would have. UNHCR to-tal expenditure in 1990 amounted to $544 mil-l ion which, compared to 1989, represented adecrease of $26.3 million. Some $331.3 millionwas spent under General Programmes and $212.7mil l ion under Special Programmes and othert r u s t f u n d s . T o t a l c o n t r i b u t i o n s f o r 1 9 9 0amounted to $567.3 million.

Special appeals were made in 1990 to respondto new situations, such as the two-way, voluntaryr e pa t r i a t i on ope r a t i on be t w e e n A ngo l a a ndZaire, the massive exodus of Liberians intoneighbouring countries, the emergency assist-ance required in Sri Lanka, the ComprehensivePlan of Action for Indo-Chinese Refugees andthe repatriation operation from Honduras andCosta Rica to Nicaragua.

The Executive Committee in 1989 had notedthe budget for 1990 General Programmes of$414.4 million and imposed a ceiling on obliga-tions of $190 million for the first six months of


the year. In view of that restriction, the workingbudget for the 1990 General Programmes was ad-justed to $340 million.

R e v i s e d e s t i m a t e s f o r 1 9 9 0 G e n e r a l P r o -grammes were submitted to the extraordinarysession of the Execut ive Commit tee in May[A/AC.96/747]. The Executive Committee ap-proved the revised target of $340.9 million (in-cluding $10 million for the Emergency Fund),which, together with the carry-over of $38 mil-lion from 1989, amounted to $378.9 million.

In October , the Execut ive Commit tee ap-proved the country and area programmes andthe overall allocations for 1991 General Pro-grammes amounting to $345.6 million (includ-ing $10 million for the Emergency Fund).

ContributionsC o n t r i b u t i o n s t o U N H C R a s s i s t a n c e p r o -

grammes in cash and kind in 1990 totalled $567.3million, compared to $507.3 million in 1989.Seventy-five Governments made contributions to-talling $498.4 million, while international andnon-governmental organizat ions contr ibutedsome $68 million. Donor support continued to bevery strong and several donors increased their to-tal contributions by up to 60 per cent in absoluteterms, with an increase of 12 per cent on the totalcontributions figure of $507 million in 1989.

Government pledges of $141 million were an-nounced at the 20 November 1990 meeting of theAd Hoc Committee of the General Assembly forthe Announcement of Voluntary Contributionsto the 1991 Programme of UNHCR.

In May, the Executive Committee, expressingconcern about the serious financial problems fac-ing UNHCR, called on the international commu-nity and UNHCR to join in common efforts to mo-bilize resources.

In October, it called on donors to consider ur-gently additional contributions to ensure timelyand full funding of activities programmed for1990 to allow UNHCR the flexibility to allocatefunds according to the most pressing needs. Iturged early announcement of 1991 contributionsand called on non-contributing Governments toprovide financial support to offset the shortfall infunds in relation to assessed needs. The Commit-tee also called on Governments to provide the fi-nancial resources that would enable UNHCR topursue new ways of broadening its income base. Itrequested the High Commissioner to continue ne-gotiations for an increase of the UN regular bud-get participation in the administrative costs ofUNHCR for 1992-1993. The Executive Committeenoted the High Commissioner’s proposal to estab-lish a special contingency account. It recognizedhis need for a higher degree of flexibility to en-

sure funding of ongoing needs and of ini t ia lemergency needs pending the receipt of contri-butions pledged. Accordingly, it requested him toseek the advice of the Advisory Committee on Ad-ministrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ)on proposals for appropriate mechanisms thatwould address that need and to submit a proposalto the Sub-Committee on Administrative and Fi-nancial Matters for endorsement.

1989 accountsThe audited financial statements of the volun-

tary funds administered by UNHCR for the yearending 31 December 1989 showed total expendi-tures of $570.3 million and income of $533.6 mil-lion [A/45/5/Add.5]. The Board of Auditors rec-ommended that UNHCR explore the possibility ofobtaining guaranteed income as a complement tovoluntary contributions, which were becomingunpredictable.

ACABQ in an October report [A/45/570], recom-mended that the purpose of funds channelledthrough UNHCR to refugee programmes carriedout by third parties should be clearly reflected infinancial documents and the purpose should beconsistent with UNHCR’S policies and objectives.

