Guidelines for short essays (Gen. Ed. Assessment)
1. Your goal is to analyze the Briefing by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (HCR)
delivered on April 19, 2019. This is a primary source, which consists of the briefing (pp.2-5),
followed by questions from the members of the UN Security Council (pp.5-20). You can
download this document from OAKS (Content→Guidelines). Print it out and read it.
2. Analyze the briefing, addressing the following points:
a. Start by summarize the main points of the briefing in your own words. Use 3-5
sentences.
b. What is the purpose of the briefing? What is the speaker’s goal in delivering the
briefing? Is the speaker trying to entertain, inform, persuade, describe an issue, explain
an issue, or call for action? Use the text to support your reasoning. Keep your quotes
short.
c. What is the tone of the briefing? Support your justification by using quotes from the
briefing. If you quote text verbatim, you must include page number, for instance:
Grandi urges to support host countries because their “hospitality must not be taken for
granted” (SC Briefing 2019, p. 3).
d. Select one of the statements made by members of the UN Security Council following
the Briefing (pp. 5-20) and explain the central concern expressed by the member
(country). Does this country agree with the assessment of the problem(s) articulated by
the UN HCR?
e. Do additional research on the nature and the scope of the problem discussed by the
HCR using the UN website https://www.unhcr.org. Which organization does the
speaker represent? What is the role of this organization? Who is the target audience?
What is the history of the problem? How has the UN HCR addressed this problem in
the past? Remember to paraphrase information or use quotation marks if you quote
text.
f. Based on the briefing, give your personal perspective on the issue. How does the
briefing relate to the material covered in class? Which aspects of the briefing do you
find interesting, puzzling, informative, or concerning? How does the issue discussed in
the briefing show the interconnectedness of today’s world?
3. Format
a. Your paper should be 3-4 pages long (about 1,000-1,200 words), double-spaced, 12
font Times New Roman, 1-inch margins on each side. Remember to paginate the
paper.
b. Cite your sources and avoid using random websites. If you quote text verbatim, you
must include page number. Use the APA style. No cover page needed.
c. UN Security Council, 8504th meeting, S/PV.8504 (09/04/2019), available from
https://undocs.org/en/S/PV.8504
This assignment is worth 15% of the grade.
This paper will be used to assess the following outcomes for the Gen. Ed. Humanities Assessment.
General Education Learning Outcomes
•
•
Outcome 1: Students analyze how ideas are represented, interpreted or valued in various
expressions of human culture.
Outcome 2: Students examine relevant primary source materials as understood by the
discipline and interpret the material in writing assignments.
S/PV.8504
United Nations
Security Council
Provisional
Seventy-fourth year
8504th meeting
Tuesday, 9 April 2019, 10.10 a.m.
New York
President:
Mr. Heusgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(Germany)
Members:
Belgium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
China. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Côte d’Ivoire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dominican Republic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Equatorial Guinea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Indonesia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kuwait. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Peru. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Russian Federation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . .
United States of America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mr. Pecsteen de Buytswerve
Mr. Yao Shaojun
Mr. Ipo
Mr. Trullols Yarba
Mr. Ndong Mba
Mr. Delattre
Mr. Djani
Mr. Alotaibi
Mr. Meza-Cuadra
Mr. Lewicki
Mr. Nebenzia
Mr. Matjila
Ms. Pierce
Mr. Cohen
Agenda
Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
.
This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of
speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records
of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They
should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member
of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506
([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official
Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org).
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S/PV.8504
Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The meeting was called to order at 10.10 a.m.
countries that host the largest numbers of refugees;
and thirdly, working together to remove obstacles to
solutions, in particular the return of people to their
own countries.
Adoption of the agenda
The agenda was adopted.
Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees
The President: In accordance with rule 39 of
the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite
Mr. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, to participate in this meeting.
The Security Council will now
consideration of the item on its agenda.
begin
its
I now give the floor to Mr. Grandi.
Mr. Grandi: I thank you, Mr. President, for inviting
me today and for representing a country that has been
and is one of the strongest supporters of the refugee
cause in your country itself, in Europe and globally.
From where I sit, and no doubt from where
members of the Security Council sit as well, times
are very challenging. I will focus on those challenges
seen from my perspective. I would like to flag, at the
beginning, a context in which there is unprecedented
stigmatization of refugees and migrants, a context in
which traditional responses to refugee crises appear
increasingly inadequate and a context in which there
is a sense around the issue of an overwhelming crisis.
I think it would be useful, before we start, to recall
for whom this is a crisis. It is a crisis for a mother who
is trying to flee gang violence with her children. It is
a crisis for a teenager who wants to flee war, human
rights violations and forced conscription. It is a crisis
for Governments in countries with few resources that
open their borders to thousands of refugees every day.
For them, it is a crisis.
But to portray this as a global crisis that is not
manageable, in my opinion, is wrong. With political
will, which Council members represent at the highest
level, and with improved responses, as enshrined in
the global compact on refugees, which was adopted
in December by the General Assembly as resolution
73/151, it is possible and urgent to address those crises.
The Security Council has a critical role to play, as I
have said in the past. I will quickly focus on three areas:
first, a key function of the Security Council — solving
peace and security crises; secondly, supporting the
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First, with regard to working together to solve crises,
I will focus on the situation in Libya. However, before
I go there, let me recall that, of the nearly 70 million
people who are displaced or refugees, most are fleeing
conflict. If conflicts were prevented or resolved, most
refugee flows would disappear. Still, from where
we are we observe very fragmented approaches to
peacemaking and very insufficient approaches to
peacebuilding. We see a lot of efforts to address the
symptoms without addressing the causes.
Libya is a case in point and I know very well that
it is an issue on the Council’s current agenda, given the
events of the past few days. Let me talk about Libya
from our perspective. As members know, together with
the International Organization for Migration (IOM), we
are working not only with internally displaced Libyans,
but also refugees and migrants who are stranded
there. Many of them fled other conflicts and now find
themselves caught in another conflict.
Security has always been very fragile in Libya.
Now and over the past week, that security and those
conditions are reaching a breaking point. We have
reduced staff, like the rest of the United Nations. We
do not want to leave, if it is possible to stay, but work is
very difficult and dangerous. I visited twice and I have
hardly ever felt such a sense of insecurity. We tried to
gain access, even under the current circumstances, to
the detention centre where refugees and migrants are
held. We have been able to relocate 150 yesterday or
this morning to safety, but that is a drop in the bucket.
Libya is indicative of the challenges that we face
in many conflicts, for example in Yemen, which the
Council discusses so frequently. There are insecurity
and access issues faced by our personnel and relatively
few resources. The most urgent need with regard
to Libya is the Council’s unified action to end the
current military escalation and its strong call to spare
civilians, including the refugees and migrants who
are blocked in the country. I echo, in that regard, the
appeal made yesterday by the Secretary-General. Then,
if the Council is successful, there will finally need to
be unified action to address the causes of conflict. It
will be more difficult now, but it will be necessary if
we want to avoid a protracted conflict, which no doubt
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
S/PV. 8504
would create further displacement and impede any
action on refugees and migrants, with consequences
that are difficult to predict.
group of people. Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil
are the countries most impacted, but there are about 15
countries in all that are receiving Venezuelans.
It is good to look at the lessons we have learned in
Libya over the past few months. Lots of resources have
been put into strengthening the coast guard to stem the
flows towards Europe and not much else has been done
by way of investment in bringing peace and stability
to the country. That has not been effective. The Libyan
coast guard is not an effective rescuer of people in
the sea and the detention of refugees and migrants,
under horrific and unacceptable conditions, is still the
prevailing mode in the country.
Latin American solidarity, once again, has been
outstanding. As we speak, countries of the region are
concluding an important meeting in Quito, as part of
the Quito process, to forge more regional cooperation
to respond to the situation in Venezuela. I appeal to
those countries to keep the doors open, in spite of
the burden, and to diminish the restrictions imposed
on Venezuelans.
I really think that it is important, and we have
learned that lesson, to be more strategic at both ends of
those long flows. We must look at the root causes and
why people are leaving, such as conflict and poverty. In
Europe, where people inevitably will continue to arrive,
we must try to establish a reception system based on an
approach of shared solidarity, in spite of the difficult
politics around it.
My second point is about host countries. I know
that political solutions are not easy in today’s world,
so we need to be realistic in our expectations. Forced
displacement will continue to be with us for some time
and we need to manage it well. Some countries have
adopted very good approaches, in partnership with
donors — some Council members are big donors — but
also with development actors, such as the World Bank
and the private sector. Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and
Niger: there are many very positive examples in Africa
and there are other examples as well. However, more
often than not, support is insufficient.
In that regard, I turn to the case of Venezuela. The
Council has focused a great deal on what is happening
inside Venezuela, and rightly so. I understand that,
tomorrow, there will be a special meeting of the
Security Council that will focus on that particular
issue. In that respect, we are aligned with the rest of
the United Nations. We must appeal, with the others,
for a political solution to be found quickly to that crisis.
