An Executive Committee of 31 states 18/ which meets annually, reviews and supervises the work of the High Commissioner. The U.S. Representative to the 26th session, held in Geneva from October 6-14, 1975, was James M. Wilson, Jr., Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, Department of State. Legal and Political Protection International protection of refugees, the High Commissioner's most important function, has as its base the strengthening of the institution of asylum throughout the world with the goal of preventing forcible repatriation of refugees. In addition, this function of the UNHCR seeks to secure for refugees those rights that are essential to their reestablishment in dignity and on a self-supporting basis. Among these are the rights to work, to education, to freedom of religion, to free access to courts, and to social security; the right to leave and return to the country of asylum; and the right to protection under law. The basic legal implements for protection are the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol which extends the application of the Convention by removing the limitation on eligibility to persons who became refugees "as a result of events occurring before 1951." States acceding to these international treaties accept provisions explicitly prohibiting the return of a refugee, in any manner whatsoever, to any country in which his or her life or freedom would be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. At the same time, however, the refugee has obligations to the country in which he finds himself and is required to conform to its laws and regulations as well as to measures taken for the maintenance of public order. During 1975 Zaire became a party to the Protocol, and by the end of the year 68 states were parties to one or both treaties. The United States is a party to the Protocol. 18/ Algeria, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iran, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Malagasy Republic, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Yugoslavia. Material Assistance Program The High Commissioner's program of material assistance, begun in 1955, is directed toward promoting permanent solutions to refugee problems. This aspect of UNHCR work provides emergency relief, facilitates voluntary repatriation, promotes resettlement, and furthers integration into the host societies, utilizing voluntary agencies and host governments for the conduct of operations. In allocating material assistance resources in response to a host government's request, the UNHCR takes into account the amount of assistance being provided from other sources, prevailing local conditions, and the urgency of the situation. Africa Major changes occurred in the refugee situation in Africa in 1975. When the former Portuguese territories of Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique became independent, many refugees residing in Senegal, Tanzania, Gambia, and Zambia decided to return home. The High Commissioner launched appeals to assist this group in returning. Early in 1975 some 25,000 new refugees from Ethiopia arrived in the Sudan, and the High Commissioner provided emergency relief for this group from his Emergency Fund. The High Commissioner undertook negotiations with the Sudanese Government for the purpose of obtaining land for these refugees to assist in their permanent settlement. One of the largest groups in Africa assisted by the High Commissioner was that of Burundi refugees in Tanzania, numbering almost 100,000. Two rural settlements for these refugees in Tanzania were in the development stage. In the Kivu province of Zaire, the UNHCR was providing assistance in health and education for other Burundi refugees, and a rural settlement of Burundi refugees in Rwanda was expected to be completed in 1976. Asia In 1975 the UNHCR was very much involved in providing assistance to the thousands of refugees in Southeast Asia. He was particularly concerned with the problem of some 60-70,000 Indochinese refugees who crossed into Thailand, and he undertook a joint program with the Thai Government for the care and maintenance of this group. Moreover, the High Commissioner assisted in the resettlement of this group in other countries, especially in cases involving family reunions. At the same time the High Commissioner entered into negotiations with Vietnamese authorities for the return of those refugees who wished to repatriate voluntarily. Europe The number of refugees in Europe remained fairly stable in 1975, with no marked increase or decrease. However, economic conditions in the industrialized countries with attendant reduced employment and rising living costs made life more difficult for the refugee population. Local governments and voluntary agencies bore the main expense of assisting these refugees, but these assistance programs were augmented by the resettlement programs carried out by the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) with substantial support from the U.S. Refugee Program. Latin America The main preoccupation of the UNHCR in Latin America in 1975 was the continuing need to provide assistance to refugees from Chile affected by the events in that country in September 1973. Most of the refugees were in temporary havens in Argentina and Peru. They required substantial assistance in the form of relief and maintenance while efforts continued to settle them more permanently. Several thousand other refugees, mainly from Europe, continued to require assistance in the form of institutional care and subsistence allowances. Middle East Some 17,000 refugees in the Middle East came within the scope of the UNHCR in 1975. (In accordance with a General Assembly decision in 1950, the Palestinian refugees, by far the largest group in the area, are not within the concern of the High Commissioner but rather that of UNRWA-- see