AG/RES. 1693 (XXIX-O/99)

THE SITUATION OF REFUGEES AND RETURNEES IN THE AMERICAS

(Resolution adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 8, 1999)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

CONSIDERING:

That, through its resolutions AG/RES. 774 (XV-O/85), AG/RES. 838 (XVI-O/86), AG/RES. 951 (XVIII-O/88), AG/RES. 1021 (XIX-O/89), AG/RES. 1039 (XX-O/90), AG/RES. 1040 (XX-O/90), AG/RES. 1103 (XXI-O/91), AG/RES. 1170 (XXII-O/92), AG/RES. 1214 (XXIII-O/93), AG/RES. 1273 (XXIV-O/94), AG/RES. 1336 (XXV-O/95), AG/RES. 1416 (XXVI-O/96), AG/RES. 1504 (XXVII-O/97), and AG/RES. 1602 (XXVIII-O/98), it expressed its concern for those persons in the Americas who, as refugees and returnees, require protection of their fundamental rights and the provision of humanitarian assistance;

That the 1951 Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees, taken together with its 1967 Protocol, is justly cited as the Magna Carta of refugee law, representing the culmination of an effort by the international community, begun with the League of Nations in 1921, to establish a system of basic rights that would ensure protection of refugees;

That the fundamental importance of the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol was reaffirmed by the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993; and that its continuing validity has been reiterated by the Executive Committee of the Program of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as in several resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the General Assembly of the Organization of American States;

That, in this context, attention should be called also to the importance of the 1984 Cartagena Declaration; and

That on October 8, 1998, the UNHCR launched a worldwide campaign to promote new accessions to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol on the Status of Refugees, as well as to the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on Reduction of Statelessness; and that this worldwide campaign will conclude in the year 2000, when the UNHCR celebrates its 50th anniversary,

RESOLVES:

1. To urge those member states that have not yet done so to accede to and ratify the international instruments on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons, thereby contributing to universal application of these conventions.

2. To reiterate the importance of the adoption by states of domestic law to ensure the effective application of these international instruments, taking into consideration the international standards set by case law, government practice, and regional and international doctrine on the subject.

3. To request the OAS Secretary General to present a progress report on the matter to the General Assembly at its next regular session, to be held in Canada in the year 2000.