A/RES/58/149 5. Expresses its appreciation for the leadership shown by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees since assuming office in January 2001, and commends the Office of the High Commissioner for its ongoing efforts, with the support of the international community, to assist African countries of asylum and to respond to the protection and assistance needs of refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa; Reaffirms that international protection and the search for durable 6. solutions for refugees and, as appropriate, other persons of concern to the Office of the High Commissioner, which were examined, inter alia, in the Global Consultations on International Protection process and are reflected in the Agenda for Protection, 16 are at the core of the mandate of the Office; 7. Welcomes the efforts of the Office of the High Commissioner to strengthen its linkages with the other parts of the United Nations system in order to enhance refugee protection and to identify and implement durable solutions for refugees and other persons of concern to the Office, and appreciates the efforts of the Office to strengthen partnerships with operational and implementing partners; Takes note of the Ministerial Meeting of States Parties to the 8. 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees as an expression of their collective commitment to full and effective implementation of the Convention9 and the Protocol;10 9. Reaffirms that the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, as complemented by the Organization of African Unity Convention of 1969, remain the foundation of the international refugee protection regime in Africa, encourages African States that have not yet done so to accede to those instruments, and calls upon States parties to the Conventions to reaffirm their commitment to their ideals and to respect and observe their provisions; 10. Notes the need for States to address the root causes of forced displacement in Africa, and calls upon African States, the international community and relevant United Nations organizations to take concrete action to meet the needs of refugees, returnees and displaced persons for protection and assistance and to contribute generously to national projects and programmes aimed at alleviating their plight; 11. Also notes the link, inter alia, between human rights violations, poverty, natural disasters and environmental degradation and population displacement, and calls for redoubled and concerted efforts by States, in collaboration with the African Union, to promote and protect human rights for all and to address those problems; 12. Encourages the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to continue to cooperate with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, within their respective mandates, in the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa, and welcomes in this regard the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on 26 May 2003; _______________ 16 4 Ibid., Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 12A (A/57/12/Add.1), annex IV.