Human rights and mass exoduses.

1989/63. Human rights and mass exoduses

The Commission on Human Rights, Mindful of its general humanitarian mandate under the Charter of the United Nations to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, Deeply disturbed by the continuing scale and magnitude of exoduses of refugees and displacements of population in many regions of the world and by the human suffering of millions of refugees and displaced persons, Conscious of the fact that human rights violations are one of the multiple and complex factors causing mass exoduses of refugees and displaced persons, as indicated in the study of the Special Rapporteur on this subject (E/CN.4/1503) and also in the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on International Co-operation to Avert New Flows of Refugees (A/41/324, annex), Aware of the recommendations concerning mass exoduses which it has made to the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and to the special rapporteurs when studying violations of human rights in any part of the world, Deeply preoccupied by the increasingly heavy burden being imposed, particularly upon developing countries with limited resources of their own, and upon the international community as a whole, by these sudden mass exoduses and displacements of population, Stressing the need for international co-operation aimed at averting new massive flows of refugees in parallel with the provision of durable solutions to actual refugee situations, Taking note once again of the report of the Secretary-General on human rights and mass exoduses (A/38/538), Welcoming the endorsement by the General Assembly at its forty-first session of the recommendations and conclusions contained in the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on International Co-operation to Avert New Flows of Refugees, Recalling General Assembly resolution 43/154 of 8 December 1988 and its own resolution 1988/70 of 10 March 1988,

1. Welcomes the steps taken so far by the United Nations to examine the problem of massive outflows of refugees and displaced persons in all its aspects, including its root causes;

2. Recalls the recommendation of the Group of Governmental Experts on International Co-operation to Avert New Flows of Refugees that the main organs of the United Nations should make fuller use of their respective competences under the Charter for the prevention of new massive flows of refugees and displaced persons;

3. Invites all Governments and international organizations concerned to intensify their co-operation and assistance in world-wide efforts to address the serious problems resulting from mass exoduses of refugees and displaced persons, and also the causes of such exoduses;

4. Requests all Governments to ensure the effective implementation of the relevant international instruments, in particular in the field of human rights, as this would contribute to averting new massive flows of refugees and displaced persons;

5. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on human rights and mass exoduses (A/43/743 and Add.1);

6. -Encourages the Secretary-General to continue to take the necessary steps to discharge the function and responsibilities described in the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on International Co-operation to Avert New Flows of Refugees;

7. Notes the establishment by the Secretary-General of the Office for Research and the Collection of Information to co-ordinate information-gathering and analysis with agencies so as to provide early warning of developing situations requiring the Secretary-General's attention, as well as to provide a focal point within the United Nations system for policy response, including identification of policy options for the Secretary-General;

8. Urges the Secretary-General to use the resources available to consolidate and strengthen the system for undertaking early warning activities in the humanitarian area by, inter alia, early computerization of the Office for Research and the Collection of Information and strengthened co-ordination among the relevant parts of the United Nations system, especially the Office for Research and the Collection of Information, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Centre for Human Rights and the relevant specialized agencies;

9. Looks forward to the Secretary-General's report to the General Assembly at its forty-fourth session on the strengthened role that the Secretary-General could play in undertaking early warning activities, especially in the humanitarian area, as well as on any further developments relating to the recommendations contained in the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on International Co-operation to Avert New Flows of Refugees;

10. Decides to continue consideration of the question of human rights and mass exoduses at its forty-sixth session.

55th meeting
8 March 1989
[Adopted without a vote. See chap. XII.]