The General Assembly, in resolution 45/235of 21 December, accepted the financial reportand audited financial statements of UNHCR andendorsed the observat ions and recommenda-tions of the Board of Auditors and ACABQ.

Administrative and personnel issuesThe U N H C R Execut ive Committee approved

the transfer in 1991 of up to $300,000 from theGeneral Programme Reserve to the Fund forField Staff Housing and Basic Amenit ies. I turged the Office to pursue outstanding issues re-lated to the recommendations of the TemporaryWorking Group and to report thereon to theSub-Committee on Administrative and FinancialMatters.

The Executive Committee supported the HighCommissioner’s action to phase reductions instaffing levels through retrenchment and attri-tion, vacancy management, redeployment withinUNHCR and transfer to other UN agencies, andrequested the Secretary-General to assis t theHigh Commissioner in implementing that deci-sion. It authorized the High Commissioner tomeet the costs relating to General Programmesof the staff retrenchment exercise (estimated atbetween $2.5 million and $2.9 million) from the1990-1991 Programme Reserve, on the under-s tanding that such costs would be absorbedwithin the approved allocations for support costs.


Enlargement of Executive Committee

On 17 May 1990 [E/1990/89], the Philippinesrequested that the Economic and Social Councildiscuss, under the agenda item on the report ofthe High Commissioner, the membership of theUNHCR Executive Committee. The Philippinespointed to the need to enlarge the membershipt o i n c l u d e m o r e m e m b e r s f r o m S o u t h - E a s tAsian countr ies , which, l ike the Phil ippines,c o n t i n u e d t o h o s t l a r g e n u m b e r s o f I n d o -Chinese refugees.


On 24 July, the Economic and Social Counciladopted r e so lu t ion 1990 /55 .

Enlargement of the Executive Committee ofthe Programme of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees

The Economic and Social Council,Recalling General Assembly resolution 1166(XII) of

26 November 1957, in which the Assembly provided forthe establishment of an Executive Committee of theProgramme of the United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees, as well as Assembly resolutions1958(XVIII) of 12 December 1963, 2294(XXII) of 11December 1967 and 42/130 of 7 December 1987, inwhich it provided for subsequent increases in the mem-bership of the Executive Committee,

Taking note of the note verbale dated 17 May 1990from the Permanent Representative of the Philip-pines to the United Nat ions addressed to theSecretary-General regarding the enlargement of themembership of the Executive Committee of the Pro-gramme of the United Nations High Commissionerfor Refugees,

Recommends the General Assembly to take a deci-sion at its forty-fifth session on the question of en-larging the membership of the Executive Commit-tee of the Programme of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees from forty-three toforty-four.

Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/5524 July 1990 Meeting 34 Adopted without vote

B-nation draft (E/1990/L.38); agenda item 15.Sponsors: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia. Mauritania, Philip-

pines, Thailand.Meeting numbers. ESC 31, 33, 34.

On 27 September [E /1990 /121 ] , Ethiopia re-quested that the membership of the ExecutiveCommittee be enlarged with a view to its candi-dacy for membership.

In d e c i s i o n 1 9 9 0 / 2 8 5 o f 9 N o v e m b e r , t h eCouncil decided to consider Ethiopia’s request atits organizational session for 1991.



Enlargement of the Executive Committee ofthe Programme of the United Nations

High Commissioner for RefugeesThe General Assembly,Taking note of Economic and Social Council resolu-

tion 1990/55 of 24 July 1990 on the enlargement of theExecutive Committee of the Programme of the UnitedNations High Commissioner for Refugees,

Taking note also of the note verbale dated 17 May 1990from the Permanent Representative of the Philippines tothe United Nations addressed to the Secretary-Generalregarding the enlargement of the Executive Committeeof the Programme of the High Commissioner,

1. Decides to increase the membership of the Execu-tive Committee of the Programme of the United Na-tions High Commissioner for Refugees from forty-three to forty-four;

2. Requests the Economic and Social Council to electthe one additional member at its first regular sessionof 1991.


Approved by Third Committee (A/45/763) without vote. 28 November(meeting 55); 20-nation draft (AC.3/45/L.61); agenda item 107.

Meeting numbers. GA 45th session: 3rd Committee 43-47,49, 55; ple-nary 68.

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