But it is important not to forget — and sometimes I
worry that the Council is forgetting — about the other
dimension of that crisis: the outflow of people. Three
and a half million Venezuelans have left the country.
On refugees and migrants, IOM and the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) work together because it is a very mixed
Support for those countries needs to increase
bilaterally through United Nations channels — our
appeal for the humanitarian crisis in that region is one
of the most poorly funded globally — and of course,
most importantly, through the international financial
institutions. Failure to do so will also leave those
Governments exposed politically in their own countries
and under the burden of an unsustainable mass of
hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.
Eighty-five per cent of the world’s refugees are in
poor or middle-income countries. That is where the crisis
is, including the situation in Venezuela. My appeal is
therefore for support to be stepped up. That hospitality
must not be taken for granted, as we see not only in
Colombia or Peru, but also in Lebanon and Bangladesh.
I could cite many other examples. The global compact
provides a blueprint for better responses — a blueprint
that is not only humanitarian but goes beyond to the
medium and long terms. It is a type of response that
is key not only from the humanitarian point of view,
but also — and this is the Council’s perspective — to
the stability of the entire region, and hence directly of
concern to the Council.
The third and last point I want to raise concerns the
fact that solutions to forced displacement exist and are
possible even in difficult circumstances, but we need to
work together to remove obstacles, in particular those
that prevent people from returning to their countries. In
the context that I have described, we are increasingly
challenged by one type of scenario, where peace is not
completely established but where circumstances are
evolving in that direction. That very often not only
translates into pressure on refugees to return under
less than ideal circumstances, but also leads to some
refugees deciding, in spite of those circumstances, to
do so.
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Contrary to some perceptions, my organization
does not block returns. We do not block returns. We
think that return is a right, but it is equally a right to
make the choice not to return if circumstances are
not conducive to that, in the absence of security and
basic support. In other words, we want to appeal once
more for the free and informed choice of refugees to be
respected and for returns to be — in a phrase that we
use almost as a slogan — dignified, secure and safe.
Key to that is work that we can do together to remove
obstacles to return.
A case in point here is, of course, Syria. The vast
majority of the almost 6 million Syrian refugees in the
Middle East want to return. They tell us that in our
surveys, but not all of them agree. The majority are still
hesitant to do so now. It is important to look at this
from the refugees’ perspective. They have three sets of
concerns: material concerns, such as shelter, services
and jobs; security concerns, including conscription
and retaliation in general; and legal and administrative
obstacles related to property and documentation. On all
these matters, we have established a fairly constructive
dialogue with the Government of Syria, and I would like
to thank the Russian Federation for having supported
that dialogue.
But we need faster action and faster responses on the
part of Syria, as well as access for UNHCR and United
Nations staff to the areas where people return in order
to create and build the confidence that they desperately
need to make that very difficult choice. Meanwhile, I
would be remiss if I failed to say that support for the
countries hosting refugees — Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey,
Egypt and Iraq, which will host those refugees in large
numbers for some time to come — needs to continue.
I want to also mention, as I have several times here
in the Chamber, the situation in Myanmar. As Council
members know, the United Nations Development
Programme and UNHCR have had a memorandum of
understanding with the Government of Myanmar since
June 2018. The implementation has been very slow
and made slower by the security situation in northern
Rakhine, with the offensive of the Arakan Rohingya
Salvation Army, with which Council members
are familiar. We have received reports recently of
violence against civilians, which has provoked fresh
displacement, which is of course worrying.
I am glad to report, as I have not been able to
do previously, that the Government of Myanmar
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very recently authorized the implementation of 34
projects. That may seem like a lot, but they are very
small compared to what needs to be done. We should
be carrying out hundreds of projects. It is good to
sustain that momentum. I hope to visit Myanmar soon
to do just that. Inclusive development, encompassing
the communities, is important, but as I have often
said, it is not enough to break that cycle of exclusion,
displacement and fragile return that has prevailed for
decades. At the risk of sounding repetitive here, let
me repeat nevertheless that returns must be voluntary.
I think everybody agrees on that. Restoring security
is key in that regard, as it is to implementing the
recommendations of the Advisory Commission on
Rakhine State, especially in terms of pathways to
citizenship, documentation, access to services and
ending the inequality before the law that has been
characteristic of that situation and has affected the
Rohingya community.
I think that it would be useful to continue to insist
that some visible signals be given by the Government
of Myanmar, including with respect to freedom of
movement for the Rohingya who have not left and are
still there; solving the problem of internally displaced
persons who are confined to camps in very difficult
circumstances; or tackling the hate-speech campaigns
that we are seeing periodically in social media, directed
at the Rohingya.
In the meantime, let us not forget that, similarly to
the situation in Syria, Bangladesh is hosting a million
people in difficult circumstances. I shall visit the
country, along with representatives of the Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and IOM,
in a couple of weeks. That will be an opportunity for
me to recall that we need international support in order
to at least to give dignity to people who are living in
difficult exile.
I shall close with a few remarks that take me back
to my initial point. As Council members may know,
I have been an international civil servant and I have
worked with refugees for well over three decades.
In my career in this field of work, I have seen much
solidarity, and even heroism, in some of the responses
that are provided on the ground, with the support of the
Security Council. Make no mistake — I see that this
solidarity is still very strong when I go around the world
and talk about this issue, every day in many countries.
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
However, over the course of these three and a half
decades, I have never seen such toxicity, such poison,
in the language of politics, in the media, in social media
and even in everyday discussions and conversations
around this issue. This toxicity often focuses, sadly,
tragically, on refugees, migrants and foreigners. That
should be of concern to us all. What we have seen in
Christchurch, New Zealand, is also the result of that
toxic language of politics. But let us take a leaf from
the exemplary response of the people and the leadership
of New Zealand by responding to this toxic trend in
a firm and organized manner, restating the values
that underpin the solidarity provided to refugees, and
reaffirming — as do the Sustainable Development
Goals — that our societies will not be truly prosperous,
stable and peaceful if they do not include all.
The President: I thank Mr. Grandi for his briefing.
I shall now give the floor to those members of the
Council who wish to make statements.
I again encourage members to take the opportunity,
now that the High Commissioner is here for the first
time since the end of 2017, to ask questions on this issue
and have him respond in a more interactive session.
The first speaker is the representative of Equatorial
Guinea. As he is speaking on behalf of the group
that comprises the African members of the Security
Council, I think members will all agree that he deserves
two turns of the hourglass.
Mr. Ndong Mba (Equatorial Guinea) (spoke in
Spanish): I deliver this statement on behalf of the three
African members of the Security Council: Côte d’Ivoire,
South Africa and Equatorial Guinea — a group that I
have the honour to chair. I thank you, Sir, for allowing
us to have two turns of the hourglass. I had hoped for
three but two are enough.
We thank Germany for convening today’s briefing
on refugees, which we believe is very timely. We
sincerely thank Mr. Filippo Grandi, United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, for his detailed
and comprehensive briefing on the plight of refugees
throughout the world, which highlighted the worrisome
statistics regarding the number of refugees in various
parts of the globe, enabling us to better understand
that the world needs a practical and urgent solution
to address the challenging plight of refugees. We take
this opportunity to commend the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for its efforts
S/PV. 8504
to fulfil its obligations to provide refugee-protection
programmes in challenging conditions.
Conflicts are the principal drivers of forced
displacement. That reality demands that we address
the structural causes of armed conflicts, which require
collective long-term strategies. The role of States in the
quest for preventive political and diplomatic solutions
is crucial. The magnitude of the current statistics
presented by the High Commissioner remind us that we
are witnessing a time in human history when we have
exceeded the highest numbers ever recorded. As States,
we must act now.
The African continent is also affected by massive
forced displacement and is home to more than 1 million
of the world’s displaced population. We acknowledge
the refugee crisis on our continent. To address it,
the African Union pledged to implement specific
measures. In that regard, within the framework of the
long-term vision encapsulated in Agenda 2063, in 2016
the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the
African Union adopted the Common African Position,
decision 604 (XXVI), to strengthen humanitarian action
on the continent. The Common African Position defines
Africa’s new humanitarian architecture, which includes
the creation of the African Humanitarian Agency as a
vehicle for humanitarian action. The new humanitarian
architecture also emphasizes addressing root causes and
achieving durable solutions, as well as strengthening
the capacity of States and other stakeholders, to address
the challenges of forced displacement on the continent.
In that context, the Assembly of Heads of State,
held in Nouakchott in July 2018, adopted decision AU/
Dec.707 (XXXI), in which it declared 2019 as the year of
“Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons:
Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in
Africa”. In the same vein, we are proud about the fact
that our Head of State, His Excellency President Obiang
Nguema Mbasogo, was appointed as the guarantor of
that decision and initiative.
We understand that African efforts to encourage
refugees should be supported and in line with
international efforts. In that regard, we welcome
the adoption of the sentiments expressed in the 2018
global compact on refugees, which demonstrated the
commitment of the international community to deal
more effectively with a large number of displacements.
