CONFIDENTIAL
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V.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR FUTURE ACTION
40. From the foregoing, it will be seen that durable solutions must still be found for a large and growing number of refugees and displaced persons in South East Asia. Without major decisions and initiatives being taken by governments, those facing prolonged dependence on international relief are likely to increase.
41. In these critical circumstances, governments might wish to determine the measures that should be taken in connexion with the following:
(i) The immediate problem is to secure asylum, even if temporary, particularly for boat cases. As is clear, the practice of States in the region varies from country to country and, not infrequently, it is also related to the numbers arriving and the prospects for third country resettlement. There is need to establish, agree upon and implement uniform policies that are in keeping with international humanitarian principles.
(ii) Given the fact that new arrivals have in large numbers been concentrated
on a few areas in the region, the further question arises as to whether there can, as a temporary expedient, be a wider sharing of the refugee caseload in the region, pending processing for resettlement and the elaboration of durable solutions. This may be needed, particularly as present accommodation is severely over-crowded as a result of the increasing rate of arrivals.
(iii)
A major and swift increase in resettlement opportunities is urgently required. Equally, there is a need, recognized in the decision adopted by the Executive Committee at its twenty-ninth session, to promote the resettlement of refugees in a wider range of countries than hitherto. Ways and means of achieving this objective, which might benefit from the involvement of regional organizations, could be considered.
(iv) The early announcement of numbers to be accepted by both existing
and new resettlement countries is needed in order to allow the pooling of arrangements and advance planning. Steps that can be taken to this end may be discussed.
(v)
·
More liberal and flexible resettlement criteria for both land and boat cases would allow due emphasis to be placed on humanitarian needs and on the refugee's own choice. These would also allow both an optimum utilization of the pool of numbers and the re-allocation of numbers to areas of greatest need. Existing criteria could advantageously be examined.
(vi) Certain governmental resettlement procedures rely on regional selection
teams or even individual case referral to capitals. Present procedures, including the deployment of immigration staff, might be reviewed.
(vii)
Ways and means might be examined to draw more fully upon the special skills and expertise of non-governmental organizations.
CONFIDENTIAL