CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE ... - UNHCR
CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE ... - UNHCR
CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE ... - UNHCR
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2004 (Executive Committee—55 th Session)<br />
<strong>CONCLUSIONS</strong> <strong>ADOPTED</strong><br />
<strong>BY</strong> <strong>THE</strong> <strong>EXECUTIVE</strong> COMMITTEE ON <strong>THE</strong> INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF REFUGEES 1<br />
The Executive Committee,<br />
No. 99 (LV) – GENERAL (2004)<br />
(a) Welcomes the information on implementation of the Agenda for Protection by <strong>UNHCR</strong>, States and<br />
non-governmental organizations contained in this year's Note on International Protection 2 ; notes that the<br />
Agenda for Protection was welcomed by the General Assembly of the United Nations 3 ; emphasizes its<br />
continuing importance; and encourages all concerned actors to provide timely information on their own followup<br />
activities to enable <strong>UNHCR</strong> to comply with the Executive Committee's request to be kept informed, through<br />
its Standing Committee, of the progress achieved and initiatives taken to implement the Agenda for Protection;<br />
(b) Encourages States, <strong>UNHCR</strong>, other inter-governmental as well as non-governmental organizations to<br />
identify opportunities particularly at the national and regional level to cooperate and to consider their respective<br />
contributions to the implementation of the Agenda's Programme of Action;<br />
(c) Welcomes the accession of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the 1967 Protocol; appeals to States<br />
which have not acceded to the 1951 Convention and/or the 1967 Protocol to consider doing so and to States<br />
which have made reservations to these instruments to consider lifting them; and reiterates the central place of<br />
these instruments in the international refugee protection regime and the importance of their full implementation;<br />
(d) Notes with appreciation the sustained efforts by <strong>UNHCR</strong> to address concerns relating to the protection<br />
needs of refugee women and children, including through a range of measures which aim to assure the<br />
implementation of the High Commissioner's five commitments to refugee women, as well as the translation into<br />
concrete action of the five global concerns for refugee children; and calls on <strong>UNHCR</strong> to report on the results of<br />
its implementation of these initiatives;<br />
(e) Recognizes that some countries of asylum, in particular developing countries and countries in transition<br />
which host large numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers, carry a heavy burden; and reiterates in this regard its<br />
strong commitment to international solidarity and burden and responsibility sharing;<br />
(f) Recalls its Conclusion No. 91 (LII) on registration of refugees and asylum-seekers; reiterates the<br />
fundamental importance of early registration as a key protection tool and the critical role of material, financial,<br />
technical and human resources in assisting host countries in registering and documenting refugees and asylumseekers,<br />
particularly developing countries confronted with large-scale influxes and protracted refugee situations;<br />
welcomes in this context the significant progress achieved in the area of registration as evidenced by the ongoing<br />
roll-out of registration and documentation activities under the auspices of Project Profile; and encourages States<br />
and <strong>UNHCR</strong> to continue their work in this regard with the assistance of other relevant actors as appropriate;<br />
(g) Welcomes the development of asylum legislation and the establishment of processes for status<br />
determination and admission in a number of countries, often with the help and advice of <strong>UNHCR</strong>; encourages<br />
the States concerned to continue to strengthen their capacity; and welcomes in this regard the technical and<br />
financial support of other States and <strong>UNHCR</strong> as appropriate;<br />
(h) Welcomes the significant achievements in voluntary repatriation over the course of the past year 4 and<br />
the further potential for the sustainable voluntary return of considerable numbers of refugees, as a result of<br />
peacemaking, reconciliation and reconstruction efforts which have contributed to the resolution of certain longrunning<br />
conflicts; acknowledges the importance of ensuring the ongoing voluntary nature of refugee returns and<br />
the full and equal participation of refugee women in the pursuit of voluntary repatriation and the consolidation<br />
1<br />
Contained in United Nations General Assembly Document No. 12A (A/59/12/Add.1)<br />
2<br />
A/AC.96/989<br />
3<br />
A/RES/57/187<br />
4<br />
An illustrative list of major voluntary return operations is included in Section VII of the 2004 Note on International<br />
Protection, A/AC.96/989.<br />
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