Draft Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Text of Articles Adopted by the Conference on 6 July 1951

A/CONF.2/L.1/Add.1

Article 12 Wage-earning employment

1. The Contracting State shall accord to refugees lawfully living in their territory the most favourable treatment accorded to nationals of a foreign-country in the same circumstances, as regards the right to engage in wage-earning employment.

2. In any case, restrictive measures imposed on aliens or the employment of aliens for the protection of the national labour marked shall not be applied to a refugee who was already exempt from them at the date of entry into force of this Convention for the Contracting State concerned, or who fulfils one of the following conditions:

(a) He has completed three year's residence in the country;

(b) He has a spouse possessing the nationality of the country of residence.

A refugee may not invoke the benefits of this provision if he has abandoned his spouse.

(c) He has one or more children possessing the nationality of the country of residence.

3. The Contracting States shall give sympathetic consideration to assimilating the rights of all refugees in this regard to those of nationals, and in particular those refugees who have entered their territory pursuant to programmes of labour recruitment or under immigration schemes.

Article 13 Self-employment

The Contracting State shall accord to a refugee lawfully in their territory treatment as favourable as possible and, in any event, not less favourable than that accorded generally to aliens in the same circumstances, as regards the right to engage on his own account in agriculture, industry, handicrafts and commerce and to establish commercial and industrial companies.

Article 15 Rationing

Where a rationing system exists, which applies to the population at large and regulates the general distribution of products in short supply, refugees shall be treated on the same footing as nationals.

Article 16 Housing

As regards housing, the Contracting States in so far as the matter is regulated by laws or regulations, or is subject to the control of public authorities, shall accord to refugees lawfully in their territory treatment as favourable as possible and, in any event, not less favourable than that accorded generally to aliens in the same circumstances.

Article 17 Public education

1. The Contracting States shall accord to refugees the same treatment as is accorded to nationals with respect to elementary education.

2. The Contracting States shall accord to refugees treatment no less favourable than that accorded generally to aliens in the same circumstances with respect to education other than elementary education and, in particular, as regards access to studies, the remission of fees and charges and the award of scholarships.

Article 18 Public relief

The Contracting States shall accord to refugees lawfully in their territory the same treatment with respect to public relief and assistance as is accorded to their nationals.