doubling of his country's resettlement quota; another mentioned his Government's acceptance of handicapped refugees under the "Twenty or More" Plan. A third announced that his country's revised resettlement ceiling for its current fiscal year was 70,000. The success of the RASRO scheme was hailed by two speakers, who felt its continuation was important. Another speaker emphasized that the scheme should benefit genuine rescue cases. One delegate expressed appreciation of efforts by other Governments since the last Executive Committee to resettle refugees from Hong Kong and appealed for further action. Some speakers stated that resettlement no longer sufficed as the only solution to the Indo-Chinese refugee problem; in one delegation's view, it had become part of the problem.
67.
Two delegations reiterated the view that resettlement should remain a solution of last resort. A number of other delegations questioned this view. Two speakers stated that such a concept should not be allowed to diminish the responsibility of the industrialized world to share the refugee burden. Another delegation was of the opinion that resettlement should be applied not solely by the traditional countries but by all countries concerned with solutions to refugee problems. In one speaker's view resettlement out of Africa was applied in an unduly restrictive manner. One delegation felt that if resettlement was not available as an option, it could provoke a restrictive attitude on the part of countries that happened to border refugee States.
E.
Refugee aid and development
(Items 4 and 6 of the agenda)
68. The reiteration by the High Commissioner and his Deputy of UNHCR's commitment to linking refugee aid to the socio-economic development of host countries was welcomed by several speakers. A large number of speakers affirmed the importance of this principle; the needs of refugees, one stated, should not be isolated from the needs of the local population. One delegate was struck by the fact that over 9 million of the world's 11 million refugees had found asylum in developing countries. Another pointed out the inadequacy of emergency survival assistance to alleviate the strains on countries of asylum. Several speakers expressed interest in, and some support for, the creation of an internationally-accepted list of "refugee-affected countries" entitled to special treatment in terms of international development assistance. Several other speakers felt the idea required further discussion; two asked the High Commissioner to explore this concept further. Two others expressed reservations or misgivings about the utility of such a list.
69.
Support was expressed by several speakers for the conclusions of the Second International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa, which had recognized that the African refugee problem was an international responsibility. One speaker described the burden placed by refugees and returnees on the fragile socio-economic infrastructure of African countries and called for increased UNHCR assistance for Africa. Another appealed to the High Commissioner to identify and revive, together with other United Nations agencies and the World Bank, selected projects identified by the Second International Conference, which responded to persistent needs to reinforce the socio-economic infrastructure of asylum countries in Africa. speakers expressed appreciation for the funding of two projects in each of their countries. A large number of delegations felt that UNHCR should take the necessary steps, together with the donor countries, to execute unimplemented projects identified by the Second International Conference, and called for the greater
Two
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