CM/RES.1653 (LXIV)
Page 1
RESOLUTION ON REFUGEES, RETURNEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS IN AFRICA
The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its Sixty-Fourth Ordinary Session in Yaounde, Cameroon, from 1 to 5 July, 1996,
Having considered the Report of the OAU Commission of Twenty on Refugees on the Situation of Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons,
Taking Note of the Report of the Second Meeting of the Follow-up Committee of the Bujumbura Conference on the Situation of Refugees in the Great Lakes Region,
Considering that the influx of refugees and displaced persons continues to occur in various parts of Africa due to conflicts and put strains on the fragile socio-economic condition of the countries of asylum and also Taking Note of the persistent inhuman situation in the West African and Great Lakes Region,
Appreciating the great sacrifices the countries of asylum are rendering to the refugees despite their socio-economic difficulties,
Noting also with great concern that despite all the efforts deployed so far by the OAU, UN Agencies, Eminent Persons, International Organizations and Non-governmental Organizations, the situation of refugees and displaced persons in Africa has continued to deteriorate;
Convinced that creating conducive conditions for the return of refugees in safety and dignity constitutes a durable solution to the problem of refugees in the continent.
Noting with satisfaction the massive voluntary repatriation process currently underway in some of the countries in Africa,
Noting further with appreciation the activities of the asylum countries, the international community, in particular those of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in collaboration with governmental and voluntary agencies in favour of refugees and displaced persons:
TAKES NOTE of the report of the OAU Commission of Twenty on Refugees;
URGES Member States concerned and the International Community to intensify their efforts in the implementation of the recommendations of the Second Meeting of the Follow-up Committee of the Bujumbura Conference;
EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE to the Member States which continue to grant asylum and extend assistance to refugees and displaced persons;
URGES countries of origin to create conditions conducive to the voluntary repatriation of refugees and the return of displaced persons to their places of habitual residences in conditions of safety and dignity;
CALLS UPON Member States to adhere to the various protocols and agreements signed in order to achieve peaceful settlements of all kinds of conflicts which will eventually lead to voluntary repatriation of refugees and the return of displaced persons to their habitual residences;
CALLS UPON the International Community to render generous assistance to carry out the necessary re-integration process in those countries where large-scale
voluntary repatriation is taking place.
FURTHER CALLS UPON the International Community to provide additional assistance in order to help alleviate the refugee situation and that of local populations in countries of asylum, especially with regard to the West African and the Great Lakes Regions.
STRESSES that in order to facilitate lasting solutions, the international community should give assistance to refugees and returnees in the countries of origin and the countries offering asylum and APPEALS to the donor community to provide additional resources towards assisting refugees and returnees in order to match the magnitude of the problem;
CALLS ON the UNHCR in close collaboration with countries of asylum to continue to undertake refugee census in order to provide accurate of refugees in the concerned Member States;
REQUESTS the Secretary-General of the OAU, the OAU Commission of Twenty on Refugees in cooperation with UNHCR to continue their efforts in the search for lasting solutions to the problem of Refugees, Returnees and Displaced Persons in the Continent.