TNAG-1274-FCO40-1624-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 37

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paid to small-scale farming. Larger scale agricultural projects are also

planned, where the possibility of land expansion exists, dry and irrigated,

with rain, river, or underground water, next to camps or in other areas to

which relocation is envisaged. Guidelines are being drawn up for planning and

implementing rural settlements for refugees, with the objective of achieving

socially and economically viable rural entities. Measures also include

training in various fields. Small scale industry and handicrafts are

foreseen. Provision for reafforestation, tree and bush planting, is made.

The needs of the local population are part of the overall concern.

Of course this approach is by no means a solution to all difficulties, and

will require years of efforts by ail concerned. It is however an endeavour to

consolidate, improve, and build something better in a vast joint effort,

realizing the magnitude of the task, the time element, and the means that need

to be mobilized, by UNHCR and others.

In the Sudan, there have been new elements: a sizeable refugee influx this

year and last, and flooding in the Kassala area which made it imperative to

airlift tents and blankets. While these emergencies were faced, reminding us

that data and conditions in a given refugee situation may change rapidly or

suddenly, attention was also paid to a plan of action, in line with the intent

and spirit of General Assembly resolutions - the latest of which is from

December 1982. Just before that date, UNHCR had already sent an assistance

review mission to the Sudan, in November. The mission came up with a set of

recommendations, in agreement with the Sudanese authorities, designed once

they could be implemented - to give a fresh impetus to the programme, aiming

at self-sufficiency and integration where possible. These recommendations

covered refugee protection and assistance measures; they also address the

phasing out of some UNHCR activities. Much attention is given to the highly

complex problem of ensuring that refugees have access to sufficient land in

the face of its limited availability near existing settlements. The Director

of Assistance then visited the Sudan early this year to study with the

authorities how best to implement the recommendations. In April, an UNHCR-ILO

study was concluded on income generating activities for refugees im Eastern