34315
UK AIMS
Nok
The Report of UNHCR
Indanational
Protection-Sub-Committee (Doc. A/AC 96/579) adequately reflects its proceedings and decisions. It contains nothing of substance to which the United Kingdom would wish to take exception. There is, however,
a danger that conclusions might be drawn from the situation of mass exodus in South Mala
are not universally applicable.
POINTS TO MAKE
a) UK aspects of refugee protection:
The United Kingdom is always prepared to modify its procedures in any way it is shown to be at fault. However, the informality of its recognition procedures is seen to work largely to the- advantage of refugees and asylum seekers, especially in borderline cases. Successive governments have given detailed consideration to proposals for substantial changes in procedure and considered replies have been given to Parliament, UNHCR and interested agencies. Drastic changes are ruled out. The need to consider large-scale refugee selection and resettlement, as well as a growing number of sur place cases, ical requires efforts to be concentrated on the humanitarian as
opposed to the semantic issues.
individual case
b) International aspects of refugee protection: The United Kingdom fully supports UNIICR in its efforts to ensure that asylum, whether temporary or permanent, is given in appropriate cases and that the principle of non-refoulement is regarded as of prime importance in the refugee field. We participate actively in Council of Europe deliberations and take the view that advances in refugee and asylum practice at the local European level should serve an examples for global application. The United Kingdom aso supports UNHCR in its efforts to persuade non-signatory States to accede to the various international refuged instrume Lu, in particular the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Trotici
c) UK record on asylum: The number of refugees granted asylum sur place compares favourab:y ith other Western European states which are not, by their geogrushical situation, countries of first asylum. The commitment to accept 10,000 Vietnamese from Hong Kong also bears favourable comparison with other states not having former colonial ties with Indo-China.
BACKGROUND
a) General: The United Kingdom is party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and to its 1967 Protocol. It has also acceded to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. It is generally accepted that the protection of refugees, particularly from refoulement, (ie return) under the Convention, local laws or (as in the caue of the United Kingdom) historical usage on asylum, is probably the most important.qu
HALA