CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE ... - UNHCR

The Executive Committee,
1997 (Executive Committee—48 th Session)
CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED
BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
ON INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF REFUGEES 1
No. 81 (XLVII) GENERAL (1997)
(a) Welcomes the fact that despite the increasing complexity of refugee crises, States in many parts of the
world continue to grant asylum to refugees, both on an individual basis and in situations of mass influx;
(b) Strongly deplores the serious and often brutal violations of the human rights of refugees, returnees and
displaced persons during the past year, and remains particularly preoccupied with the situation of refugees,
asylum-seekers, and displaced persons in central Africa;
(c) Reiterates the fundamental importance of the international protection of refugees, as well as the
mandated role of UNHCR in this regard, and acknowledges with appreciation the contribution made by the High
Commissioner, in cooperation with States and concerned agencies, to promote the protection of refugees and to
facilitate lasting solutions; acknowledges also the efforts of the High Commissioner, working together with
other humanitarian and development organizations, as well as with States, to contribute to the resolution of
refugee crises and to address their root causes;
(d) Emphasizes that refugee protection is primarily the responsibility of States, and that UNHCR’s
mandated role in this regard cannot substitute for effective action, political will, and full cooperation on the part
of States, including host States and countries of origin, as well as other international organizations, and the
international community as a whole;
(e) Calls on States to take all necessary measures to ensure that refugees are effectively protected,
including through national legislation, and in compliance with their obligations under international human rights
and humanitarian law instruments bearing directly on refugee protection, as well as through full cooperation
with UNHCR in the exercise of its international protection function and its role in supervising the application of
international conventions for the protection of refugees;
(f) Calls upon States to consider, including through competent organs of the United Nations and other
relevant international organizations, steps that could be taken to assist the High Commissioner in strengthening
implementation of the principles of international protection in situations, including, in particular, in complex
emergencies, where refugee protection is threatened;
(g) Stresses the importance of the role played by this Committee in providing guidance and forging
consensus on vital protection policies and practices, and, in this connection, emphasizes the need for due regard
to be paid to the Conclusions of the Executive Committee;
(h) Reaffirms Conclusion No. 80 (XLVIII), and notes that a comprehensive approach to refugee protection
comprises, inter alia, respect for all human rights; the principle of non-refoulement; access, consistent with the
1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, of all asylum-seekers to fair and effective procedures for determining
status and protection needs; no rejection at frontiers without the application of these procedures; asylum; the
provision of any necessary material assistance; and the identification of durable solutions which recognize
human dignity and worth;
(i) Recognizes the fundamental importance of the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits expulsion
and return of refugees in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where their lives or freedom
would be threatened on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or
political opinion, whether or not they have formally been granted refugee status, or of persons in respect of
whom there are substantial grounds for believing that they would be in danger of being subjected to torture, as
set forth in the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment;
1 Contained in United Nations General Assembly Document No. 12A (A/52/12/Add.1)
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