2005 (Executive Committee—55th Session) CONCLUSIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON THE INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF REFUGEES No. 102 (LVI) – GENERAL (2005) The Executive Committee, (a) Welcomes the information provided on continued implementation of the Agenda for Protection contained in this year's Note on International Protection 1 ; and encourages States, UNHCR, other intergovernmental as well as non-governmental organizations to cooperate and to redouble their efforts to implement the Agenda, as appropriate, to provide timely information on their respective follow-up activities, and to explore with UNHCR the merits of a consolidated report to the Executive Committee on its implementation, taking into account the time and resources that might be required, to enable the Committee and UNHCR jointly to assess progress; (b) Recalls paragraph (o) of its Conclusion No. 99 (LV); notes the need for UNHCR to continue efforts to strengthen its protection presence in the field, including in particular female protection staff; and continues to call upon States to extend their support in this regard through the timely and predictable provision of resources; (c) Welcomes the accession of Afghanistan to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, bringing the number of States parties to either one or both of these instruments to 146; also welcomes the inclusion of the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol in the list of instruments identified by the Secretary-General for the annual treaty event entitled "Focus 2005: Responding to Global Challenges" held in New York in September 2005; and appeals to States which have not yet acceded to these instruments to consider doing so and to States which have made reservations to consider lifting them; (d) Welcomes the successful meeting hosted by the Government of Mexico in November 2004 to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees; notes with interest the Plan of Action endorsed by that meeting; and encourages those States concerned to follow through on their commitments to strengthen refugee protection in the region and respond accordingly to other situations of forced displacement; (e) Recalls the 1996 Geneva Conference on the problems of refugees, displaced persons, migration and asylum issues in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States; concludes with satisfaction that the ten-year follow-up process generated by the Conference is nearing its completion and has been successful in pursuing the original goals of addressing the multi-faceted protection and migration challenges of the countries of the CIS in a coherent and concerted way; and encourages States, UNHCR and other relevant actors to continue to work collaboratively, building on the successes of the Conference Process to date; (f) Expresses concern at instances of persecution, generalized violence and violations of human rights which continue to cause and perpetuate displacement within and beyond national borders and which increase the challenges faced by States in effecting durable solutions; condemns all forms of threats, harassment and violence directed against refugees and other persons of concern, and expresses its deep concern about such acts experienced by refugee women and children, including sexual and gender-based violence; and calls on States to promote and protect the human rights of all refugees, and other persons of concern, paying special attention to those with specific needs, and to tailor their protection responses appropriately; (g) Deplores the continuing violence and insecurity which constitute an ongoing threat to the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and an obstacle to the effective fulfilment of UNHCR's mandate, and the ability of UNHCR's implementing partners and other humanitarian personnel to discharge their respective humanitarian functions; and calls on States and concerned parties to take all possible measures to ensure the safety and security of UNHCR personnel and property and that of all humanitarian organizations discharging UNHCR mandated functions; (h) Acknowledges the value of a focused and concrete pursuit of a range of activities aimed at strengthening the protection capacities of States, particularly those dealing with protracted refugee situations; welcomes in this regard the development and promotion of a comprehensive framework for assessing protection capacity needs within the context of the Strengthening Protection Capacity Project; and encourages the continued facilitation of consensus building through participatory stakeholder consultations at national levels, bringing together all the 1 A/AC.96/1008 173