Rotaract Global Model United Nations

General Assembly

A/HRC/1.1
Distr.: Limited
28 August 2015
Original: English

Human Rights Council

Agenda Item:
THE INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE CRISIS: THE RIGHTS OF REFUGEES
AND ASYLUM-SEEKING PEOPLE
(with special focus on the countries of transit and host countries)
Signatories: Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Ethiopia
France, Germany, Greece*, India, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, New
Zealand, Serbia*1, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States
of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).

The Human Rights Council,

Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that stresses that all
human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,
Recalling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Geneva
Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and the
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the
Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, the European Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, the
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women,
the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the
protocols thereto, in particular the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by
Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime, and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish
1

*Non-member States of the Human Rights Council.

Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United

Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime,
Guided by the principles as set forth in the 1951 Geneva Convention relating
to the status of refugees and the New York Protocol Relating to the Status of
Refugees, especially the principle of non-refoulement,
Recognizing that States are responsible for the promotion and protection of
human rights of all people, including refugees and asylum seekers in their territory
who are subjected to their jurisdiction,
Reaffirming the duty of States to effectively promote and protect the human
rights and fundamental freedoms of all refugees and asylum seeking people, in
conformity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international
instruments to which they are party,
Declaring the importance of upholding human rights standards and preserving
the fundamental freedoms of refugees and asylum seekers during the adoption of
policies and initiatives on the issue of refugees and asylum seekers,
Recalling the recommended guidelines and principles on human rights at
international borders as set forth by the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights,
Deeply disturbed by the alarmingly high number of refugees and asylum
seekers throughout the world, due to generalized violence, armed conflict, violations
of international law and particularly international humanitarian law and human rights
law, who lack adequate assistance and protection,
Taking into consideration the escalating protracted nature of modern conflicts
all over the world,
Deeply concerned by the erosion of the institution of asylum due to the mixed
movement of populations,
Noting with regret the increasingly dangerous shrinking of humanitarian space
that affects the working conditions of humanitarian workers,
Deeply concerned by the enormous burden on countries bordering the
Mediterranean Sea due to the nature of this border, which results to increasing
numbers of cases of refoulement of vulnerable refugees and asylum seeking people,
Expressing its deep appreciation for the neighboring countries of conflictaffected states that harbor the increasing population of refugees,
Keeping in mind the efforts made by countries with available resources to
settle refugees in a long term and sustainable way in accordance with the Statute of
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,

Recognizing the importance of the European Resettlement Network to resettle

asylum seekers through its extensive regional, national and international network
consisting of local organizations, international organizations and non-governmental
organizations,
Reaffirming the importance of the initiatives taken by the Migration Policy
Centre and the Euro-Mediterranean Consortium for Applied Research on International
Migration (CARIM),
Contemplating the serious challenges that this situation is creating for the
international community,

1.

Calls upon States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify or accede to the
1951 Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees and the New York
Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees,

2.

Calls upon all States to ensure that their national policies are consistent with
their obligations under international human rights law and international
humanitarian law and to promote the enjoyment of human rights by all
refugees and asylum seeking people,

3.

Urges all States, , to comply with their obligations under international law
while exercising their sovereign right to enact and implement migration and
border security measures, including international human rights law, in order
to ensure full respect for the human rights of refugees and asylum seeking
people,

4.

Stresses the importance of ending impunity for violations of international

humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights,

5.

Invites all States to address impunity for violations of international

humanitarian law concerning migration, refugees and asylum-seeking
persons,

6.

Suggests the adoption of an emergency relocation proposal for refugees from

European host countries and countries of transit like Greece, Hungary and
Italy to other EU Member States; the distribution shall be determined using
objective and quantifiable criteria (including but not limited to : population,
number of pending applications and unemployment rate)

7.

Encourages all EU States to make a financial contribution according to their

GDP in order to:
a. enhance the personnel at the borders of the most affected by the
refugee flow host countries,
b. create refugee camps for the temporary residing of refugees

c. ascertain that all refugees and asylum-seekers receive food, water and
health care
d. help with the materialization of the redistribution and relocation plans
that have or will be adopted
e. establish centers in host countries ascertaining the integration of
refugees in a short-term and long-term basis. These centers shall
include a year of mandatory induction to the new countries of
residence (the programme shall include learning of the language
and culture of the country of residence). The centers shall further
keep record of all information and special skills or previous
profession of all refugees in order to help them obtain a job position
relevant to their previous occupation and ascertain that all persons
feel motivated and able to contribute to the host country while at the
same time they receive an adequate income and ensure their
independency and well-being
8.

