CM/Res.1022 (XLIII) RESOLUTION ON THE REFUGEE SITUATION IN AFRICA
The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting at its Forty- third Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 25 February to 4 March, 1986,
Having examined the report of the OAU Secretary-General on the activities of the OAU Secretariat in relation to the refugee situation in Africa, as well as the report on the activities of the OAU Commission of Fifteen on Refugees,
Noting with satisfaction the measures taken by both the General Secretariat as well as the Commission of Fifteen on Refugees to tackle this human tragedy, especially those measures relating to finding durable solutions to the problem,
Noting with gratitude the support and assistance that have always been extended to the refugees by the various OAU Member States,
Noting further that some OAU Member States have not as yet acceded to the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, to the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
Recalling the earlier decision of the OAU Council of Ministers to create a Special Refugee Contingency Fund aimed at assisting the refugees directly, as well as enabling the countries of asylum to cope with the extra burden created by the presence of refugees,
Recalling further Resolutions CM / Res. 987 (XLII) on the root causes of refugees and CM/Res. 989 (XLII) on the Refugee situation in Africa of the 42nd Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers,
Recognizing the serious refugee situation currently obtaining in Southern Africa caused by the abhorrent apartheid and destabilization policies of the racist regime of South Africa:
TAKES NOTE of the reports of the Secretary-General and the OAU Commission of Fifteen on Refugees on the situation of refugees in Africa;
APPEALS once more to Member States that have not done so to urgently accede to the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees and to its 1967 Protocol, to the 1969 OAU Convention governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa as well as to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights;
ENCOURAGES Member States concerned with the Refugee problem in Africa to pursue their efforts in order to promote conditions conducive to the implementation of the best durable solution, namely, voluntary repatriation;
CALLS ON Member States, international and inter-governmental Organizations, particularly the UNHCR, voluntary agencies involved in the field of refugee work to consider contributing to the Special Refugee Contingency Fund so as to enable the OAU to implement its refugee programmes;
CALLS FURTHER ON the international community to extend material and financial assistance to the Frontline and other neighboring States in order to enable them to cope with the situation of refugees and displaced persons caused by apartheid and the destabilization policies of the racist regime of South Africa;
EXPRESSES its appreciation to the international community for the Emergency Assistance provided to OAU Member States in 1985 during the influxes of refugees and returnees and strongly appeals to it for the continued provision of the necessary resources to the concerned states, to the UNHCR
and other humanitarian organizations in order to enable them to adequately meet the needs of the refugees and returnees as regards emergency relief as well as rehabilitation assistance;
DRAWS the attention of the international community to the urgent need to continue to provide funds for the implementation of the projects submitted to the Second International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa (ICARA II).