TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 32

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UNITED KINGDOM DELEGATION REPORT ON THE

27TH SESSION OF THE UNHCR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. The 27th Session of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was held in Geneva from 4- 12 October 1976. The United Kingdom Representative was Mr Ifor Davies MP

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

2. Ambassador van der Klaauw (Netherlands) was elected Chairman, Mr Mganga (Tanzania) Vice-Chairman and Mr Moreno (Colombia) Rapporteur. Mr van der Klaauw handled the delicate political issues which arose during the meeting with the right combination of tact and firmness to ensure that tempers did not become too frayed or the debate too extended. However, his eagerness to press on with some other items on the agenda was at times exasperating, especially towards the end of the session. Mr Moreno's most difficult job was to draft the report to the satisfaction of the Algerian, Moroccan and Mauritanian delegations. At one stage the Moroccan Ambassador accused him of having broken an agreement over drafting the part of the report dealing with the Western Sahara. However, thanks to Mr van der Klaauw's chairmanship and Mr Moreno's transparent honesty, the situation was saved and his report was eventually adopted with only minor changes. Mr Mganga did not take the chair during the session.

AGENDA

3. The adoption of the Agenda was complicated by the circulation before the session of a letter from the Algerian Mission requesting the addition of an agenda item entitled "Establishment and Implemen- tation of a Programme of Assistance to the Saharawi Refugees, and Related Questions". Consultations between the Chairman and repres- entatives of the three states concerned resulted in a proposal that item 6 on the draft agenda (UNHCR Assistance Activities) should include an item given the title suggested by the Government of Algeria in their letter. Thus the provisional agenda was adopted as circulated in document A/AC.96/524/Rev 2.

HIGH COMMISSIONER'S STATEMENT & GENERAL DEBATE

4. The General Debate was more stimulating than usual not only because of its political content, but also because of a greater willingness by some members to question the High Commissioner's activities. The text of Mr Davies' statement is at Annex A. The main points to arise in the Debate are discussed below.

The New Human Order

5. The theme of the High Commissioner's statement was the need for states to subscribe to a "New Human Order" governing the treatment of refugees and displaced persons. As in the 26th Session, the High Commissioner directed the main thrust of his remarks at abuses of the human rights of refugees, but he went on roundly to condemn terrorist activities by refugees themselves. The term "New Human Order" must also have been designed to be a vehicle with which to project the work of UNHCR. Indeed it was readily picked up by many

/representatives

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