[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1350 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 1350

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         June 23, 2010.
Whereas World Refugee Day was first observed on June 20, 2001;
Whereas tens of thousands of people around the world take time to recognize the 
        challenges and applaud the contributions of forcibly displaced persons 
        throughout the world;
Whereas the annual commemoration of World Refugee Day is marked by a variety of 
        events in more than 100 countries, involving government officials, 
        humanitarian workers and volunteers, celebrities, and the forcibly 
        displaced;
Whereas refugees are people who have been forced to flee their countries due to 
        a well-founded fear of persecution based on their political opinions, 
        religious beliefs, race, nationality, or membership in a particular 
        social group;
Whereas internally displaced persons are those who have fled their homes or been 
        uprooted but remain within the borders of their country;
Whereas of the 42,000,000 displaced persons worldwide, the United Nations 
        Refugee Agency assists over 25,000,000, including 10,000,000 refugees 
        and more than 14,000,000 internally displaced persons;
Whereas these vulnerable individuals rely on the United States, other 
        governments, the United Nations, and numerous nongovernmental relief 
        agencies for the protection of their basic human rights;
Whereas Somali refugees have lived in camps in Kenya since the early 1990s;
Whereas Burmese refugees have lived in camps inside Thailand since the mid-
        1980s;
Whereas decades of violence in Afghanistan have produced almost 3,000,000 
        refugees;
Whereas decades of violence caused by extremist groups forced up to 400,000 
        Colombians to seek refuge in other countries and produced 3,000,000 
        internally displaced persons within Colombia;
Whereas more than 4,000,000 Iraqis are displaced within their country and in the 
        region, including Chaldeans and other minorities;
Whereas more than 2,000,000 people have been displaced by conflict in the 
        Democratic Republic of the Congo;
Whereas ongoing conflict and violence in Sudan have forced more than 1,000,000 
        people to become internally displaced within Sudan and another 250,000 
        to flee to Chad;
Whereas some 150,000 Sudanese have sought protection in other countries around 
        the world;
Whereas North Korean refugees inside China face trafficking, sexual 
        exploitation, and forcible repatriation back to North Korea where they 
        are tortured, imprisoned, and severely punished;
Whereas 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, the 
        cornerstone of the United States' system of refugee protection and 
        assistance;
Whereas the United States continues to be the single largest refugee 
        resettlement country in the world; and
Whereas the United States is the largest single donor to the Office of the 
        United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to promote the 
        safety, health, and well-being of the 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 its 
        international leadership role in response to those who have been 
        displaced, including the most vulnerable populations who endure sexual 
        violence, human trafficking, forced conscription, genocide, and 
        exploitation;
            (4) commends those who have risked their lives working individually 
        and 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 conflict around 
        the world; and
            (5) reaffirms the goals of World Refugee Day and reiterates the 
        strong commitment to protect the millions of refugees who live without 
        material, social, or legal protections.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.