We commend countries that opened their borders to
accommodate refugees independently of resource
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constraints and call on the international community
to fulfil its commitment to sharing burdens and
responsibilities. We would like to specifically mention
Bangladesh here.
This year, the African Union will commemorate
the two key treaties on forced displacement: the fiftieth
anniversary of the adoption of the 1969 Organization
of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific
Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and the tenth
anniversary of the 2009 African Union Convention for
the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced
Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention). We hope that
all of those legal instruments will be reflected in the
vision of improving the lives of refugees. We welcome
collaboration among the African Union, the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
and other interested stakeholders.
In conclusion, we reiterate that all States must be
united in the cause of refugees. We express our full
commitment to cooperating in those urgent efforts.
I would like to ask a question. What kind of
modalities can be taken into consideration for the
establishment of a strong partnership between the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees and the African Union to ensure the
implementation of the decision of the Heads of State
adopted in Nouakchott to find lasting solutions to
forced displacement in Africa?
Mr. Djani (Indonesia): It is with a deep concern
that we note that the most recent report of the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
Global Trends – Forced Displacement in 2017, mentions
that there are 68.5 million people who are forcibly
displaced due to various forms humanitarian crises, of
whom 25.4 million are refugees and asylum-seekers.
We believe that there are three main challenges that
need to be considered priorities. The first challenge is
new emerging conflicts that cause existing humanitarian
crises to deteriorate. In its Mid-Year Trends 2018 report,
UNHCR mentions that an additional 5.2 million people
were forcibly displaced in the first half of 2018 due to
new conflicts. The second challenge concerns durable
and sustainable solutions that are not adequately
implemented. There are 1.4 million refugees in need
of urgent resettlement and voluntary repatriation, based
on the 2018 UNHCR report. The third challenge is the
significant lack of funding. In 2019, UNHCR needs
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$8.7 billion in funding support, while currently only
$1.685 billion is available. Those are the challenges.
Such a bleak picture raises a hefty concern for
transit countries, in particular developing countries,
such as Indonesia. We currently host more than 14,000
refugees and asylum seekers from 47 countries,
waiting to be resettled to third countries or voluntarily
returned to their homeland. Indonesia is, of course,
committed to alleviating any human suffering during
humanitarian emergencies. In 2016, we enacted a
presidential decree for assisting refugees, going beyond
our international obligations.
Indonesia also collaborates closely with UNHCR
and the International Organization for Migration
within the framework of their mandates to process and
find a solution. I agree with Mr. Grandi that the key
words here are “management” and “collaboration”.
Unfortunately, with regard to such collaboration, the
resettlement number for refugees in Indonesia has
continued to decline from 1,200 in 2016 to only 508
in 2018. That is just a small example of the alarming
trends we are seeing in terms of resettlement. Looking
at this number, we also see a downward trend worldwide
in the acceptance of refugees. We have to do something
about that.
We are of the view that there are a number of
approaches that need to be considered to address the
challenges presented by the global refugee crisis. First,
we need to address the root causes of humanitarian
crises by, for example, mainstreaming the nexus
between peace, security and development, establishing
coherence within the United Nations system, and
looking beyond the obvious causes, such as conflict or
poverty, as Mr. Grandi mentioned, to newly identified
causes, namely, climate change.
Secondly, we must promote an inclusive
participatory process and a multi-stakeholder
approach. A stronger synergy between the United
Nations and regional and national entities, including all
humanitarian actors and stakeholders, would strengthen
the effectiveness of humanitarian operations. A
participatory process is required not only in countries
of origin but also in the transit and recipient countries.
As Mr. Grandi mentioned, the burden on transit
countries is getting much heavier. It is imperative to
come up with more innovative funding and explore
potential areas of collaboration with the private sector
and non-governmental organizations in order to
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
address the funding gap in humanitarian assistance,
not only in the processing and hosting countries, but
also in countries of origin, where root causes might be
economic difficulties that may lead to conflict.
Lastly, the global compact on refugees should serve
as guidance for the parties to the 1951 Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees and its Protocol
towards improvement of refugees management, taking
into account the specific resources, capabilities and
international obligations of each country. Under
current circumstances, the importance of the Global
Compact cannot be overemphasized. States Members
of the United Nations should embrace the compact in
order to send the right signal that we are not closing
ourselves off to the refugees that need our collective
support. Member States should also embrace both the
global compact on refugees and the global compact on
migration; denial of either Compact would send the
wrong signal to many in despair in refugee camps.
To be interactive, I would ask about the point that
Mr. Grandi made on refugees choosing not to return.
What other option do refugees have to returning when
the countries that are expected to accept them are closing
their doors? If the doors are closed, refugees will be in
limbo, and the burden will be on transit countries.
The High Commissioner also spoke about the
middle and the long terms. My delegation agrees
with this perspective, but what is most important for
refugees now is immediate solutions and the addressing
of immediate challenges.
In conclusion, the important message of this
meeting should be that solidarity still exists in the
international community and that refugees have not
been forgotten, nor will they ever be.
Mr. Yao Shaojun (China) I thank Mr. Grandi,
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, for
his briefing.
At present the global refugee population is growing
year by year, and the refugee situation has been
continuously deteriorating. Wars and conflicts are still
primary contributors to the issue. Developing countries,
which are recipients of the bulk of refugees worldwide,
are under heavy social and economic pressures. At
the same time, we have seen a decline in the will
of the international community to aid and address
the widening gap between humanitarian needs and
financial assistance, the xenophobic sentiment coming
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from many quarters, and the increasing politicization
of refugee issues. The international refugee situation
remains grim.
Last year, the General Assembly adopted the Global
Compact on Refugees, which represents a positive
initiative by the international community to cooperate
in addressing refugee problems. Building on the 1951
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its
1967 Protocol, it also marks an important step towards
global governance for refugees. China commends this
outcome and supports the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), led by
High Commissioner Grandi, in its efforts to facilitate
full communication between parties towards gradual
implementation of the Compact.
China believes that, based on respect for national
sovereignty, a holistic approach to the refugee problem
is needed to address both the symptoms and the
root causes.
First, the international community, especially
those with the capacity and responsibility to do so,
should scale up its support and assistance to host
countries and communities, and eliminate xenophobia
and discrimination against refugees. The role of the
relevant national Governments deserves particular
respect in the addressing problems relating to internally
displaced persons.
Secondly, efforts should be made to address the
root causes of refugees and displacement, settling
disputes peacefully, reducing armed conflicts,
eradicating extreme poverty and promoting economic
development. Only by addressing such root causes as
war, conflict and poverty can there be fundamental
solutions to refugee problems. The Security Council
should, in accordance with the mandate of the United
Nations Charter, intensify its efforts aimed at finding
political solutions to hotspot issues.
Thirdly, there is a need to adhere to the basic
international humanitarian norms of objectivity,
neutrality and non-politicization. This constitutes
an important bedrock for healthy development of the
international cause of refugee protection. In dealing with
refugee matters, the international community needs to
follow the principle of objectivity and neutrality and
refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of the
countries concerned, in order to avoid politicizing and
abusing international refugee-protection mechanisms.
China has long maintained good cooperative
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
relations with UNHCR, while continuously providing
humanitarian assistance through bilateral and
multilateral channels to improve the living conditions of
refugees and host communities everywhere. China will
continue to strengthen its cooperation with UNHCR
in humanitarian and development assistance and work
with all parties to contribute to the improvement of
global refugee governance.
Mr. Trullols Yabra (Dominican Republic) (spoke
in Spanish): We thank High Commissioner Grandi for
his briefing today.
The Dominican Republic welcomes the convening
of today’s meeting and joins the collective aspiration
to address and attend to the needs of the millions of
people who are forced to leave their homes as a result of
armed conflict, violence, human rights violations and
persecution. We are particularly interested in the search
for mechanisms to tackle the serious problems and
challenges arising from these human displacements, as
well as in the communities that host the displaced. We
believe that, in this search, it is necessary to support
and involve displaced persons in order to respond to
their specific needs.
Today, there is a plethora of images of displaced
persons, of human suffering, of broken dreams, of
mothers praying to return home, of fathers longing
to work again and of children dreaming of having
a childhood. Such is the case of Joury, a 12-year-old
Syrian refugee who lives in a refugee camp in Jordan
and draws pictures of gardens because that is what she
remembers from her homeland, believing she will never
be able to return there.
Similarly, in Afghanistan, it is estimated that more
than 1,000 people, mostly women and children, are
displaced every day. That was the case of Shakila, who
is a refugee in Greece, having left Afghanistan with
her husband and three children looking for a better life,
which she is still not sure she will find.
In Southern Sudan, the situation is critical. Food
insecurity has motivated 4 million people to leave
their homes in search of safe haven. Their situation is
aggravated by the effects of climate change, such as
drought and floods, which have led to massive shortages
of safe drinking water. Such is the case of Angelina,
who has left her village several times. Angelina swam
through deep waters with her son floating on a plastic
raft to shelter, where she depends on humanitarian
assistance to survive. She would be happy if she could
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provide for her children, even if that means planting
and producing her own food.
