1994 (Executive Committee—45th Session) CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF REFUGEES 1 No. 74 (XLV) GENERAL (1994) The Executive Committee, (a) Expresses its deep concern over the immense human suffering and loss of life which have accompanied recent crises involving refugee flows and other forced displacement; (b) Remains gravely preoccupied by the scale and complexity of current refugee problems, which have made more difficult the accomplishment of the High Commissioner's crucial functions of ensuring international protection for refugees and achieving timely and durable solutions to their plight; (c) Reaffirms the importance of the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees as the cornerstone of the international system for the protection of refugees, and underlines the role of the High Commissioner, pursuant to Articles 35 and II of these instruments, respectively, and to the Statute of her Office, in supervising their application; (d) Welcomes the accession or succession to these instruments in the past year of Dominica, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Tajikistan, bringing to 127 the number of States parties to one or both instruments, and, noting that the Member States of the United Nations now number 189, and in view of the global character of the refugee problem, urges States which are not yet parties to accede to these instruments, and all States to implement them fully; (e) Warmly welcomes the demonstrated commitment of States to continue to receive and host refugees in cooperation with UNHCR, to provide them international protection; (f) Deplores the fact that in certain situations refugees, as well as returnees and other persons of concern to UNHCR, have been subjected to armed attack, murder, rape and other violations of or threats to their personal security and other fundamental rights and that incidents of refoulement and denial of access to safety have occurred; (g) Calls again upon States to uphold and strengthen asylum as an indispensable instrument for the international protection of refugees, to respect scrupulously the fundamental principle of non-refoulement, and to make every effort to ensure the safety and well-being of refugees within their jurisdiction; (h) Stresses the importance of international solidarity and burden-sharing in reinforcing the protection of refugees, and calls upon all States to take an active part, in collaboration with UNHCR, in efforts to assist countries, in particular those with limited resources, that receive and care for large numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers; (i) Reiterates the importance of ensuring access for all persons seeking international protection to fair and efficient procedures for the determination of refugee status or other mechanisms, as appropriate, to ensure that persons in need of international protection are identified and granted such protection; (j) Recognizes that applications for asylum by large numbers of irregular migrants who are not in need of international protection continue to pose serious problems in certain regions, and reiterates in this connection its Conclusion No. 71 (XLIV) (1993), paragraphs j, k and l; (k) Notes that a large number of those persons in need of international protection have been forced to flee or to remain outside their countries of origin as a result of danger to their life or freedom owing to situations of conflict; (l) Recognizes that, while persons who are unable to return in safety to their countries of origin as a result of situations of conflict may or may not be considered refugees within the terms of the 1951 Convention and 1 Contained in United Nations General Assembly Document No. 12A (A/49/12/Add.1) 103