2009 (Executive Committee—60th Session)
Reiterating that voluntary repatriation, remains the preferred durable solution of refugee situations and that,
while one or another solution may be more directly applicable to each of the respective protracted situations, all
solutions will usually complement and intersect with each other, requiring careful tailoring, sequencing and
phasing in some situations, and simultaneous application in others,
Mindful that there are compelling legal, protection, health, social and economic problems in all situations which
can become protracted and should therefore also receive due attention,
Noting that, vis-à-vis Palestinian refugees, this Conclusion shall only be implemented subject to Article 1d of
the 1951 Convention, Article 7c of the UNHCR statute and in accordance with United Nations General
Assembly resolutions relevant to the issue,
Further noting that States’ domestic laws could offer more protection and assistance, as appropriate, than
outlined in the 1951 Convention,
(a)
Calls upon States and all other relevant actors to commit themselves, in a spirit of international
solidarity and burden sharing, to comprehensive, multilateral and multi-sectoral collaboration and action in
addressing the root causes of protracted refugee situations; in ensuring that people are not compelled to flee their
countries of origin in the first place to find safety elsewhere; and in resolving the protracted refugee situations
which persist, in full respect for the rights of the affected persons;
(b)
Recognizes the importance of political will in securing comprehensive solutions for protracted
displacement and calls upon States to act as catalysts to unlock protracted refugee situations and begin progress
towards the resolution of these situations;
(c)
Expresses concern about the particular difficulties faced by the millions of refugees in protracted
situations, and emphasizes the need to redouble international efforts and cooperation to find practical and
comprehensive approaches to resolving their plight and to realize durable solutions for them, consistent with
international law and relevant General Assembly resolutions, while bearing in mind broader political processes
that may be under way to address protracted refugee situations, including their root causes;
(d)
Strongly reaffirms the fundamental importance and the purely humanitarian and non-political
character of the function of the Office of the High Commissioner of providing international protection to
refugees and seeking permanent solutions to refugee problems, and recalls that those solutions include voluntary
repatriation and, where appropriate and feasible, local integration and resettlement in a third country, while
reaffirming that voluntary repatriation, supported, as necessary, by rehabilitation and development assistance to
facilitate sustainable reintegration, remains the preferred solution;
(e)
Calls on countries of origin, countries of asylum, UNHCR, and the international community to take
all necessary measures to enable refugees to exercise their right to return home freely in safety and dignity while
recalling that voluntary repatriation should not necessarily be conditioned on the accomplishment of political
solutions in the country of origin in order not to impede the exercise of the refugees’ right to return;
(f)
Underlines the responsibility of countries of origin, with the help of the international community
where appropriate, to create and/or ensure conditions for refugees to regain the rights of which they were
deprived before or during exile, even after refugees have remained in exile for extended periods of time, and to
enable and consolidate their sustainable return and reintegration free of fear;
(g)
Recommends further that action to address and facilitate durable solutions, with a view to burden and
responsibility sharing, be directed, as appropriate, in the form of voluntary repatriation, local integration or
resettlement in third countries or, where applicable, in a strategic combination, and assistance to host countries,
including through:
(i)
the provision of financial assistance and other forms of support in situations where voluntary
repatriation is foreseeable or taking place, in particular bearing in mind that voluntary repatriation is
the preferred solution;
(ii)
where local integration is appropriate and feasible, the provision of financial assistance and
other forms of support, including development assistance, for the benefit of refugees and the
communities hosting them so as to assist countries of asylum in integrating refugees locally;
(iii)
the more effective and strategic use of resettlement as a tool of burden and responsibility
sharing, including through the application of a group resettlement referral methodology;
(iv)
the mobilization of support for rehabilitating refugee-impacted areas in the host country from
which refugees have returned;
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