TNAG-0793-FCO40-997-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 198

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At Headquarters, too, .I have looked into various aspects of management. I was struck by the fact that, since the last major reorganization of UNHCR Headquarters some seven years ago, the volume of our work, as expressed in the resources raised and handled and of staff deployed, had increased many times and so had the nature of responsibilities. Further, it was obvious that this increase was in response to the very real gravity of problems confronting this Office, problems that show no sign of diminishing. In these circumstances, I considered it essential to the discharge of my duties that the four Divisions comprising the management of this Office, having similar levels of responsibility. should be similarly classified in status and participate equally and collegially in the formulation of over-all policy. I am sure that this decision of mine will lead to improved management and I would seek your understanding in this regard.

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Mr. Chairman, it is ten years since the size of this Committee was last increased. During this period, the interest of Governments in the work of this Office and the range of problems confronting UNHCR has increased considerably. With this in mind, the Economic and Social Council, through its Resolution E/1978/36 adopted this summer, recommended to the General Assembly that the membership of the Executive Committee be increased by up to nine additional members to be clected from those States with a "demonstrated interest in, and devotion to, the solution of the refugee problem". Should the General Assembly act on this recommendation, the election would be due at the first regular session of ECOSOC in 1979. On our side, we are grateful for the spirit in which ECOSOC acted. We would hope that the additional members of the Executive Committee will, indeed, by their demonstrated interest in and devotion to the solution of the refugee problem, further facilitate the work in which we are jointly engaged.

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Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates, I hope these introductory words have conveyed something of the challenge and the effort, the imperatives and the responsibilities that I have faced during my first nine months in Office.

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