A/RES/67/150
Assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa
Recognizing that refugees, internally displaced persons and, in particular,
women and children are at an increased risk of exposure to HIV and AIDS, malaria
and other infectious diseases,
Taking note with appreciation of the Joint Declaration adopted at the joint
summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the East African
Community on the Horn of Africa crisis, held in Nairobi on 8 and 9 September 2011,
which, inter alia, expressed concern about the mass exodus of refugees into
neighbouring countries, as well as the increased number of internally displaced persons
due to the current humanitarian crises of drought and famine in the Horn of Africa,
Taking note with appreciation also of the Pact on Security, Stability and
Development in the Great Lakes Region, adopted by the International Conference
on the Great Lakes Region in 2006, and its instruments, in particular two of the
protocols to the Pact, which are relevant to the protection of displaced persons,
namely, the Protocol on the Protection of and Assistance to Internally Displaced
Persons and the Protocol on the Property Rights of Returning Persons,
Acknowledging with appreciation the generosity, hospitality and spirit of
solidarity of African countries that continue to host the influx of refugees due to the
humanitarian crises and protracted refugee situations, and in this regard expressing
particular appreciation for the commitment and efforts of neighbouring countries in
the recent humanitarian crises on the continent, and further acknowledging with
appreciation the coordination of humanitarian assistance by the United Nations as
well as the continuing efforts of donors, the United Nations system, including the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, regional organizations,
international agencies, non-governmental organizations and other partners, with
regard to, inter alia, voluntary return, reintegration and resettlement, in addressing
the plight of refugees during the emergency,
Recognizing that host States have the primary responsibility for the protection
of and assistance to refugees on their territory, and the need to redouble efforts to
develop and implement comprehensive durable solution strategies, in appropriate
cooperation with the international community, and burden- and responsibility-sharing,
Emphasizing that States have the primary responsibility to provide protection
and assistance to internally displaced persons within their jurisdiction, as well as to
address the root causes of the displacement problem, in appropriate cooperation
with the international community,
Acknowledging the sixtieth anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the
Status of Refugees and the fiftieth anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the
Reduction of Statelessness, 5 in 2011, welcoming in this context the convening by the
Office of the High Commissioner of an intergovernmental event at the ministerial
level on 7 and 8 December 2011 in recognition of the importance of respecting and
upholding the values and principles enshrined in those two instruments, and
welcoming the adoption of a ministerial communiqué, 6 as well as the submission of
pledges by States and relevant efforts at the national level for their implementation,
Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General 7 and the United
1.
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; 8
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5
Ibid., vol. 989, No. 14458.
A/AC.96/1110/Add.1, annex.
7
A/67/323.
8
Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 12 (A/67/12).
6
2/7