CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE ... - UNHCR
CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE ... - UNHCR
CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE ... - UNHCR
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The Executive Committee,<br />
1989 (Executive Committee—40 th Session)<br />
<strong>CONCLUSIONS</strong> <strong>ADOPTED</strong><br />
<strong>BY</strong> <strong>THE</strong> <strong>EXECUTIVE</strong> COMMITTEE<br />
ON INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF REFUGEES 1<br />
No. 55 (XL) GENERAL (1989)<br />
a) Reiterated the primary nature and fundamental importance of the High Commissioner's protection<br />
responsibilities;<br />
b) Expressed deep concern about <strong>UNHCR</strong>'s present financial situation and, in this context, called on<br />
<strong>UNHCR</strong> as well as States, governmental and non-governmental organizations and the international community<br />
at large to continue to give the necessary priority to protection activities and to work to ensure their efficiency<br />
and effectiveness;<br />
c) Recognized that the safety and physical integrity of refugees depend on respect for the basic protection<br />
principles and urged States to continue to admit and receive refugees, pending identification of their status and<br />
of an appropriate solution to their plight;<br />
d) Expressed deep concern that refugee protection is seriously jeopardized in some States by expulsion<br />
and refoulement of refugees or by measures which do not recognize the special situation of refugees and called<br />
on all States to refrain from taking such measures and in particular from returning or expelling refugees contrary<br />
to fundamental prohibitions against these practices;<br />
e) Noted with concern that applications for refugee status by persons who clearly have no valid claim to<br />
be considered as refugees under the relevant criteria continue to constitute a serious problem in a number of<br />
States and may be detrimental to the interests of those applicants who have good grounds for requesting<br />
recognition as refugees;<br />
f) Emphasized in this context the importance of quick and effective status determination procedures in<br />
accordance with internationally accepted criteria and appropriate legal guarantees;<br />
g) Noted with deep concern that large numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers in different areas of the<br />
world are currently the subject of detention or similar restrictive measures by reason of their illegal entry or<br />
presence in search of asylum, pending resolution of their situation and reiterated its Conclusion No. 44<br />
(XXXVII) which circumscribes the grounds for detention of such persons;<br />
h) Expressed strong concern about serious violations of the rights and security of refugees and asylumseekers<br />
in different parts of the world including through forced recruitment of refugees into armed forces;<br />
i) Reiterated its Conclusion No. 48 (XXXVIII) concerning military or armed attacks on refugee camps<br />
and settlements and urged all parties concerned to respect the guidelines, including on <strong>UNHCR</strong> access,<br />
contained therein;<br />
j) Expressed concern about the lack of adequate international protection for various groups of refugees in<br />
different parts of the world, including a large number of Palestinians, and hoped that efforts would continue<br />
within the United Nations system to address their protection needs;<br />
k) Expressed the strong hope that, consistent with international practice, States will ensure that their<br />
extradition legislation or arrangements maintain the protections or exemptions necessary to safeguard the basic<br />
rights of refugees;<br />
l) Noted with satisfaction that large numbers of refugees had found a durable solution to their problem by<br />
availing themselves of voluntary repatriation and recalled in this context the relevance of Conclusion No. 40<br />
(XXXVI) on Voluntary Repatriation;<br />
1 Contained in United Nations General Assembly Document No. 12A (A/44/12/Add.1)<br />
73