A/RES/55/74
community to address the economic, environmental and social impact of large-scale
refugee populations, especially in developing countries;
10. Condemns all acts that pose a threat to the personal security and wellbeing of refugees and asylum-seekers, such as refoulement, unlawful expulsion and
physical attacks, and calls upon all States of refuge, in cooperation with
international organizations where appropriate, to take all necessary measures to
ensure respect for the principles of refugee protection, including the humane
treatment of asylum-seekers;
11. Urges States to uphold the civilian and humanitarian character of refugee
camps and settlements, inter alia, through effective measures to prevent the
infiltration of armed elements, to identify and separate any such armed elements
from refugee populations, to settle refugees in secure locations and to afford the
Office of the High Commissioner and other appropriate humanitarian organizations
prompt, unhindered and safe access to asylum-seekers, refugees and other persons of
concern;
12. Calls upon States and all concerned parties to take urgently all possible
measures to safeguard the physical security and property of the staff of the Office of
the High Commissioner and other humanitarian personnel, to investigate fully any
crime committed against them and to bring to justice persons responsible for such
crimes;
l3. Encourages the Office of the High Commissioner, in cooperation with
host countries and in coordination with other relevant United Nations bodies, further
to develop and integrate appropriate security arrangements in its operations, and to
allocate adequate resources for the safety and security of its staff and the persons
under its mandate;
14. Notes that the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and
Associated Personnel 8 is now in force, calls upon those States that have not yet done
so to consider signing and ratifying the Convention, but notes in this regard that the
Convention does not automatically apply to most humanitarian personnel, and
therefore invites States to provide a timely response to the recommendation of the
Secretary-General to extend the scope of legal protection to all United Nations and
associated personnel through the development of a protocol to the 1994 Convention
or by other appropriate means; 9
15. Urges all States and relevant organizations to support the High
Commissioner’s search for durable solutions to refugee problems, including
voluntary repatriation, local integration and resettlement in a third country, as
appropriate, reaffirms that voluntary repatriation is the preferred solution to refugee
problems, and calls upon countries of origin, countries of asylum, the Office of the
High Commissioner and the international community to act in a spirit of burdensharing and partnership to enable refugees to exercise their right to return home in
safety and with dignity;
16. Calls upon all States to promote conditions conducive to the voluntary
repatriation of refugees in safety and with dignity, including conditions furthering
reconciliation and long-term development in countries of return, and to support the
sustainable reintegration of returnees by providing countries of origin with
8
9
Resolution 49/59, annex.
See S/1999/957, para. 43, and A/54/154/Add.1-E/1999/94/Add.1, para. 13.
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