[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1290 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1290

Joining the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
  in observance of World Refugee Day and calling on the United States 
    Government, international organizations, and aid groups to take 
 immediate steps to secure urgently needed humanitarian relief for the 
 more than 2,000,000 people displaced by genocide in the Darfur region 
                               of Sudan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 20, 2008

Mr. Berman (for himself, Ms. Lee, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Payne, Ms. Jackson-
Lee of Texas, Ms. Woolsey, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Engel, Mr. 
   Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Wolf, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Mr. 
     Burton of Indiana, and Ms. Giffords) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Joining the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
  in observance of World Refugee Day and calling on the United States 
    Government, international organizations, and aid groups to take 
 immediate steps to secure urgently needed humanitarian relief for the 
 more than 2,000,000 people displaced by genocide in the Darfur region 
                               of Sudan.

Whereas the United States has resettled over 2,600,000 refugees since 1975, and 
        over 160,000 in the last 5 years, yet reportedly only 5 Darfuris have 
        been offered refuge by the United States during the 5-year genocide that 
        has claimed more than 300,000 lives and displaced 2,600,000 people from 
        the Darfur region of Sudan;
Whereas a significant number of those displaced by the conflict in Darfur are 
        unable to remain in encampments due to critical medical or security 
        concerns and are in dire need of resettlement;
Whereas millions of Darfuris who have lost their homes and their loved ones as a 
        result of the Sudanese regime's genocidal campaign continue to face 
        grave security risks as refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) 
        and depend on the goodwill of neighboring countries and the generosity 
        of the world humanitarian community for subsistence;
Whereas an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the 2,600,000 refugees and IDPs are 
        women and children, including at least 1,000,000 children and teens;
Whereas the April 13, 2008, attack by Sudan-backed rebels on the Chadian capital 
        of N'djamena, the May 10, 2008, attack by the Chad-backed rebel Justice 
        and Equality Movement on a suburb of the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, 
        and the increased splintering and violence between armed groups, 
        including the rebels, Janjaweed, and other armed groups, have 
        contributed to the drastic deterioration of security in and around 
        Darfur;
Whereas the deteriorating security situation in Darfur and Chad has resulted in 
        new displacements, further depriving already marginalized refugee 
        communities, forcing relief agencies to curtail their operations, and 
        placing even greater strain on refugee and IDP encampments;
Whereas the operations of humanitarian assistance groups have frequently been 
        impeded by the hijacking and pillaging of their convoys by various armed 
        groups, totaling roughly 100 incidents thus far in 2008, the abduction 
        of 28 drivers who still remain missing, and the murder of 5 humanitarian 
        aid workers this year alone;
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed 
        concern that protracted conflict and displacement has eroded traditional 
        leadership structures and may ultimately lead to the radicalization of 
        an entire generation of Darfuri youth;
Whereas few refugees from Darfur living in refugee camps in Chad have access to 
        secondary education, and boys and young men not attending school are at 
        risk of being recruited by various armed groups in the region;
Whereas the most recent estimate of the United Nations Office for the 
        Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs concluded that there are 243,031 
        refugees in Eastern Chad;
Whereas the continuing genocide and new displacements have resulted in 
        overcrowding and malnourishment in both refugee camps in Chad and IDP 
        camps in Sudan;
Whereas the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), that was 
        deployed pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769 
        (2007) to prevent armed attacks and protect civilians, has proven 
        understaffed, underfunded, and consequently unprepared to completely 
        protect displaced persons and even themselves from an onslaught of 
        merciless attacks and banditry;
Whereas a $48,000,000 budget shortfall at the United Nations World Food Program 
        (WFP) threatens to substantially limit food aid to the 4,500,000 people 
        in Darfur and surrounding areas who currently rely on it, and as of June 
        10, 2008, the WFP has announced that it has curtailed flights for aid 
        workers in Sudan due to funding shortfalls for the Humanitarian Aid 
        Service;
Whereas the United Nations Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) 2008 humanitarian 
        appeal for Chad is $287,000,000;
Whereas of the $287,000,000 requested in the CAP appeal for Chad in 2008, only 
        $142,509,209 in funding has been received, including $33,780,520 
        received from the United States Government as of June 16, 2008;
Whereas the United States is the largest bilateral donor to Sudan and has 
        provided more than $3,000,000,000 for humanitarian programs in Sudan and 
        eastern Chad since fiscal year 2004;
Whereas Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel has asked whether, after 3 continents have 
        become prisons, killing fields, and cemeteries for countless innocent, 
        defenseless populations, the plague of genocide--and indifference to 
        it--will be allowed to spread through Darfur and elsewhere unabated; and
Whereas World Refugee Day affords the House of Representatives the opportunity 
        to galvanize the collective conscience of the world community: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms the historic commitment of the United States 
        as a nation founded by refugees to serve as a place of refuge 
        and to promote the safety, health, and well-being of millions 
        of refugees who flee war, famine, persecution, and torture in 
        search of peace, nourishment, hope, and freedom;
            (2) calls on the Department of State to continue to support 
        the efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for 
        Refugees and to advance the work of nongovernmental 
        organizations, especially those that also have expertise in 
        resettlement, to protect refugees;
            (3) calls on the United States Government to continue and 
        strengthen its leadership role in the international community 
        in response to the people of the Darfur region of Sudan who 
        have been displaced by Sudan's genocide, including the most 
        vulnerable populations who endure sexual violence, human 
        trafficking, forced conscription, and exploitation;
            (4) urges the parties to the conflicts in and between Chad 
        and Sudan to immediately conclude and respect a binding 
        cessation of hostilities agreement, commit themselves to 
        finding a political solution which addresses the root causes of 
        those conflicts, and create an environment conducive to the 
        safe and voluntary return of all displaced persons;
            (5) demands that all armed groups in the region immediately 
        cease their attacks on civilians, peacekeepers, and 
        humanitarian operations and halt all recruitment activities in 
        camps for displaced persons;
            (6) calls upon the Joint African Union-United Nations 
        Special Representative for Darfur to ensure that displaced 
        persons are fairly and equally represented in all peace 
        negotiations;
            (7) calls on the Department of State and the President, to 
        continue to work with the United Nations, the African Union, 
        and nongovernmental organizations, in an effort to help bring 
        about real and lasting peace and stability in Darfur, within 
        refugee and displaced persons camps, and along the Chadian 
        border;
            (8) calls on the Department of State and the Department of 
        Homeland Security to facilitate the resettlement of an 
        appropriate number of Darfuris who have been displaced and have 
        little chance of returning to their homes by formulating a 
        program of resettlement of Darfuris in fiscal year 2009;
            (9) commends those who have risked their lives working for 
        the multitude of nongovernmental organizations, along with the 
        United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who have 
        provided life-saving assistance and helped protect those 
        displaced by the conflict in Darfur; and
            (10) affirms the goals of World Refugee Day and reiterates 
        its strong commitment to protecting the millions of refugees 
        who live without material, social, and legal protections.
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