Mr. Chairman,
Fifty years ago, in the
wake of fading smoke of the World War II, representatives
from 26 countries drafted and adopted the "Magna Carta
of International Refugee Law"----the Convention
Relating to the Status of Refugees in Geneva. It is
undoubtedly of great significance for us to gather here
today in this beautiful city again to review its past,
discuss future prospects and commemorate the 50th
Anniversary of the adoption of the Convention. Here, I wish
to express my thanks to the Federal Government of
Switzerland and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) for initiating and co-sponsoring this
conference. I am convinced that, under your Chairmanship and
with our common efforts, the Conference will be a complete
success.
Mr. Chairman,
The
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967
Protocol are the most important international legal
instruments in the field of international protection of
refugees. Among the many international humanitarian
documents, it is this Convention, which has only a few
pages, that defines the basic concept of refugee and the
relevant rights and obligations and fills in the gap in the
legal field of international protection of refugees. To the
helpless refugees who wander overseas after leaving their
homeland, the Convention is the candlelight of hope in the
dark. To the regime for international protection of
refugees, the Convention is the cornerstone for its smooth
operation. To people who are engaged in
humanitarian work of protecting and assisting refugees, the
Convention serves as a guide to action. It has played an
essential role in the field of international protection of
refugees and has won universal attention. This has become
the common understanding of the international
community.
The Convention has covered a
five-decade course of stormy events. For the past 50 years,
a total of over 50 million people have been sheltered in the
edifice of international protection of refugees built under
the Convention. The number of States Parties to the
Convention has increased to nearly 140. Here, I wish to take
this opportunity to fully affirm the active role played by
the Convention in the past 50 years. Meanwhile, I
wish to express my appreciation of the endeavors made by the
supervisory agency of the Convention—the UNHCR in
ensuring the implementation of the Convention over the
years.
Mr. Chairman,
Today, as
mankind has marched into the new century, the international
situation is undergoing complicated and profound changes.
Economic globalization is picking up pace, the trend towards
political multipolarity is gaining momentum, science and
technology keep advancing by leaps and bounds, and the
productive forces are on the rise as never before.
Mankind boasts of material and spiritual wealth
more abundant than any time in history. The desire of the
world's people for a peaceful and happy life is stronger
than ever. The development and progress of human society is
faced with unprecedented opportunities. Meanwhile, we must
be soberly aware that neither of the two themes of our
times--peace and development--has been resolved so far.
Democratized international relations is still far from
reality. The unjust and irrational international political
and economic order has not been transformed fundamentally.
There are still constant armed conflicts, external
intervention, ethnic confrontation and religious clashes.
Against this background, the situation of refugees has been
very grim, with undulating tides of refugees and their total
number staying high for a long period since the birth of the
Convention half a century ago. Today as we mark the
Anniversary of the Convention, the number of persons of
concern to the UNHCR is as high as 21 million and more. At
the same time, the abuse of refugee asylum policies and
procedures as well as the protection of vulnerable refugee
groups, including women, children and the elderly, remain
most striking issues.
It is an arduous task
faced by the international community to eradicate the root
causes of refugees. A thorough solution of the refugee
problem is our common aspiration and also the lofty target
pursued by the Convention. For this, I wish to make the
following proposals:
1. To safeguard world
peace, promote common development. We should address the
existing refugee issues while seeking their durable
solutions. The 50-year history tells us that the unjust and
irrational international political and economic order is the
root cause of refugee issues. While coping with refugee
crisis, the international community should work together to
handle international affairs on the basis of equality and in
an equitable manner, resolve international disputes through
peaceful means, achieve the democratization of international
relations, promote the common prosperity and development of
all countries and prevent the emergence of refugees at the
root.
2. To effectively uphold the authority of
the Convention and the existing regime for international
protection and actively explore new ways and means for
resolving the refugee problem. As the world has entered the
new century, the Convention plays an important and essential
role in the international protection of refugees, and the
basic principles and spirit established by the Convention
are by no means obsolete. It is of most important historical
and practical significance to continue to bring into full
play the positive role of the Convention and its Protocol.
In the meantime, countries should actively seek new and
effective measures consistent with the principles and spirit
of the Convention in order to address new issues and
problems in the international refugee field.
3.
To adhere to the principles of “international
solidarity” and “burden sharing” and carry
out international cooperation effectively. The refugee
problem is a global one, and closer international
cooperation is an effective way for its resolution. At
present, developing countries have paid a heavy price for
resolving this problem by providing asylum to three-fourths
of the total global refugee population. Members of the
international community, developed countries in particular,
are duty-bound to face the realities squarely, fully
recognize the tremendous contribution made by the developing
countries and continue to provide help to host countries in
the developing world that have provided shelter to refugees
and to undertake the corresponding resettlement obligations
in accordance with the principles of “international
solidarity” and “burden sharing” as
enshrined in the Convention.
4. To draw a clear
line between the refugee issue and others, preventing the
abuse of the protection regime and asylum policies as
prescribed in the Convention. Unrestrained expansion of the
asylum procedures of the Convention would result in a
negative impact on the international protection regime,
conniving at illegal immigration and allowing criminals to
go unpunished, thus doing harm to peace and stability of
states and regions. The States Parties must step up the
process to determine refugee status in accordance with the
purposes and principles of the Convention. The UNHCR should
also work strictly within its mandate so as to ensure that
while refugees are duly protected, the asylum policies and
procedures are not abused so that the Convention serves as a
true guarantee for refugee protection.
Mr.
Chairman,
China has always attached importance
to the protection of refugees and has long taken an active
part in the work in this connection. Following its accession
to the Convention and its Protocol in 1982, China has, as
always, conscientiously fulfilled its international
obligations and earnestly engaged in domestic legislation on
refugee affairs. The Chinese Government has received and
extended effective protection to more than 280,000
Indo-Chinese refugees in spite of its own difficulties. As
of now, some of them have been voluntarily repatriated in
line with the principles and spirit of the Convention. The
Chinese Government stands ready to continue to cooperate
with the relevant countries and the UNHCR for an appropriate
solution of the leftover issues of the Indo-Chinese refugees
in China. It will go on honoring its international
obligations, enhancing its cooperation with the
international community, including the UNHCR, and pressing
ahead towards resolving the global refugee
issue.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
(Translation)
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