In Myanmar, the situation is no less pressing. The
massive wave of Rohingyas that crossed the border into
Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh brings together more than
1 million people who depend on humanitarian aid to
cover their basic needs. We cite the case of Daw Phyu,
mother of four children, widow, who left Myanmar in
June 2012, leaving behind her daughter who lives with
a disability. She met her a month afterwards and, using
sign language, told her that she was sad. After six years,
Phyu Ma was still living in a one-bedroom hut, waiting
for a safe opportunity to return home.
In Somalia, the case is no different. After two
decades of conflict and countless natural disasters,
more than 3 million Somalis are refugees or internally
displaced and nearly 2.5 million do not have their basic
food needs met. That is the reality of Hadija, a 22-yearold girl, who had to leave her village, along with her
two children, after she lost her livestock to drought, and
is waiting in a refugee camp to return to her normal
life. But she is 1 out of 155,000 from the same area who
now depend on the charity of friends and relatives and
who lack hope for a better future.
In view of that deterioration, it is crucial that
we seek solutions to the crisis. We understand
that it is important to strengthen and promote a
complementary approach between humanitarian action
and development initiatives in order to address the root
causes of conflict, to ensure sustainable solutions for
refugees once they return to their places of origin and
to create the conditions to increase the resilience of
affected communities.
We cannot fail to mention the situation affecting
the millions of Venezuelans who have had to leave their
country in search of food, medicine and better living
conditions. For them, abandoning their home has not
been an option. It has been a necessity.
In conclusion, we recognize that we are facing the
greatest refugee crisis in history and that it represents
an enormous challenge for the United Nations and its
partners, as well as for the host communities. We also
believe that the human dignity of refugees must be kept
at the centre of all our actions. We reiterate that, in any
context, the relocation or return of refugees should be in
safe and dignified conditions and voluntary on the basis
of information about the conditions that await them.
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Ms. Pierce (United Kingdom): I thank Mr. Grandi,
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, for
his briefing. I think that this is clearly a topic that
moves very many members of the Council. I also
wanted to pay tribute to the High Commissioner and all
his staff, including those around the world. The Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) probably sees people at the worst point in
their lives and the High Commissioner and his team do
an incredible job in the face of increasing insecurity
and displacement. I ask to please pass on our thanks.
The United Kingdom is a strong supporter of UNHCR
through both core and country funding, and we gave
nearly $100 million dollars last year. I was also very
interested to hear what the representative of Equatorial
Guinea said about the African Union interest in this
subject as well as its desire to establish a humanitarian
agency. It is very good to see humanitarian issues
receive such prominence.
The principal role that UNHCR plays with regard
to returns is very much one that sets the international
standard and that by which we should judge these major
conflicts. Returns are a part of the key durable solution.
It is important to remember that for the majority of
refugees and host countries alike return is, by some
margin, the preferred option. But as Mr. Grandi said,
it is not always available and sometimes results in
some rather pernicious trade-offs where refugees are
encouraged to go back in circumstances that are very
far short of safe, voluntary and dignified. I think that he
is right to challenge us to be more strategic, and I would
welcome anything more he could say in that regard.
Looking at the individual countries that he
mentioned, I think they show that the reality is difficult.
I thought what he said about Libya was worrying. I
am sorry that the staff are under pressure. If there is
anything more that he can tell us about what immediate
steps would be helpful, that would feed into the
discussions we hope to have later this week on Libya.
In Syria we do not support returns where the
conditions do not allow time and we look to UNHCR to
continue to set the standard of the three safe, dignified
and voluntary principles.
Looking at Myanmar, we have worked hard
with UNHCR and the United Nations Development
Programme to try and help create conditions. The
34 projects the High Commissioner mentioned are
welcome but they are certainly not enough. We would
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welcome any more he could say about how exactly we
could help to expand those projects from the Council
and what exactly the state of play is on the memorandum
of understanding with the Government.
That said, we recognize the challenges of a situation
like the Rohingya and Myanmar and Bangladesh. We
are not ideological about how the repatriation process
occurs as long as international principles are upheld.
Tomorrow we will have a briefing on Venezuela, where
the figures that the High Commissioner was quoting
will be very relevant. I look forward to hearing what the
representatives of Peru and Columbia have to say later
in the week about the refugee burden.
I wanted to turn to the Global Compact for Safe,
Orderly and Regular Migration. From our perspective,
it is a major opportunity to deliver longer-term
solutions, looking at jobs, education, infrastructure
and opportunities for livelihoods, but, as we all know,
they must be delivered in a way that supports those host
communities and countries that are generous hosts. I
believe that the whole-of-society approach in the Global
Compact must be right, getting the right mix of actors
around the table and, by doing that, allowing UNHCR
to concentrate on its core mandate. We look forward to
the first global refugee forum in December and we are
ready to play our part.
Lastly, I was struck by what Mr. Grandi said
about toxicity. I think that is something to which the
Council ought to return. As we look at individual
country situations, we ought to remind everyone of the
humanitarian principles in play.
Mr. Lewicki (Poland): Let me begin by thanking
Mr. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, for his very refreshing briefing. Let me
also take this opportunity to join other colleagues in
commending him and his staff for their commitment,
their daily work and the assistance that they provide to
all those poor people in dire humanitarian situations.
Last year alone, there were 68.5 million people
forcibly displaced. That number speaks for itself and
I cannot agree more with what the High Commissioner
said about the flow of refugees being just a symptom of
the ongoing conflict, widespread and systematic human
rights violations and abuses, the mismanagement of
economic corruption and so on. Two facts are that all
these refugees come from just five or six countries that
are on the Council’s agenda. Mr. Grandi mentioned
Syria, Myanmar and Libya. I can also add Afghanistan,
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
South Sudan, Somalia and, last but not least, a country
that is our close European neighbour, that is, Ukraine.
We are facing a number of challenges. As he said, we
need to focus not on curing symptoms — that is not
enough — but on addressing the root causes of these
flows of refugees and internally displaced persons.
In order to do that in the most effective way, we need
to apply a holistic approach. In 2005 all our leaders
acknowledged the link between security, developments
and human rights. If we, as the Council, want to address
these problems, we need to look at all three angles.
Let me touch on three issues that are of great
importance to Poland — humanitarian law, the situation
of children and the situation of persons with disabilities.
First, the promotion of and compliance with
international humanitarian law, refugee law and human
rights law are essential for ensuring the protection
of the lives, health and dignity of people caught up
in conflict. This year, as we mark the seventieth
anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and the
twentieth anniversary of the protection-of-civilians
agenda, we need to accelerate efforts and call on States
and non-State actors to universally and unequivocally
respect, implement and ensure respect for international
human rights law. In addition, the Security Council
and all States Members of the United Nations should
ensure the protection of humanitarian activities and
the lives of humanitarian and medical personnel. I
also commend the efforts made in this regard by our
German and French colleagues.
Children constitute about half of the refugee
population. I am the father of a 7-year-old boy, and it is
hard to imagine him needing to flee our home without
food or the possibility of going to school. Children
are particularly vulnerable and should be provided
with appropriate assistance and protection, health
care, education and psychosocial support. Women and
children also face an overwhelming threat of trafficking
and sexual violence.
People with disabilities encounter barriers to
accessing life-saving humanitarian assistance and
health care and are at a higher risk of violence,
exploitation and exclusion from available services.
Let me recall what the Secretary-General, António
Guterres, said at a time when he still held the post of
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“Too often invisible, too often forgotten, and too
often overlooked, refugees with disabilities are
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among the most isolated, socially excluded and
marginalized of all displaced populations”.
Forced displacement, be it disaster- or conflictrelated, entails an enormous amount of human suffering.
Addressing the rights and needs of all the various atrisk groups should be at the core of the international
response to refugees.
In conclusion, I thank High Commissioner Grandi
once again for his briefing. We support the activities of
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees aimed at safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of refugees around the world. We would like to
encourage the High Commissioner to brief the Council
more often, particularly when early action is needed.
Poland will continue its work in the Security Council to
secure peace and prevent conflicts.
Finally, I would like to ask the High Commissioner
how he sees the process of strengthening the nexus not
only between security and development but also, and
we cannot overlook this, the third pillar — security,
development and human rights — in addressing the
various humanitarian situations around the world.
The President: I thank the representative of Poland,
who I believe was able to take some time from the
representative of China, whose statement was shorter.
Mr. Nebenzia (Russian Federation): I have an
innovative idea about the Thuringian hourglass. Lay
the sand watch flat when I am speaking.
(spoke in Russian)
We welcome the High Commissioner for Refugees
and thank him for his briefing. We deeply appreciate the
effective work of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in situations
of major humanitarian crisis that lead to mass flows
of refugees. We hope that the new Global Compact
on Refugees, whose adoption our country supported,
will help to strengthen the international regime for the
protection of refugees.
