SPEECH BY MR TIMOTHY RAISON MP, MINISTER OF STATE, HOME OFFICE, TO THE UNHCR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING, 8-16 OCTOBER 1979
May I begin, Mr Chairman, by congratulating you and your colleagues on your election to your respective offices for the forthcoming year. May I also record my Government's appreciation of the work of the retiring Chairman, Ambassador Jay, in the past difficult year, We are sorry he is not with us today. I would further more join in extending a welcome to the Chinese delegation who are taking up their seat for the first time. I also welcome the new members of the Committee.
As I see it, Mr Chairman, there are three things for us to do in this Committee:
First, to pay tribute to the work which the High Commissioner and his devoted staff have been doing over the past hard year.
Secondly, to study the account which the High
Commissioner has given us of his work, and
Thirdly, to consider together with him the task ahead and how we as members of the Committee can give effective support in accomplishing it.
On the first of these points I join with previous speakers in the warmth of the tributes which have been paid. We all know what a difficult and exacting year it has been. We all know how well the High Commissioner has faced up to his awesome responsibilities and we hope that he will soon be fully restored to health. In the meantime it is already clear that reduced physical mobility does not mean reduced mental agility, and that his determination that our work should be "not in vain"
is as great as ever.
Certainly that determination is desparately needed.
/Yesterday