Measures of assistance provided to South African and Namibian refugee women and children: resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

A/RES/41/123

Measures of assistance provided to South African and Namibian refugee women and children

The General Assembly,

Taking note of the report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, held at Nairobi from 15 to 26 July 1985,

Taking note also of the report of the Secretary-General on measures of assistance provided to women inside South Africa and Namibia and to women outside South Africa and Namibia who have become refugees as a result of the practice of apartheid,

Recalling its resolutions 34/93 K of 12 December 1979, 35/206 N of 16 December 1980 and 36/172 K of 17 December 1981 on women and children under apartheid,

Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1986/25 of 23 May 1986 on measures of assistance provided to South African, Namibian and refugee women,

Noting with regret that during the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, the status of women living under apartheid in South Africa and Namibia deteriorated,

Concerned about the special needs of women and children forced to flee from South Africa and Namibia who have become refugees as a result of the practice of apartheid,

1. Endorses Economic and Social Council resolution 1986/25 on measures of assistance provided to South African, Namibian and refugee women;

2. Calls upon all Governments, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations to intensify their support for and solidarity with refugee women and children outside South Africa and Namibia and in front-line States, in particular:

(a) To provide for the widest possible dissemination of information about the situation of refugee women and children;

(b) To provide legal, humanitarian and other assistance to refugee women and children and their families who are victims of apartheid;

(c) To provide assistance to women in the national liberation movements to enable them to attend major international conferences and seminars and to undertake speaking tours further to promote international solidarity with the oppressed women;

(d) To support the projects and activities of the southern African national liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity, particularly those involving refugee women and children;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure close co-ordination between United Nations bodies, in particular the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs, the Centre against Apartheid, the Centre for Human Rights and the United Nations Council for Namibia, as well as the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, with a view to maximizing publicity on the situation of refugee women and children;

4. Requests the Special Committee against Apartheid to include in its programme of work for 1988 the organization of a seminar on the special needs of South African and Namibian refugee women and children and ways of increasing measures of assistance to them, in co-operation with other relevant United Nations bodies;

5. Decides to consider the measures of assistance provided to South African and Namibian refugee women and children under the item entitled "Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees" of the provisional agenda of its forty-second session.