Assistance to refugees and stateless persons today
is an essential component of the complex efforts
aimed at maintaining international peace, security
and stability. We share the concern about the difficult
migration situation in Europe, resulting partly from
the ongoing uncontrolled arrival of people from the
Middle East and North Africa. The cases of deaths at
sea and the presence of unaccompanied children in
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
mixed migration flows are especially worrying. We
feel compelled to point out once again that to a great
extent this situation is the consequence of irresponsible
interference in the internal affairs of States in the
Middle East and North Africa. The situation of refugees
and forced migrants within Libya who are being held
in detention centres and encounter various forms of ill
treatment needs attention and solutions, as the High
Commissioner said today.
Russia is contributing to the strengthening of
the international refugee protection regime. We are
receiving and making arrangements for a significant
number of refugees and forced migrants from various
countries, including Ukraine, providing a large volume
of humanitarian assistance through bilateral and
multilateral channels and assisting States of origin
in creating conditions enabling refugees to return. In
the summer of 2018 Russia launched an initiative to
facilitate Syrian refugees’ voluntary return home, and
we are seeing sustained momentum in that process.
Approximately 1,000 people are travelling to Syria
every day, primarily from Lebanon and Jordan. Since
July 2018 a total of more than 177,000 people have
returned. We have to help Syrians realize that legitimate
right. We believe that the international humanitarian
organizations have an increasingly large role to play
in this, and we urge UNHCR to intensify its efforts to
assist in the repatriation of Syrians. For its part, Russia
is also working in this area. More and more areas of the
country are becoming safe for the population. We are
working actively to restore basic infrastructure such
as water and electricity supplies, schools, hospitals
and housing, as well as conducting humanitarian mine
clearance and giving those in need urgent care.
I want to particularly emphasize that the process
of returning Syrian refugees and internally displaced
persons must be voluntary and should not be hedged
about with artificial conditions or politicized, as
some are trying to do by openly intimidating people
who wish to return home and hindering them from
leaving refugee camps. Instead of helping refugees
return and get resettled in their permanent homes, the
bulk of international assistance is going to supporting
refugee camps outside Syria and thereby maintaining
the status quo. We are particularly worried about the
situation in Rukban camp, where tens of thousands of
people are being kept on a humanitarian drip in totally
unacceptable conditions. An overwhelming majority of
them want to leave the camp. Russia has opened two
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humanitarian corridors to enable people to leave the
camp, and the Syrian Government has also made the
necessary preparations for people to be evacuated to
their chosen places of residence in Latakia, Khalidiya,
Al-Amar, Homs, Mkhin, Al-Qaryatayn and Palmyra as
well as the suburbs of Damascus and Aleppo.
Together with representatives of UNHCR, the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,
the Syrian Red Crescent Society and the Syrian
authorities, the Russian military has organized a
number of coordination meetings for devising step-bystep measures aimed at resettling Rukban residents. We
are willing to continue the dialogue on Rukban with
all interested parties, including the United Nations,
the United States and Jordan, without preconditions
or any politicization of the humanitarian aspects of
the problem.
In conclusion, I would like to once again
underscore that Russia intends to continue to provide
comprehensive support and assistance to UNHCR’s
activities, which are vitally important to the millions
of people who have been forced to leave their homes.
Mr. Meza-Cuadra (Peru) (spoke in Spanish): I would
like to thank you, Mr. President, for having convened
this informational meeting and to thank Mr. Filippo
Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, for his timely and comprehensive briefing
as well as for the work that he is doing along with his
selfless staff under very difficult conditions.
Peru has been following with particular concern
the alarming situation that approximately 25 million
refugees are experiencing at the global level, while
expressing its solidarity with them. We realize that
this situation could have an effect on every country,
but especially developing nations. In the face of this
alarming figure, which is growing annually, we
welcomed the adoption in December 2018 of the Global
Compact on Refugees, which constitutes the legal basis
for establishing more just and equitable mechanisms
to fight against xenophobia and discrimination. The
Compact reflects the commitment of the international
community to finding mechanisms for cooperation in
dealing with cross-border problems and supporting
conditions in countries of origin to facilitate the
safe and voluntary return of refugees. Promoting
implementation that includes various sectors, especially
international and regional financial institutions, is
particularly interesting, which is why we would like to
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
ask Mr. Grandi to further elaborate on his remarks in
that regard.
Addressing this topic is a priority for the Council.
Suffice it to say that 57 per cent of the world’s refugees
come from countries that figure on the agenda of the
Council: South Sudan, Afghanistan and Syria, not
to mention the serious situation of the Rohingya in
Bangladesh and the critical state in which the migrants
and refugees from Libya find themselves, as well
as the potential deterioration they face due to recent
clashes. Similarly, we are worried about the ongoing
increase and grave situation of the Venezuelan refugees
and migrants throughout the continent, including my
own country — an issue that will take up at length
tomorrow. We highlight the spirit of solidarity and the
resources that have been deployed by the countries that
are receiving those refugees, despite the difficulties
that such mobilizations may trigger.
Peru believes that it is key to address the root
causes of those international displacements and
respond, in a timely manner, collectively to the various
challenges and vulnerabilities that we share, such as
climate change, desertification, growing inequality,
corruption, an arms build-up and violent extremism,
which leads to terrorism, among other phenomena
of a global reach and transnational dimension. All of
that must be addressed with increased participation by
women and young people, which is the only guarantee
for building a common vision of a peaceful, inclusive
and sustainable future.
In that regard, the Security Council has a role
to play in prioritizing efforts and tools for conflict
prevention and creating sustainable peace. To that end,
a more systemic perspective should be promoted, based
on timely risk analyses and management plans, which
the Secretary-General and the various agencies and
programmes of the United Nations system must provide.
In conclusion, Peru wishes to renew its commitment
to the important work of Mr. Grandi and the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refuges.
We hope to have an opportunity to continue our
exchange of views in future. We are sure that under his
leadership, and beyond the complexity of the current
refugee crises and with the support and political will of
the international community, we will be able to offer a
new opportunity to those millions of people who today
find themselves vulnerable and in a critical situation.
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Mr. Alotaibi (Kuwait) (spoke in Arabic): I would
like to welcome Mr. Filippo Grandi and thank him very
much for the comprehensive and detailed briefing that
he just delivered. I would also like to commend the
important role of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). I appreciate the
relations between Kuwait and UNHCR, particularly
because we are suffering from the refugee problem
in many States in our region. We have contributed as
much as we can through voluntary contributions to
UNHCR. We will continue to do so in order to alleviate
the suffering of refugees.
Mr. Grandi gave many important details in his
briefing, and I will not repeat the figures that he cited.
However, it is evident that there is a relationship between
the Security Council and UNHCR. When the Council
is unable to resolve, contain or manage a conflict, that
complicates the work of UNHCR and other relevant
specialized agencies. The relationship between the
Council and UNHCR, as well as with other relevant
organs, is therefore a proportional one. The inability to
prevent the outbreak of conflicts early on and address
their root causes leads to flows of refugees with an
enormous political and financial cost, subsequently
causing destabilization at the regional level. That is a
vicious cycle of conflict and displacement.
Kuwait believes in the importance of resolving
conflicts early on to prevent them from becoming
exacerbated, by tackling their root causes in order
to ensure that they do not break out again. That is
in line with the Secretary-General’s vision and the
Organization’s role, which, through all of its organs,
must achieve that objective. The Security Council must
play its role and shoulder its responsibilities by using
all the tools at its disposal to put an end to conflicts and
maintain international peace and security.
There is no doubt that a durable and effective
response to the challenges related to forced displacement
will be possible only by addressing them comprehensibly
and in all their dimensions. An international crisis
requires an international approach to tackle it, based
on regional and international cooperation. We attach
great importance to the efforts of UNHCR to respond
holistically to the refugee problem through the Global
Compact on Refugees. We also call for compliance
with international law, international humanitarian
law and international human rights law, while also
ensuring the full implementation of relevant Security
Council resolutions.
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Humanitarian assistance is an important element
in responding to the current displacement crisis.
Preserving dignity for all of those in need requires
effective and short term plans as well as sustained and
long term solutions. We continue to see generosity and
solidarity from the international community regarding
refugees all over the world, as noted by Mr. Grandi in
his briefing. It is necessary to stress the importance
of the role played by the communities and States that
host and support significant numbers of refugees. We
also stress the role of institutions, civil society and
non-governmental organizations that work tirelessly to
provide a dignified life and rehabilitation to all those in
need in conflict areas.
The United Nations and other humanitarian
organizations must be allowed to do their work and provide
complete and unhindered humanitarian assistance as
well as basic services to the refugees, including health
care and education in addition to psychological and
social support. We call on the international community
to continue supporting UNHCR.
I have two questions.
