Assistance to student refugees in southern Africa

A/RES/42/138

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 41/136 of 4 December 1986, in which it, inter alia, requested the Secretary-General, in co-operation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to continue to organize and implement an effective programme of educational and other appropriate assistance for student refugees from South Africa and Namibia who have been granted asylum in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia,

Having considered the report of the High Commissioner on the assistance programme to student refugees from South Africa and Namibia,

Noting with appreciation that some of the projects recommended in the report on assistance to student refugees in southern Africa continue to be successfully implemented,

Noting with concern that the discriminatory and repressive policies that continue to be applied in South Africa and Namibia cause a continued and increasing influx of student refugees into Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia,

Conscious of the burden placed on the limited financial, material and administrative resources of the host countries by the increasing number of student refugees,

Appreciating the efforts of the host countries to deal with their student refugee populations, with the assistance of the international community,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;

2. Expresses its appreciation to the Governments of Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia for granting asylum and making educational and other facilities available to the student refugees, in spite of the pressure that the continuing influx of those refugees exerts on facilities in their countries;

3. Also expresses its appreciation to the Governments of Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia for the co-operation that they have extended to the High Commissioner on matters concerning the welfare of these refugees;

4. Notes with appreciation the financial and material support provided for the student refugees by Member States, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, other bodies of the United Nations system and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations;

5. Requests the High Commissioner, in co-operation with the Secretary-General, to continue to organize and implement an effective programme of educational and other appropriate assistance for student refugees from South Africa and Namibia who have been granted asylum in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia;

6. Urges all Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to continue contributing generously to the assistance programme for student refugees, through financial support of the regular programmes of the High Commissioner and of the projects and programmes, including unfunded projects, that were submitted to the Second International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa, held at Geneva from 9 to 11 July 1984;

7. Also urges all Member States and all intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to assist the countries of asylum materially and otherwise to enable them to continue to discharge their humanitarian obligations towards refugees;

8. Appeals to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Development Programme and all other competent United Nations bodies, as well as other international and non-governmental organizations, to continue providing humanitarian and development assistance so as to facilitate and expedite the settlement of student refugees from South Africa and Namibia who have been granted asylum in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia;

9. Calls upon agencies and programmes of the United Nations system to continue co-operating with the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner in the implementation of humanitarian programmes of assistance for the student refugees in southern Africa;

10. Requests the High Commissioner, in co-operation with the Secretary-General, to continue to keep the matter under review, to apprise the Economic and Social Council, at its second regular session of 1988, of the current status of the programmes and to report to the General Assembly at its forty-third session on the implementation of the present resolution.