Situation of refugees in the Sudan: resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

A/RES/45/160

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 44/151 of 15 December 1989 and its other previous resolutions on the situation of refugees in the Sudan,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General and the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,

Expressing its appreciation for the efforts made by the Government of the Sudan for the reception of the refugees and the provision of protection, shelter, food, education and health and other humanitarian services to the ever increasing number of refugees who have been crossing the borders into the Sudan since the early 1960s,

Recognizing the heavy burden shouldered by the people and the Government of the Sudan and the sacrifices they are making to host more than one million refugees, who constitute approximately 7.5 per cent of the total population of the country,

Deeply concerned that the great majority of the refugees have settled of their own accord in various urban and rural communities throughout the country and are thus sharing with the indigenous population the already meagre resources and services,

Expressing grave concern at the devastating and far-reaching effects of the successive calamities, ranging from the drought in 1984 to the torrential rains and floods and locust infestations in 1988 and the drought and food shortage of 1990, that have afflicted the country, thus exacerbating the already deteriorating situation resulting from the presence of this great number of refugees,

Gravely concerned also that the Government of the Sudan, besides dealing with the difficult prevailing economic and social problems, has the additional task of taking care of more than 3.7 million persons displaced by successive calamities and civil strife in the south,

Recognizing the efforts undertaken by the Government of the Sudan to initiate a wide-ranging rehabilitation programme to redress the damages incurred by the natural disasters,

Considering those serious circumstances, which render the Government of the Sudan less prepared than ever to meet its obligations to its own people, and the more serious consequences, which affect the capacity of the Government of the Sudan to receive and grant asylum to additional numbers of refugees,

Expressing its appreciation for the assistance rendered by Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in support of the refugee programme in the Sudan,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;

2. Takes note also of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and, in particular, of the new trends identified in the area of refugee aid and development;

3. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner, donor countries and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations for their efforts to assist the refugees in the Sudan;

4. Expresses grave concern at the serious and far-reaching consequences of the presence of massive numbers of refugees on the security and stability of the country and the overall negative impact on its basic infrastructure and socio-economic development;

5. Also expresses grave concern at the shrinking resources available for refugee programmes in the Sudan and the serious consequences of this situation on the country's ability to continue to host and assist refugees;

6. Appeals to Member States, the appropriate organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and the international financial institutions to provide the Government of the Sudan with the necessary resources for the implementation of development assistance projects, in particular those prepared by the United Nations Development Programme, in the regions affected by the presence of refugees;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to mobilize the necessary financial and material assistance for the full implementation of ongoing projects in the areas affected by the presence of refugees;

8. Requests the High Commissioner to continue co-ordination with the appropriate specialized agencies in order to consolidate and ensure the continuation of essential services to the refugees in their settlements and to explore ways and means to extend assistance to refugees who have settled of their own accord elsewhere;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session, through the Economic and Social Council, on the implementation of the present resolution.