First, with respect to the provision of humanitarian
assistance to those in need, we have witnessed crises
that United Nations agencies, including UNHCR,
have had to address in order to reach those in need
of assistance, and sometimes they have taken months
to achieve that. On several occasions, Kuwait has
proposed that the right to the veto within the Council
not be used to prevent the delivery of assistance to
displaced persons and refugees. Against that backdrop,
what can the Council do?
Secondly, with respect to the memorandum of
understanding between UNHCR and the Government
of Myanmar, Mr. Grandi mentioned the issue of the
Rohingya refugees and their return in a safe, dignified
and voluntary manner. That is an international
requirement. Myanmar says that it is not opposed
to the return of refugees, and Bangladesh says that
it also agrees on their return. As the memorandum
of understanding nears its end, and given that the
conditions on the ground are not yet conducive for
their return, how can we contribute to improving those
conditions and accelerate the return of refugees to their
places of origin?
Mr. Delattre (France) (spoke in French): I would
like to begin by thanking High Commissioner for
Refugees Filippo Grandi for his very enlightening and
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important briefing. Allow me to also pay sincere tribute
to his work, as well as to the teams of the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) for their outstanding work in protecting
refugees and defending their rights. UNHCR, as
Mr. Grandi knows, can count on the strong support of
France in the context of our exemplary partnership, just
as it can count on France’s commitment to ensuring
unconditional respect for the right of asylum in Europe
and around the world.
As High Commissioner Grandi pointed out, 2019
is the year of a bleak record: 70 million people have
been forced into exile and are refugees. Without going
into a list of the countries concerned, I would like to
echo what Mr. Grandi said and stress three priorities
that we think must guide our action: first, the sharing
of responsibilities; secondly, a response to the root
causes of displacement and, thirdly, respect for the
fundamental principles to guide and aid the return
of refugees.
First, with regard to the sharing of responsibilities
and the need for solidarity, the reception of refugees
is an international obligation and a moral duty. It is
the responsibility of States to protect on their territory
foreign nationals who have fled their country as a
result of persecution. We must also ensure safe and
legal routes for those people, who too often risk their
lives to go into exile. It is in that spirit that France has
organized protection missions, together with UNHCR,
in the Niger and Chad. Approximately 1,150 particularly
vulnerable refugees have been resettled in France.
We must do everything we can to support countries
that are at the forefront of large-scale displacements.
It is only through a concerted approach that we will be
able to improve the care of refugees and achieve better
management of migration flows. We must also increase
our efforts to combat traffickers and smugglers. That,
too, is a priority.
It is in that spirit that the Global Compact on
Refugees was developed and adopted. We must
redouble our efforts to move into the implementation
phase of the Compact. The Global Refugee Forum to be
organized by UNHCR in December will be a major step
towards providing a collective and effective response
to the challenges of refugee protection and care. France
will be present, alongside UNHCR, which is by far
the international humanitarian organization that has
received the most humanitarian assistance from France.
We call on all States and relevant actors to participate
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and commit themselves to the implementation of
the Compact.
Secondly, with regard to the response to the root
causes of population displacement, as everybody
knows, insecurity and mass human rights violations,
which unfortunately characterize conflicts, are the
main causes of displacement. It is important to prevent
and suppress them. It is also up to the Security Council
to establish the conditions for a lasting settlement
of crises.
In Syria, where over 6 million people are internally
displaced and 5.7 million are refugees, only a credible
political process can guarantee stability and prevent
further refugee flows. In Libya, the escalation of
violence has already pushed 2,800 people out of conflict
areas and aggravated the already precarious situation of
migrants and refugees. We call on all Libyan leaders
to remain engaged in the process led by the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General, as only a
political solution will make it possible to stabilize
the country in a sustainable manner and address the
challenges related to migration. In that regard, I have a
question for the High Commissioner, echoing what he
already said concerning cooperation between UNHCR
and the Libyan authorities to ensure the protection of
migrants and refugees.
With regard to Palestinian refugees, of whom
there are more than 5 million in the region, we call for
a realistic, equitable, just and lasting solution within the
framework of a future Israeli-Palestinian agreement,
based on internationally agreed parameters. In the
meantime, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) must
continue to receive our full support in the context of
the suspension of the American contribution. For its
part, France has doubled its contribution to UNRWA
this year.
Finally, in Venezuela, which we will discuss again
tomorrow, about 5,000 people are leaving the country
every day, and there are now more than 3.4 million
Venezuelan migrants and refugees. The origins of that
crisis are political and institutional, and only new, free,
transparent and credible presidential elections will
bring it to an end.
Thirdly, with regard to respect for fundamental
principles for the return of refugees, it is everyone’s
responsibility to ensure the voluntary nature of the
return of refugees to their countries of origin, as
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Mr. Grandi said. States must ensure conditions for a
safe and dignified return based on access to information
about the place people are planning to return to. As
everyone knows, in Syria or Burma, just to take two
examples, such conditions are not being met at all today.
In Syria, France is extremely concerned about reports
of arbitrary arrests by Syrian security services of
refugees who are returning home. In Burma, there will
be no possible return for Rohingya refugees without
full freedom of movement and access to basic services.
To return to what Filippo Grandi said at the
beginning of his important briefing, the attitude towards
refugees is one of the defining characteristics of a time
and of the compass that guides our contemporaries. In
echoing what he said, I would like to reiterate France’s
conviction that only a global, collective, responsible
and supportive approach will make it possible to
respond effectively and sustainably to the challenge
posed by the increasing number of refugees. France is
determined to continue to spare no effort to that end.
Mr. Cohen (United States of America): The United
States is committed to assisting those displaced by
circumstances beyond their control. As such, we remain
the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance
worldwide. We are focused on providing assistance
as close to refugees’ homes as possible to help them
until they can return home safely, voluntarily and with
dignity. However, humanitarian needs vastly outpace the
capacity of any single donor. We encourage other States,
as well as development actors and the private sector, to
increase humanitarian contributions worldwide.
As many colleagues have said, the Global Compact
on Refugees provides a basis for predictable response
and greater burden-sharing among Member States.
We support the Compact’s primary objectives. We
encourage non-refugee hosting countries and countries
that do not provide humanitarian assistance to do
more. We support easing pressure on refugee-hosting
countries, including through third-country options,
and facilitating opportunities beyond traditional
resettlement. We also support efforts to improve
conditions in countries of origin to allow for safe and
voluntary returns.
We commend the tremendous efforts of the many
hosting countries. That includes countries that have
opened the doors to an unprecedented plight of millions
of vulnerable people from Venezuela and from Syria.
We note the admirable steps countries around the world
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
take to protect refugees. Ethiopia is expanding refugees’
access to work, education and other basic services.
Jordan has committed to allowing all children access to
public education. In Turkey, nearly 4 million refugees
have access to free health care, work and education.
Thailand has granted nationality to over 30,000 stateless
people, and Pakistan has started a national conversation
on offering citizenship to refugees born there.
We must avoid temptation to press prematurely
for returns of individuals to countries or regions that
they fled. Syria is one example where, as the High
Commissioner just told us, most refugees are not ready
to return. The conditions in many places of return are not
safe. We are concerned about the reports of involuntary
returns in some contexts, and call upon States to act in
accordance with their obligations under international
law and to respect the principle of non-refoulement.
We encourage the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees and its partners to redouble
efforts to monitor conditions of those who return to
their areas of origin, both refugees and internally
displaced persons. In that context, I would like to ask
the High Commissioner for his non-politicized view
of the current options for the Rukban camp residents,
and to what extent he believes that they have a safe,
voluntary and dignified option to return.
We encourage States to avoid actions that could
exacerbate displacement. Refugee returns are more
likely to be sustainable if basic safeguards, such as
legal rights, access to land, housing, social services
and economic inclusion, are in place. They decrease the
likelihood that refugees would need to seek safety across
international borders again. We wholly support the
High Commissioner’s discussion on finding solutions
at the outset of a displacement crisis, addressing
the root causes and the drivers of displacement and
effectively managing movement due to multiple factors
or mixed migration flows. As Secretary Pompeo said,
the best way to help is to work to end conflicts that
drive displacement in the first place. Seeking to resolve
such conflicts is a core responsibility of the Council
and one we must fully embrace.
For over a year, we have sought to address the root
causes of the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela through
this body, to no avail. To suggest to Venezuela’s
neighbours, which collectively host more than 3 million
refugees, that the situation does not threaten regional
security and stability is as erroneous now as it has
been since the crisis began. We will continue to sound
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the alarm on the dire humanitarian situation of the
Venezuelan people, including in tomorrow’s discussion.
I thank you again, Mr. President, for convening
today’s meeting to discuss the situation for millions
of displaced people around the world, who have the
same hopes and dreams for the future that we all have:
access to education for our children, basic rights and
responsibilities of democratic citizenship and, most
importantly, safety and security to live our lives. The
United States will continue to lead efforts to support
that future.
Mr. Pecsteen de Buytswerve (Belgium) (spoke in
French): First of all, I would like to thank you, Sir, for
taking the initiative to convene today’s meeting, and
Mr. Grandi for his inspiring presentation.
