EC/SCP/30 page 3
f) noted the preliminary report submitted by the High Commissioner (EC/SCP/24) and requested UNHCR to continue its study of the matter and to submit a report to the Executive Committee at its thirty-fourth session, through its Sub-Committee on International Protection.
Proposal for a scheme for Rescue at Sea Resettlement Offers
9.
i
Pursuant to this request, in 1982 and 1983, UNHCR met with representatives of various Governments, both in Geneva and in the respective capitals. On 30 May 1983, the Director of International Protection met at UNHCR Headquarters with representatives of countries who had expressed a particular interest in this matter and discussed with them a proposed arrangement entitled "Rescue at Sea Resettlement Offers (RASRO)".
10.
The basic approach of this proposal, the text of which is given in Annex I, is as follows:
a)
Flag States would continue to provide the required resettlement quarantees in order to facilitate quick disembarkation in the port-of-call country of persons rescued by their ships.
b)
For the subsequent resettlement of those rescued, the proposal envisages a pool of resettlement places to which traditional flag States in the area and others that may wish to participate would contribute according to fixed criteria, e.g. a proportion of the average actual intake by flag States of all persons rescued by their ships in the last three years. Contributions to the pool would be determined after consultation with UNHCR. Admissions for resettlement by the participating country in a given year would be limited to their contribution, irrespective of the number of persons rescued by their ships in the particular year, as long as places remained available in the pool.
c) If, however, the number of rescued persons in a given year snoul? exceed the number of places available in the pool, flaq States woulć then be required to respect their guarantees for all cases rescued after the exhaustion of the pool.
3)
Flag States not participating in the pool would not benefit from the operation of the pool.
11.
The advantages of the proposed arrangement from the point of view of coastal States, participating States and refugees are the following:
a) : For coastal States (or port-of-call States), the scheme would: ensure the continuation of the present resettlement guarantee system while at the same time assuring the departure of the refugee concerned within a given period of time.
b) For flag States, the scheme would facilitate advance planning for the financing, reception and integration of a given number of refugees. If the scheme is successful, it is likely that their yearly intake of rescued refugees will not exceed their contribution to the pool: This would facilitate the planning and implementation cf an overall refugee policy.
"