Decision on the Situation of Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons

DECISION ON THE SITUATION OF REFUGEES.
RETURNEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS
Doc. EX/CL/44 (III)

The Executive Council:

1. EXPRESSES serious concern at the magnitude and the recurrence of the refugee phenomenon in Africa, and underscores the imperative need to address the root causes thereof;

2. EXPRESSES its profound gratitude to asylum countries for their generous hospitality and APPEALS to the international community to share the burden equitably through increased and sustained, assistance to the concerned States and populations;

3. WELCOMES the laudable efforts deployed by some countries of origin in collaboration with the UNHCR to ensure effective legal protection of refugees and enhance their voluntary repatriation in conditions of security and dignity;

4. EXPRESSES SATISFACTION, in this regard, at the take-off of the repatriation operations in some countries of origin where conducive conditions have been put in place and APPEALS to Member States and the international community at large to provide substantial assistance to the concerned countries and humanitarian organizations towards the socio-economic reintegration of returnees under the best possible conditions;

5. ALSO EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the initiatives of some asylum countries in integrating refugees in pursuance of a policy designed to make the refugees a crucial actor of social and economic development; and CALLS UPON Member States to, as far as possible, incorporate in their national and regional development plans, the specific problems of refugees;

6. WELCOMES the excellent relations of cooperation existing between the African Union and the UNHCR, particularly the efforts deployed to execute the priority activities contained in the Comprehensive Implementation Plan and the International Refugee Protection Agenda;

7. CONDEMNS the serious acts of violence perpetrated against civilian populations including refugees and displaced persons and URGES the parties in conflict to scrupulously observe the International Humanitarian Law;

8. CALLS UPON the international community to accord the issue of displaced persons in Africa an attention commensurate with the precarious nature of their existence and EXHORTS the concerned government to work in partnership with the international community representatives to develop an appropriate response to the problem;

9. NOTES WITH GRATITUDE the efforts deployed by the Commission of the African Union in favour of refugees in an attempt to find a lasting solution to the problem of refugees and displaced persons in Africa, and CALLS FOR increased mobilization of additional resources to more effectively meet the needs of refugees and displaced persons;

10. WELCOMES the field visits and underscores the need to proceed to all the concerned countries within the limits of available resources, and to provide them with substantial assistance commensurate with the problems posed by refugees in their territories;

11. EXPRESSES CONCERN at the financial crisis facing the UNHCR which has led to the reduction of the activities of this agency particularly in Africa, and APPEALS to the UNHCR traditional donors to continue to provide the agency with adequate funding to enable it to successfully carry out its numerous programmes in Africa;

12. REQUESTS the Commission to continue to monitor the situation of refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa, and to closely COLLABORATE with the United Nations, particularly the UNHCR and other concerned humanitarian organizations in finding lasting solutions to the problem in conformity with the pertinent legal instruments.