IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 792 

Reaffirming the United States commitment to the protection of refugees 

and displaced persons. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 20, 2016 

Mr. TED LIEU of California (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. 

BLUMENAUER, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. 

GALLEGO, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. LOFGREN, and Ms. MCCOLLUM) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Reaffirming the United States commitment to the protection 

of refugees and displaced persons. 

Whereas World Refugee Day, commemorated on June 20, is 

a global day to acknowledge the courage, strength, and 

determination of women, men, and children who are 

forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, and 

persecution; 

Whereas according to the United Nations High Commissioner 

for Refugees (referred to in this preamble as 

‘‘UNHCR’’)— 

(1) there are more than 65,300,000 displaced people 

worldwide, the highest levels ever recorded, including alVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:06 Jun 20, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR792.IH HR792

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•HRES 792 IH 

most 21,300,000 refugees, 40,800,000 internally displaced people, and 3,200,000 people seeking asylum; 

(2) children account for 51 percent of the refugee 

population in the world, millions of whom are unable to 

access basic services including education; 

(3) nearly 4,800,000 refugees have fled Syria since 

the start of the Syrian conflict and more than 6,600,000 

people are internally displaced within Syria; 

(4) since January 2014, more than 3,300,000 Iraqis 

fleeing violence have been internally displaced, and 

228,000 refugees have fled to neighboring countries; 

(5) ongoing conflict, violence, and persecution have 

resulted in the displacement of millions across Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Ukraine, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Central African Republic, and other countries; 

(6) since April 2015, sporadic outbursts of violence 

in Burundi have prompted more than 265,000 Burundians to flee to the neighboring countries of Rwanda, 

Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the 

Congo; 

(7) violent insurgent attacks in Nigeria have forced 

220,000 people to flee to the neighboring countries of 

Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, and have internally displaced nearly 2,200,000 people; 

(8) between January and June of 2016, more than 

206,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea attempting to reach Europe and at least 

2,800 women, men, and children have died during such 

crossings or are missing after such attempts; and 

(9) approximately 95,000 women, men, and children, 

including many persecuted Rohingya refugees from 

Burma, have departed on the boats of smugglers in the 


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•HRES 792 IH 

Bay of Bengal since 2014, more than 1,100 of whom 

have died at sea; 

Whereas refugees who are women and girls are often at a 

greater risk of sexual violence and exploitation, forced or 

early marriage, human trafficking, and other forms of 

gender-based violence; 

Whereas the United States provides critical resources and 

support to UNHCR and other international and nongovernmental organizations working with refugees around 

the world; and 

Whereas since 1975, the United States has welcomed more 

than 3,000,000 refugees who are resettled in communities across the country: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the 

3 United States to promote the safety, health, and 

4 well-being of the millions of refugees, including the 

5 education of refugee children and displaced persons 

6 who flee war, persecution, or torture in search of 

7 peace, hope, and freedom; 

8 (2) calls upon the United States Government— 

9 (A) to continue its international leadership 

10 role in response to those who have been dis11 placed, including the most vulnerable popu12 lations who may endure sexual violence, human 

13 trafficking, forced conscription, persecution, ex14 ploitation, hunger, disease, unsafe water and 

15 sanitation, or inadequate shelter; 


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•HRES 792 IH 

1 (B) to find political solutions to existing 

2 conflicts and prevent new conflicts from begin3 ning; 

4 (C) to provide humanitarian and develop5 ment support to countries around the world 

6 that are hosting millions of refugees to alleviate 

7 social and economic strains placed on host com8 munities; and 

9 (D) to encourage the international commu10 nity to increase resources to address current 

11 and protracted refugee crises; 

12 (3) commends those who have risked their lives 

13 working individually and for nongovernmental orga14 nizations and international agencies such as 

15 UNHCR that have provided life-saving assistance 

16 and helped protect those displaced by conflict 

17 around the world; and 

18 (4) reiterates the strong bipartisan commitment 

19 of the United States to protect and assist millions 

20 of refugees and other forcibly uprooted persons 

21 worldwide. 

Æ 


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