A/RES/54/146
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2. Strongly reaffirms the fundamental importance and the purely humanitarian and non-political
character of the function of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees of providing
international protection to refugees and seeking permanent solutions to the problem of refugees, and
reiterates the need for Governments to continue to facilitate the effective exercise of this function;
3. Reaffirms the fundamental importance of the 1951 Convention3 and the 1967 Protocol4 relating to
the Status of Refugees, in particular their implementation in a manner fully compatible with the object and
purpose of those instruments, notes with satisfaction that one hundred and thirty-nine States are now parties
to one or to both instruments, and encourages the Office of the High Commissioner and States to strengthen
their efforts to promote broader accession to these instruments and their full implementation;
4. Notes that the fiftieth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions on the law of armed conflict5 is being
commemorated in 1999, and calls upon States and other parties to armed conflict to observe scrupulously
international humanitarian law;
5. Notes also that the thirtieth anniversary of the Organization of African Unity Convention governing
the specific aspects of refugee problems in Africa6 is also being commemorated in 1999, and acknowledges
the contribution made by that Convention to the development of regional standards for the protection of
refugees;
6. Reaffirms that, as set out in article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,7 everyone has
the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution, and calls upon all States to refrain
from taking measures that jeopardize the institution of asylum, in particular by returning or expelling
refugees or asylum-seekers contrary to international standards;
7. Emphasizes that the protection of refugees is primarily the responsibility of States, whose full and
effective cooperation, action and political resolve are required to enable the Office of the High Commissioner
to fulfil its mandated functions, and calls upon States, the Office of the High Commissioner and all interested
parties to turn concentrated attention towards revitalizing old partnerships and building new ones in support
of the international refugee protection system;
8. Stresses the importance of international solidarity and burden-sharing in reinforcing the
international protection of refugees, urges all States and relevant non-governmental and other organizations,
in conjunction with the Office of the High Commissioner, to cooperate and to mobilize resources with a view
to reducing the burden borne by States, in particular developing countries, that have received large numbers
of asylum-seekers and refugees, and calls upon the Office of the High Commissioner to continue to play its
catalytic role in mobilizing assistance from the international community to address the economic,
environmental and social impact of large-scale refugee populations, especially in developing countries;
3
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 189, No. 2545.
4
Ibid., vol. 606, No. 8791.
Ibid., vol. 75, Nos. 970–973.
5
6
7
Ibid., vol. 1001, No. 14691.
Resolution 217 A (III).
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