14. The High Commissioner has greatly appreciated the support of the General Assembly in the performance of his protection function, as expressed by its resolutions in successive years. It is also particularly gratifying for him to have received the increasing support of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, which has repeatedly emphasized the primary importance of the international protection of refugees in the work of UNHCR, The establishment of a Sub-Committee of the Whole on International Protection, which held its second meeting during the twenty-eighth session of the Executive Committee, has made a valuable contribution to the furtherance of international protection by serving as a forum for examining current problems and recommending appropriate solutions. Its work on basic topics, such as asylum, non-refoulement, expulsion of refugees and the determination of refugee status, facilitated formulation of the conclusions on international protection subsequently adopted by the Executive Committee, which have already proved of great practical value. 4/
1.
Asylum
B. Principles of protection and refugee rights
15. For someone who leaves his country as a refugee, asylum is the essential and most urgent need. During 1977, various States throughout the world, mainly in Africa, admitted a total of approximately 700,000 asylum-seekers, a figure which includes both individual refugees and groups. The grant of asylum has nevertheless continued to be problematical in certain respects. Thus, in some countries, it has only been granted on a temporary basis, while opportunities for more durable asylum have had to be sought elsewhere. In a number of instances, asylum has not been granted even temporarily, with sometimes very serious and even tragic results for those concerned.
16. In this respect, the recent Executive Committee's conclusions on asylum included an appeal to Governments to follow or to continue to follow liberal practices in granting permanent, or at least temporary, asylum to refugees arriving directly in their territory and, in a spirit of international solidarity, to co-operate with the High Commissioner in the performance of his functions, especially with respect to asylum, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 428 (V) of 14 December 1950.
17. In Africa, where the OAU Convention of 1969 Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa includes several important provisions relating to asylum, most States confronted with refugee situations have continued liberally to admit asylum-seekers. A number of these States have generously welcomed large groups of refugees, providing opportunities on a durable basis, particularly for rural settlement. In some other States, the practice of asylum has tended to be more restrictive, with the result that it has often been granted only temporarily. In yet other States, including some States parties to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, certain groups of asylum-seekers have been admitted or tolerated, but not formally recognized as refugees.
4/ See Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-second Session, Supplement No. 12A (A/32/12/Add.1), para. 53.
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