As we know, the number of displaced persons
throughout the world has never been so high:
68.5 million, including more than 25 million refugees.
Today’s briefing therefore has its rightful place on the
Security Council’s agenda, given the links between
conflicts and flows of refugees and internally displaced
persons. In that regard, the drastic increase in the
number displaced persons cannot become the indicator
of our decreasing ability to prevent, contain and
resolve conflicts. The emergence of flows of refugees
and internally displaced persons is, in many cases, a
warning sign. They should therefore be considered
an early-warning sign and be included in the analyses
and reports submitted to the Security Council so as to
improve our response and prevention capacity. I would
like to ask the High Commissioner for Refugees about
his opinion on that issue. How can we work on that
aspect of early warning?
Secondly, the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) places
protection at the core of its mandate. Belgium supports
the centrality of protection through a strong partnership
with UNHCR. Such protection must remain at the core
of all humanitarian action that supports displaced
persons, as they face many additional risks, ranging
from discrimination to serious violations of their
rights. Given the additional vulnerability of women
and children to the risk of violations, including sexual
violence, we call on the United Nations and other
humanitarian partners to pay particular attention to
their specific needs and provide specialized medical and
psychosocial services for victims of sexual violence.
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With regard to protection, we recall that displaced
persons are protected by human rights through
international humanitarian law and refugee law, as
appropriate. We call on all States Members of the United
Nations to respect the principle of non-refoulement.
will always support him. We try to be a reliable partner.
In 2018, I believe, we were the second-largest donor to
the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees. As
others have requested, I ask that he please convey to
all his staff our admiration and support for all they do.
The High Commissioner mentioned the issue of
returns. We believe that returns and reintegration must
be an integral part of peace processes. Parties to conflict
must provide the necessary guarantees to ensure that
refugees can return in a safe, voluntary, dignified,
well-informed and sustainable manner. Accompanying
measures must be put in place, with a view to lasting
reconciliation and transitional justice. Furthermore,
refugees themselves, as well as diasporas, can make
a valuable contribution to peace and reconciliation
efforts; their role as actors in such processes must
be supported.
As our French, Belgian and American colleagues
have said, the Global Compact for Refugees is a true
milestone and shows the capacity of the multilateral
system to tackle highly complex issues. The key, as
the High Commissioner said, is shared solidarity
and, as others here have said, equitable burden- and
responsibility-sharing. The proof of the pudding is in
the eating. We have to talk about implementation.
Thirdly, the shocking number of forced
displacements, including refugees, leads us to reaffirm
the importance of international cooperation on the
issue of refugees. In that regard, Belgium supports
the Global Compact for Refugees, developed by
UNHCR, and hopes that its adoption will help give
new impetus to international cooperation in that area.
Given that almost 60 per cent of refugees are hosted
by only 10 countries and that 85 per cent of refugees
are in developing countries, the Compact quite rightly
prioritizes support for host countries, responsibilityand burden-sharing and the quest for durable solutions.
That approach prevents lost generations, in particular
in protracted crisis situations, due to the lack of health
care, education and psychosocial support.
I would like to end by paying tribute to the
outstanding work done by the High Commissioner and
his team.
The President: I shall now make a statement in my
capacity as the representative of Germany.
I will start off where Mr. Pecsteen de Buytswerve
ended and thank you, Mr. Grandi, for your work. You
work to assist people who are in very dire circumstances.
Our colleague of the Dominican Republic gave
examples from all over the world. When we talk about
70 million refugees, we are talking about the fate of
70 million individuals — children, women and men.
Therefore, we encourage him to continue his work. He
always radiates hope and optimism. I think that that
is the only way to survive the challenge. But, we need
that. I ask that he please continue his work. Germany
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With regard to host countries, like others before
me, I would like to underline how much we value the
actions of Syria’s neighbours — Jordan, Lebanon,
Turkey, Egypt. We also value the actions of Bangladesh
and Venezuela’s neighbours, from Colombia to Peru
to Ecuador. Such action is extremely important. It is
also very important for refugees to be given a chance
because it allows them to return to their homeland.
When they are in third countries, it is less likely that
will return to their homes. We subscribe to what
Mr. Grandi and others have said with regard to returns.
Returns must be voluntary, safe, dignified and wellinformed. We also had a discussion regarding Rukban.
Russia and the Office of the High Commissioner for
Refugees must work closely to guarantee that returns
occur as described previously and that returnees do
not face arrest or forced conscription or find their
homes expropriated.
With respect to Libya’s dreadful situation, I would
encourage the High Commissioner to remain engaged
and to stay there. There is one phenomenon in Libya I
would like to highlight. It is the fate of women, children
and refugees. They are the most vulnerable, in Libya,
certainly, and in other places. We support what the
High Commissioner is doing and ask that he put special
emphasis on the fate of those refugees.
I would like to end by touching on Myanmar. Can
the High Commissioner say a bit more about the 34
projects? What do they entail? Can we build on them?
With respect to Bangladesh, I would like to pay
tribute to what that country, which is not one of the
richest on the planet, is doing. What is the situation of
the refugees there? I have also heard that they may be
placed on an island. What would the dangers be then for
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
the refugees in Bangladesh? What can or must be done
to support them?
I now resume my functions as President of
the Council.
I would like to thank everybody again for having
observed the hourglass. In response to my Russian
colleague and his horizontal proposal, this approach was
used by the Foreign Minister of Haiti (see S/PV.8502),
but I think we can function without using the hourglass
horizontally. I also thank everyone for all the questions
that have been raised. There were so many of them.
I do not know if the High Commissioner shares my
enthusiasm about the number of questions, but I now
give him the floor to respond.
Mr. Grandi: I thank everyone for the many
expressions of appreciation and support that I have
heard this morning. As expressions of support both
from the Security Council as an institution — the
supreme body responsible for peace and security, and
one that is intimately related to our work — and from
many — in fact, all — representatives of the individual
countries on the Council, they are encouraging for us.
For the sake of brevity, I will try to group the
numerous questions and remarks that I have heard,
starting perhaps with the issue of returns, which has
been mentioned by many. It is a quite a complex issue.
I touched on it in my opening remarks. Of course,
we have to be clear, once again, on the fact that, for
the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), the return of refugees to their homes has
to be safe, dignified and secure. These are the three
pillars of return; they are necessary if we want to
ensure that returns are happening in a context of
international protection. It is also true that returns that
are safe, dignified, well supported and voluntary have
a chance to be more sustainable. Returns that happen
in less-than-ideal conditions very often translate into
fresh displacement. We have seen it in many places.
Then it becomes even more difficult to help people, and
a situation is created that could be a seed for further
conflict. It is therefore also in an issue that I would
invite Council members to consider from their stability/
security perspective.
But, of course, when people choose to go
back — and sometimes people do choose to go back in
difficult circumstances — we see some of them going
back to Syria, and we see some of them going back
S/PV. 8504
to other difficult situations — then those people need
humanitarian support. We all know that the question
of aid and reconstruction in Syria is fraught with
many political elements and dimensions. I invite and
encourage to Council members is to delink the politics,
which are inevitable after such a long war, from the
humanitarian needs of the people, which have to be to
be met.
What is also very important — and I said this in
my opening remarks, but the Council is giving me the
opportunity to raise it again — is that in situations
like Syria — but the same applies to Myanmar and
other situations of potential future return — is that my
organization be present in the areas of return. That is
also part of our protection mandate, especially if we are
to convey a message of confidence to the people that
there is a neutral, impartial observer to their returns,
a presence that can be encouraging to them. This is
sometimes quite difficult.
In Syria, we have established a protocol with the
Government whereby, if we learn of things that can
happen to people returning, we have a mechanism
now established to raise these reports with the Syrian
Government. But we can do that only if we are present.
Otherwise, we could we cannot bring those reports to
the authorities. When I was in Syria just a few ways
weeks ago, I discussed this issue at length with the
Syrian Government, and we are making some progress
in that regard. Still, we need further encouragement and
progress, and this applies — to reply to the question
asked by the representative of the United States —to
Rukban as well.
In Rukban, there is a very mixed population that
has been deprived of humanitarian assistance for a very
long time. We were last able to conduct a convoy from
the Syrian side — that is, no longer from the Jordanian
side — into Rukban in March, with the help of other
United Nations agencies. But we assume that this will
become increasingly difficult, so a solution is urgent.
We have been able survey the intentions of the people
in Rukban, and most of them want to go back home,
once guarantees of safety are in place. The situation
is very much like the situation of many refugees, and
I have raised this issue, not only with the authorities
in Damascus but also in Homs province, from which
most of the people in Rukban come, to say that it is
important that if these people go back — and I hope
that they can go back — we can be present there to
ensure a climate in which returnees can be confident. I
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
know that Rukban is a very complex situation because
it is at the intersection of different security problems,
but I would encourage those members of the Council
that have influence and access to facilitate this solution
and promote our presence as an additional guarantee
that if people return — which they want to do — they
will be doing so in safety.
