Human rights and mass exoduses.

1991/73. 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 Cooperation to Avert New Flows of Refugees (A/41/324, annex), Recalling the recommendations concerning mass exoduses which it has made to the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and to 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 whole, by these sudden mass exoduses and displacements of population, Stressing the need for international cooperation 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 44/164 of 15 December 1989, by which the Assembly reaffirmed its support for the recommendation of the Group of Governmental Experts that the principal organs of the United Nations should make fuller use of their respective competencies under the Charter of the United Nations for the prevention of new massive flows of refugees and displaced persons, Recalling also its resolution 1990/52 of 6 March 1990 and its previous relevant resolutions as well as those of the General Assembly, Noting that the General Assembly, in its resolution 45/153 of 18 December 1990, welcomed the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on the coordination of activities related to early warning of possible refugee flows (A/45/649, annex), Welcoming 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," Bearing in mind the statement made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at its 36th meeting on 22 February 1990, which drew attention to the complexity of the global refugee problem, the need for a comprehensive approach addressing the concerns of all the different groups involved and the important role to be played in this regard by human rights institutions, Noting that the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has specifically acknowledged the direct relationship between observance of human rights standards, refugee movements and problems of protection, Recalling that the General Assembly, in its resolution 45/153, invited the Commission to keep the questions of human rights and mass exoduses under review with a view to supporting the early warning arrangement instituted by the Secretary-General to avert new massive flows of refugees and displaced persons,

1. Invites again all Governments and intergovernmental and humanitarian organizations concerned to intensify their cooperation and assistance in worldwide efforts to address the serious problems resulting from mass exoduses of refugees and displaced persons, and also the causes of such exoduses;

2. 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;

3. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on human rights and mass exoduses (A/45/607);

4. Welcomes the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on the coordination of activities related to early warning of possible refugee flows;

5. Invites the Secretary-General, all intergovernmental agencies and offices, as well as international agencies concerned, speedily to implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Joint Inspection Unit, particularly with regard to the establishment of a working group and of a consultative machinery within the United Nations system for early warning of possible refugee flows and displaced persons;

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 Cooperation to Avert New Flows of Refugees, including the continuous monitoring of all potential outflows, keeping in mind the recommendations of the Joint Inspection Unit;

7. Welcomes the establishment by the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees of the Working Group on Solutions and Protection;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to develop the role of the Office for Research and the Collection of Information to strengthen the coordination of information-gathering and analysis with agencies so as to provide early warning of developing situations requiring the attention of the Secretary-General, as well as to provide a focal point within the United Nations system for policy response, including identification of the policy options for the Secretary-General;

9. Also requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary information available to the competent United Nations organs bearing in mind the recommendations of the Joint Inspection Unit;

10. Urges the Secretary-General to allocate the necessary resources to consolidate and strengthen the system for undertaking early warning activities in the humanitarian area by, inter alia, computerization of the Office for Research and the Collection of Information and strengthened coordination among the relevant organizations 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, and ensuring that data collection and information handling processes are harmonized and, where possible, that use be made of computerized systems;

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

12. Decides to continue consideration of the question at its forty-eighth session.

54th meeting
6 March 1991
[Adopted without a vote. See chap. XII.]