-7.
22.
The Deputy High Commissioner replying to the question raised earlier by Mr. Snoxell, said that ho governments responded to needs whether within their quotas or over and above them was a question for them to decide. However, the Office of the High Commissioner asked countries, to the extent possible, to make gestures over and above their announced quotas. In the case of the Orderly Departures Programme from Viet Nam, admissions should be over and above quotas announced for refugees from camps in South-East Asia. If there was a "pool" of resettlement opportunities created to help persons rescued at sea to disembark at first- ports of call, the High Commissioner would appreciate this being in addition to regular quotas also. The Office was appreciative of what countries did and for what they were prepared to "add on".
23. In reply to a question from Mr. S. Palmer of the US Permanent Mission, the Deputy High Commissioner said that contributions towards the financing of the Orderly Departures Programme would be welcome. The operation had been established as a separate fund from UNHCR's general programme, with the idea of countries participating in the operation contributing to the administrative and transportation costs involved. It was difficult at present to assess the financial needs of this programme until a l clearer picture was formed as to numbers likely to be moved.
RESCUE AT SEA
24. The Deputy High Commissioner referred to the meeting held on 14 August 1979 on rescue at sea, at which it had been proposed that a pool of resettlement guarantees be established to facilitate disembarkation of persons rescued by vessels flying flags of convenience, or registered in countries where it was not possible to resettle refugees. Without au pool" of guarantees, UNHCR had great difficulties in arranging for the disembark- ation of rescued persons from such flagships, which as a result fell behind in their shipping schedules and were possibly discouraged from rescuing persons in distress on other occasions. Indicatively, 549 in June, 190 in July, 122 in August and 296 in September had been rescued by ships of countries unable to provide resettlement guarantees out of a total of some 3,000 rescued at sea during this 4-month period. Countries were urged to consider contributing to a "pool" of guarantees to facilitate the dis- embarkation of such rescued persons at the first port of call.
It was reported that some 7,000 persons were rescued in the first nine months of 1979 by 97 merchant ships of 22 nations.
25. Mr. Jean Desy (Permanent Mission of Belgium) stated that his Govern- ment had decided, following rescue operations in July, that 200 visas would be reserved within its 2,000 Indo-Chinese resettlement quota for persons needing to be disembarked in Singapore against resettlement guarantees. Experience had shom that some 30 per cent of the visas guaranteed were usually taken up, the remaining persons to whom guarantees had been made available finding it possible tolleave for other countries. Thus the 200 places offered could in fact facilitate the disembarkation of three times as many persons rescued at sea through a revolving process. The Belgian delegation commended the guaranteed visa scheme to other governments.
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