There was an important question raised by the
representative of Indonesia, which is often the case. I
would like to say that it is true that, when I say that
people also have the right not to return if they think that
the conditions are not right to do so, there is the question
of what is going to happen. I am thinking not only of
the more recent crises, but of the Afghans, for example,
who have been in exile for decades — 40 years this
year — and of the Somalis who have been in the Horn
of Africa for 25 to 30 years, and the list, unfortunately,
is long. Conflicts tend to be very protracted. What do
we then do for countries that are hosting these people
literally for generations? I think that this was gist of
the representative of Indonesia’s question, and it is an
important one.
I think that this is where the Compact can play a
role. The Compact was put in place not just for new
emergencies, but also for protracted ones. The Compact
aims at mobilizing different types of resources, not just
humanitarian but development resources, the role of the
private sector and civil society and so on. It is really
a new paradigm. The issue of alternative modes of
financing was raised, and I think the Compact is already
promoting such financing. We are already applying the
Compact in about 15 countries in Africa and in Latin
America, and we see that there is progress there in
helping the host countries bear the responsibility they
have been shouldering for so long. But we must continue
to work on a solution, especially returns. We must also
continue to say that resettlement, which many Council
members have cited as an important solution, continues
to be important. I am indeed concerned that the global
resettlement figures have declined a great deal in the
past couple of years. Resettlement will never be a mass
solution for lots of people, but it is a solution of choice
for people who are extremely vulnerable and exposed.
I would therefore encourage the Council to continue to
look at that aspect.
Returning to the Compact and what it represents
and the new resources that we want to mobilize, I
would very much like to echo the appeal made by
the representative of the United States — by far our
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biggest financial backer — in saying that the scope
of “contributor” needs to be expanded, and not just
through UNHCR. The Compact promotes a great deal
of bilateral support to the countries hosting refugees.
The World Bank and others have really shown the way.
There is a great deal of interest in the private sector.
I was at the Boao Forum for Asia in China just a few
days ago. I was amazed at the interest of the Chinese
private sector in supporting humanitarian operations
worldwide. I think that there are new avenues that we
can explore and are exploring that are very important.
Taking the cue from the Polish statement with
regard to trafficking, it is a scourge that we all want to
combat. That is also something of which the Council
has been seized. Much of the emphasis has been on
the control and security side. That is fair enough. It
is a criminal activity that needs that kind of response.
I think it also needs to be looked at more broadly.
Creating legal pathways, and resettlement is one, but
also, in the migration field, which is not mine, creating
legal migration channels is the best competition to
trafficking. Ultimately, that can really push it back.
There were a few questions on specific situations,
such as from the United Kingdom representative
on Libya. I think that the first priority, which the
Council well knows, is to halt the current escalation
of hostilities. Let me join the Secretary-General in
appealing to all members for that to be done in a unified,
strong manner. The voice of the Security Council must
be heard because what is happening now in Libya is
very dangerous. If that happens, I think it is important
that the question put by the representative of France
of the relationship between agencies such as UNHCR
and the International Organization for Migration and
the authorities needs to be reset. We cannot continue to
operate under constant pressure, threats, intimidation
and volatility of commitments made. If we want to
address this problem, we need another paradigm of
cooperation, and we would like the Council to help us
to do that, but first and foremost is the cessation of this
kind of hostility.
Unfortunately, I must say that since I do not know
what the prospects are for scaling back the current
surge in hostilities, I think that we must also be
prepared for further displacement, including in some of
the neighbouring countries, which we are working on.
On Myanmar, the 34 projects that have recently
been approved are the results of two of the three rounds
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Briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
of assessment that UNHCR and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) were able to conduct
on the basis of the memorandum of understanding. The
assessment should be in the range of 10 times more than
that but that is what we were able to do in the narrow
space that became available in the past few months
before the Arakan Army offensive. That really was a
setback. But it is a good sign that some of the projects
identified and approved by the Government have now
been approved for implementation. We need to continue
to do that.
But let me say once again that we need to look at the
other tracks. We need to look at freedom of movement for
the Rohingya. There are many who are still in Myanmar.
If nothing is done to alleviate the discrimination against
their marginalization, there would be no incentive for
those who are in Bangladesh to return. That is the
key issue. It is not a matter of making a decision that
these people go back. It needs to be created. But I am
encouraged by it being said that I radiate optimism. A
little optimism is needed if we have to work in such
difficult situations. I am encouraged by this approval.
As I said, I hope to visit soon. I will visit if I can go to
northern Rakhine. I think that it is very important for
me to see the situation there. I hope that we will also
be able to continue. UNDP and UNHCR have indicated
to the Government of Myanmar that they are ready to
extend the memorandum of understanding but that they
hope that the extension, if it happens — we do not yet
know — will be accompanied by some practical results.
There was a question from the representative of
Kuwait in that regard. Let me again say what could be a
really important take-away here is access. In Myanmar
also, access and presence are important. I reiterate that
access by humanitarian organizations where people are
in fragile situations continues to be key.
Finally. I want to go back to the first statement of
the representative of Equatorial Guinea to thank him for
reminding us, because I was given only 15 minutes at
the beginning I could not mention that it is the African
Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced
Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced
Displacement in Africa and the fiftieth anniversary of
the 1969 Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of
Refugee Problems in Africa. That is a very important
instrument and Equatorial Guinea has the task of
conducting a series of activities to mark that solidarity,
which is so strong and widespread in Africa. We should
remember that I am not talking only about States but
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the solidarity that is given to refugees in countless
African villages that I have visited in my travels and
that often means sharing the very little that is available
in the absence of any other resources.
I believe that it is very significant that we work
together. The partnership with the African Union is
very strong and I think it can be further developed. We
increasingly see that the right approach to addressing
the refugee crisis and finding solutions is on a regional
basis. We have learned many lessons working with
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
(IGAD) and the African Union on the Somali refugees
in terms of both strengthening the protection in host
countries and looking at solutions in Somalia. The
next opportunity will be that if the peace process in
South Sudan progresses, and we are watching that
very closely, it will provide openings for cooperation
to also solve the massive displacement. One third of
the South Sudanese population is in exile. As we
have been discussing with the parties, IGAD and the
African Union, it is important than those in exile be
kept informed of the progress of the peace process and
have a voice in that. We have obtained some results in
that regard. We must remember that this is a population
that has left its country at least three times in the past.
Their trust in peace is very fragile. If we want to gain
it, we need to nurture it in the right manner. That is an
example of cooperation with the African Union that we
need to cultivate.
I should also mention that this year marks the
midpoint of another important UNHCR campaign,
launched by my predecessor, who is now the SecretaryGeneral, on reducing and eliminating statelessness.
That is another very important aspect of our work
mentioned by the representative of the United States.
Around the Executive Committee meeting in October,
we will have a special event on statelessness. In
December there is the Global Refugee Forum, which
will mark the first anniversary of the Compact and in
which we hope Member States will participate at the
ministerial level to showcase progress made since the
New York Declaration and pledge commitments and
engagement for the future.
I have two final points. I thank the representative
of France for having mentioned the necessary support
to our sister agency the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA). It is very important. The stability of the
region also hinges on the possibility for the refugee
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09/04/2019
population, assisted by UNRWA, to remain in schools
and to have access to jobs and health services. As a
former Commissioner General, I not only thank him
for that but also because the countries that are affected
by that unresolved issue are those that are also hosting
Syrian refugees. It is a combination that needs to be
kept in mind in providing support to UNRWA.
forged. I believe that this is very high on the list of
priorities of the current United Nations administration.
The final point is to say that I appreciate what many
said about the importance of linking humanitarian,
human rights, development and peace and security
work. I think that that is at the heart of the reforms in
which the Secretary-General is encouraging all of us at
the United Nations and Member States to participate. I
think that it is really his ambition, if I have understood
correctly, to bring together these different perspectives,
which are sometimes in tension with one another, and to
try to chart a way forward in which the United Nations
can play a positive role.
Some here were kind enough to say that we should
have more frequent exchanges. I just want to say that
this is the Council’s choice. I am always available,
as the Council is aware; I also come here to speak
about specific situations. I think that the relationship,
described so well by the Ambassador of Kuwait,
between refugee issues and the peace- and securityrelated issues that the Council deals with is very clear,
as this morning’s debate has proved once again.
When the Secretary-General conducts his executive
committee meetings on various issues, we are often
invited to participate, although we are not a standing
member. This is really where all the dimensions of the
crisis are analysed and the position of the United Nations
The President: I think that I speak for everyone in
thanking Mr. Grandi for his statement and his initial
remarks, and also for having responded to all the
questions posed and comments made.
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It is important, in talking about peace and security,
not to forget those who must not be left behind — the
most marginalized and excluded. Refugees are such
people. In discussing solutions, it must be remembered
that they, too, must be included.
I thank Council members once again for having
listened patiently to our views.
The meeting rose at noon.
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