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

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1350

            Recognizing June 20, 2010, as World Refugee Day.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 11, 2010

 Ms. Watson submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

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                               RESOLUTION


 
            Recognizing June 20, 2010, as World Refugee Day.

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 3,000,000 internally displaced persons and 400,000 refugees who have 
        fled instability in Colombia currently constitute the largest known 
        displacement population in the Western Hemisphere;
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 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 to 
        strengthen its leadership role in the international community 
        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.
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