PROGRAMME OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR TERUGLES
Statement by the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom,
Dame Anne Warburton, on 11 October 1983
INTRODUCTION
1.
Congratulations to old and new officers.
2. I would like to thank the High Commissioner for his address
with its interesting emphasis on the future and in particular on
voluntary resettlement. I would like to say how glad we are that,
in him, we have someone with the tenacity to see things through.
We found his reference to innovation stimulating and would like
to encourage him to try out on us as many new ideas as he likes.
3. EXCOM sessions are not ceremonies of compliments nor scenes
of confrontation. They provide an essential opportunity to
discuss some of the real problems of the real world. The High
Commissioner, his senior staff and the personnel of the office
are impressively dedicated and are thoroughly versed in the
problems of their work. They know their trade. With their
knowledge and experience, they deserve all our support in tackling
refugee problems. As one of this session's documents points out
"The High Commissioner can only act through Governments". Our
governments all support the High Commissioner and want to help
him fulfill his mandate.
PROBLEMS
4.
One difficulty is that refugee problems are constantly
changing in intensity and variety, particularly when as in
recent years refugee flows are large in scale. The first thing
is clearly to alleviate the plight of destitute and frightened
refugees. There are difficulties in defining whether people in
distress meet the established criteria. The causes of refugee
/movements
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