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in character and thus outside the humanitarian mandate of UNHCR.
Government simply does not accept that kind of obscurantist
My
nonsense.
It needs clearly to be recognised that helping refugees voluntarily
to return to their homeland is a humanitarian act enjoined on UNHCR
by its very Statute of Office. It should be seen as no more political or les
humanitarian than the representations that UNHCR is compelled to make
to Governments to achieve resettlement of refugees or local integration
or indeed, to extend them legal protection under the United Nations
Convention.
Mr Chairman the Executive Committee is a body in which interested
and participating governments show their commitment to help and to find
We expect that Lasting solutions to the plight of refugees. Most delegations will leave
Geneva with a renewed sense of their own task in these respects. The
Executive Committee is also a forum for member Governments to make known
to UNHCR their expectations of the Office in the conduct of its own affairs,
in the allocation of its priorities and, most importantly, in meeting
its basic aims. Accordingly, we urge the inscription of an item on durable
solutions as a permanent feature of the EXCOM agenda so as to give
the Office of UNHCR an opportunity to report each year to the Committee
on progress towards meeting that objective. The dialogue must
however be a two-way process. The High Commissioner must have the
confidence to speak fully and frankly in this forum on what the Office
auisimet expects from the international community in the process of negotiation and
conciliation to effect lasting solutions.
The Australian Government has committed itself to contribute
to the process of political solutions to ease the plight of refugees.
Australia will be placing more stress on humanitarian issues in formulating
and pursuing its foreign policy aims. Australia therefore expects and will