p. 12.) There were some 10,000 stateless Armenians and Assyrians who were being assisted in Lebanon until fighting in that country severely handicapped these efforts. Other assisted groups included refugees of European and African origin living in Egypt, Zanzibari Arab refugees in the United Arab Emirates, and smaller groups of various origins in other countries. Special Projects At the request of the General Assembly or the Secretary General, the UNHCR from time to time takes on special projects on behalf of refugees who do not normally come under his mandate. There were a number of these programs in 1975. The High Commissioner continued his efforts on Cyprus for the care of more than 200,000 refugees created as a result of the hostilities following the coup d'etat in July 1974 that uprooted a large part of the population. This new group of refugees has for more than a year been forced to live in temporary shelter. Between August 1974 and July 1975 the UNHCR committed over $14,000,000 for emergency relief aid, health care, food, shelter, education, equipment, and other items for these refugees. The total program requirements were expected to be some $29 million. Other special operations financed from contributions outside the regular program included assistance to refugees and displaced persons returning to GuineaBissau and Mozambique. These programs were estimated to require more than $6 million each. By far the largest operations, however, were on behalf of uprooted Indochinese, and the High Commissioner mounted extensive programs in Viet-Nam, before the collapse in the spring of 1975, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. In the fall of 1975 a special appeal was made for the funds, estimated at $12.4 million, to meet the needs for the next year of the refugees in Thailand. Over 70 governments contributed or were expected to contribute to these special programs which were estimated to involve more than $70 million. Finances In the fall of 1975 the Executive Committee approved a revised regular program budget for 1975 of $14,117,000 and a target budget for 1976 of $13,848,000. The United States contributed $1,471,000 toward the 1975 budget, and 60 other governments also contributed to it. The UNHCR received other contributions from various nongovernmental sources. In addition, the UNHCR has an Emergency Fund, authorized by the General Assembly in 1957, to make possible quick action in meeting critical needs in the early stages of a new refugee situation. The United States was a major supporter of the High Commissioner's special operations in 1975, contributing $13,500,000 to the Cyprus program (for a total of over $20,000,000 since the operation started in September 1974), $5,800,000 to the program in Thailand, and $1,000,000 to the program for GuineaBissau, to mention some of the major projects. The United States also made contributions to other organizations concerned with refugees such as the ICEM and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Finally, there was a substantial program for Indochinese refugees who settled in the United States during 1975. General Assembly The Third Committee of the 30th General Assembly considered the annual report of the UNHCR and related matters at four meetings in mid-November 1975, approving three resolutions by consensus on November 19. The first resolution, sponsored by 43 states, including the United States, recognized in a preambular paragraph the need for further accessions to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol, and other relevant international instruments concerned with the legal protection of refugees. In its most important operative paragraphs it (1) requested. the High Commissioner to intensify his efforts on behalf of refugees in Africa, notably those returning to their countries following independence; and (2) urged governments to strengthen their support of the UNHCR's humanitarian activities by facilitating the accomplishment of his tasks in the field of international protection, cooperating in the promotion of permanent solutions to the problems faced by his Office, and providing the necessary financial means to attain the objectives of his assistance programs. The resolution was adopted by the plenary Assembly by consensus on December 9. The second resolution, sponsored by 27 states, called special attention to the High Commissioner's program on behalf of Indochinese displaced persons, endorsed the view of the UNHCR Executive Committee that this work must continue, and urged the international community to strengthen its support of the High Commissioner's efforts in this regard. This resolution was also adopted by the Assembly by consensus on December 9. The third resolution, sponsored by 14 states, requested the UN Secretary General in consultation with the UNHCR to convene a Conference of Plenipotentiaries early in 1977 to consider and adopt a Convention on Territorial Asylum, decided that the cost for holding the conference should be met by voluntary contributions, and authorized the UNHCR to seek such funds. This resolution was adopted by the General Assembly without a vote on December 9. The proposed convention would be designed to strengthen the legal basis for granting asylum and would complement the 1951 Convention. UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND UNICEF began in 1946 as a temporary body established by the General Assembly to provide emergency assistance to children who were suffering as a result of the conditions created by World War II. In 1953 the General Assembly made the Fund permanent and charged it with giving assistance in the development of permanent child health and welfare services as well as assistance in emergency situations. UNICEF is administered by an Executive Director, Henry R. Labouisse (U.S.). An Executive Board composed of the representatives of |