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10. The various situations described above have called for exceptional efforts by the Office to meet the serious protection problems involved. These efforts have received the full support of the General Assembly which has repeatedly stressed the importance of international protection and of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programmes, which adopted important conclusions on international protection at its twenty-eighth 2/ and twenty-ninth sessions../
11. The High Commissioner's action in the field of international protection has either been undertaken on behalf of individual refugees or refugee groups, or has been of a more general promotional character. In the case of individual refugees or refugee groups, the High Commissioner has frequently been called upon to intervene with Governments in order to ensure that basic refugee rights are respected.
In some cases, it was only possible for him to make representations after the event, e.g. when the refugee had already been the victim of a measure of refoulement and in some cases exposed to serious harm, including loss of life.
12.
In the promotional field, the High Commissioner's efforts have been directed essentially towards (a) encouraging further accessions to the basic international refugee instruments, namely the 1951 Convention 4/ and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees; 5/ (b) encouraging the adoption by States of appropriate legislative and/or administrative measures to ensure that the provisions of these international instruments are effectively implemented.
13. During 1978, four more States acceded to the 1951 Convention and to the 1967 Protocol bringing the total number of States parties to these instruments to 76 and 71 respectively. It should, however, be noted that only slightly more than half the member States of the United Nations and/or the Specialized Agencies are parties to these fundamental instruments, and that there are extensive areas in which serious refugee problems exist where no State is party to either instrument. In the field of implementation, while some progress has been achieved, the general picture is far from encouraging.
14. The High Commissioner has however noted an increasing awareness, within the international community, of refugee problems and their implications as far as international protection is concerned. This awareness has been of the greatest encouragement to the High Commissioner in the exercise of his international protection function and has provided further proof that this function can only be effectively carried out in the context of international solidarity and co-operation.
2/ See Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-second Session, Supplement No. 12 (A/32/12/Add.1), para. 53.
3/ Ibid., Thirty-third Session, Supplement No. 12A (A/35/12/Add.1), para. 63.
4/ United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 189, No. 2545, p. 137.
5/ Ibid., vol. 606, No. 3791, p. 267.
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