Further invites all European countries to work together with the relevant UN
bodies and NGOs and launch a humanitarian operation to rescue refugees
in danger at the Mediterranean Sea, sharing the cost of enough boats,
airplanes and helicopters to rescue the people expected to cross the borders
and providing the countries of transit with financial and logistical support to
enhance their coastguards ongoing search and rescue work

9.

Recommends the amelioration of capacity building and training of border

authorities and the establishment of adequate interpretation services at the
borders, in order to ensure that the necessary procedural information and
rights are available in required languages provided by qualified interpreters,
in order to facilitate the communication between asylum seekers and the
governments,

10.

Emphasizes the importance of improving the border policy through

educational programmes towards relevant authorities to ascertain the
preservation of human rights,

11.

Further recommends the establishment of a new joint monitoring system of

the situation among all countries worldwide with special focus on the
Member-States of the EU,

12.

Urges all States to form a comprehensive cooperation strategy with the

UNHCR and with relevant NGOs, in order to achieve the effective training of
border authorities for the early identification of asylum seekers,

13.

Encourages the effective cooperation of neighboring states on resolving

conflicts at their borders and share the burden of the refugees' flows,

14.

Strongly encourages the further cooperation of neighboring island states, in

order to prevent irregular maritime migration by increasing the patrolling
activities,

15.

Further invites all States to establish registration centers where refugees shall
apply to receive legal documents and residence permits and where they may
receive health care, first-aid supplies and necessary food and water supplies,

16.

Invites all Member-States to reform their asylum application procedure,

facilitate the visa process and create a global common database of the
refugee population in order to estimate the capacity of each country to further
accept the maximum possible number of refugees and asylum-seeking
people based on each States economic, demographic and political situation

17.

Suggests the creation of a UN Platform on Resolving Civil Conflicts, with the

cooperation of NGOs, which shall form a UN Strategy on Civil Conflicts'
Resolution,

18.

Encourages the UNHCR to advocate for the better allocation of funding

resources as far as the development of asylum system is concerned, especially
for border control activities in order to achieve sustained and adequate control
of the number of refugees and their location,

19.

Suggests the development of information mechanisms that will help with the
identification of different groups of people upon arrival and support them
through counseling services, while keeping record of the findings in a global
electronic platform,

20.

Expresses its hope for the conclusion of bilateral and multilateral agreements
both in a domestic and in an international level concerning the improvement
of resettlement process among States, with respect to the right to family,
especially to vulnerable groups, such as children, women, people with
disabilities, in collaboration with the relevant UN bodies,

21.

Proposes the relocation of refugees and asylum seeking people from

overpopulated areas to more deserted areas in host countries,

22.

Designates the future repatriation of the refugees, under the condition that
they are willing to return to their home countries and that the UNHCR
decides that the political situation is stabilized and that the human rights of
refugees will be preserved,

23.

Endorses the creation of local integration offices for refugees and asylum
seeking people in host countries, which will raise awareness among local
citizens through education and initiatives of non-governmental organizations,
will provide assistance for those seeking employment for the full enjoyment
of their economic and social rights,

24.

Encourages the host countries of refugees and asylum seeking people to

increase the refugee resettlement in receipt countries and improve their

situation by providing food, water, medical and health supplies, first-aid

supplies,
25.

Designates the need for the countries of transit and destination to collaborate
with the UNHCR and the World Health Organization for further medical
assistance and protection of the health workers,

26.

Encourages States to secure the right to education for all refugees by

establishing a Global Humanitarian Fund for Education in Emergencies,
which will be responsible for (including but not limited to):
a. Sponsoring the establishment of schools for refugees offering
introductory courses about the language, culture and civilization of the
host countries,
b. Hiring qualified native teachers, in order to help the refugees learn the
language of the host country,

27.

Further encourages the naturalization of refugees, under the national

legislation, providing the fact that they legally reside in a country,

28.

Invites the UNHCR to address the crisis at the borders, by sending observers
and representatives in the areas of need, and submit formal documents
describing the situation, which shall be used to clarify the future actions taken
and detect any breaches of international law,

29.

Further suggests that the Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers

and Internally Displaced Persons conducts field visits in the most affected
countries, as a means of collecting data on the issues of refugees including
but not limited to: health care, first-aid supplies and necessary food and water
supplies,

30.

Strongly suggests the organisation of an annual international summit on the

refugee crisis in order to find solutions in a regional, national and
international level,

31.

Decides to remain actively seized on the matter.