TNAG-1277-FCO40-1627-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 80

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some can. Let us review them briefly

and recall how UNHCR may help.

Obstacles may stand on the way of all three solutions: voluntary

repatriation, local integration, and resettlement. Sometimes, one or the

other of these options is left open, sometimes the horizon for solutions is

obstructed whichever way one turns.

Impediments to voluntary repatriation are basically of a political nature,

or linked with political life. The numerous voluntary repatriation operations of these last years have followed accessions to independence, changes of

regimes, amnesties to political opponents, or the end of a conflict. Our

hopes for the future, as regards this solution, are based on past experience. We are not in a utopian world where all refugees can repatriate voluntarily. However, even a purely humanitarian organisation as we are can help: a successful repatriation and rehabilitation programme can produce a snowball effect once the political conditions are created; through our participation in tripartite commissions grouping the authorities of the country of refuge, the

country of origin, and UNHCR, a set of difficulties can be ironed out and

conditions conducive to voluntary repatriation can be promoted. I have in

mind, for instance, the repatriation from Djibouti to Ethiopia which started

recently. Sometimes even, UNHCR can help in delicate negotiations between two

countries, provided we do not side with either one and confine ourselves to

our purely humanitarian and non-political role. Within the framework of existing realities, we are systematically reviewing the situations where we

believe or hope that more can be done for voluntary repatriation so that,

while respecting the refugees' free will, no stone is left unturned.

Local integration is not always possible either. Some of the difficulties

in developing countries are well known: insufficient infrastructure, lack of cultivable land or of water, shortage of work opportunities, often severely limit the absorption capacity of the receiving country. The international

community then needs to act in a coordinated way, so that conditions are

improved as much as is feasible, within financial, technical and staff

constraints. In this context, I would mention the Meeting of Experts on Refugee Aid and Development, held from 29 to 31 August. The meeting's report

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