III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 283 

Reaffirming the importance of the United States to promoting the safety, 

health, and well-being of refugees and displaced persons. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 23, 2021 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. 

COONS, Mr. KAINE, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. 

MARKEY, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WARNOCK, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Ms. SMITH, Mr. BROWN, 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. SCHATZ, and Mr. REED) submitted 

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

Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Reaffirming the importance of the United States to promoting the safety, health, and well-being of refugees 

and displaced persons. 

Whereas June 20 is observed as ‘‘World Refugee Day’’, a 

global event to acknowledge the courage, resilience, and 

determination of individuals and families who are forced 

to flee their homes due to persecution; 

Whereas December 14, 2020, signified 70 years since the 

founding of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; 


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•SRES 283 IS 

Whereas July 28, 2021, is the 70th anniversary of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, signed in Geneva on July 28, 1951, which defines the term ‘‘refugee’’ 

and outlines the rights of refugees and the legal obligations of states to protect them; 

Whereas, in 2020, according to the United Nations High 

Commissioner for Refugees— 

(1) there were more than 82,400,000 forcibly displaced people worldwide, the worst displacement crisis in 

recorded history, including 26,400,000 refugees, more 

than 48,000,000 internally displaced people, and 

4,100,000 people seeking asylum; 

(2) on average, 1 out of every 95 people worldwide 

was a refugee, an internally displaced person, or a person 

seeking asylum; 

(3) 11,200,000 people were newly displaced due to 

recent conflict or persecution; 

(4) 68 percent of the world’s refugees came from 

Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Burma; 

(5) 2,600,000 Afghan refugees were displaced worldwide, making them one of the world’s largest and longestrunning displaced populations; 

(6) more than 50 percent of the population of Syria, 

at least 13,500,000 people, were displaced, either across 

the international border or within Syria, which represents 

the largest displacement crisis in the world today; 

(7) children accounted for 30 percent of the world’s 

population but 42 percent of all forcibly displaced people, 

millions of whom were unable to access basic services, including education; and 

(8) 86 percent of all refugees were hosted by developing nations, and less than 1 percent of vulnerable refuVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:34 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR283.IS SR283

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gees in need of resettlement had the opportunity to resettle because sufficient numbers of places do not exist; 

Whereas refugees are major contributors to local economies 

and served as critical frontline health professionals and 

essential workers combating the COVID–19 pandemic 

worldwide; 

Whereas the United States has an obligation to provide humanitarian protection to refugees, as well as interpreters, 

translators, and others in Afghanistan who served alongside United States and NATO troops, diplomats, and development workers; 

Whereas the United States supports the United Nations High 

Commissioner for Refugees to increase protection for 

LGBTQI+ refugees overseas and to support global resettlement of LGBTQI+ refugees; and 

Whereas the United States Refugee Admissions Program, 

which was established over 40 years ago, is a lifesaving 

solution crucial to global humanitarian efforts, strengthens global security, advances United States foreign policy 

goals, supports regional host countries, and assists individuals and families in need: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the 

3 United States to promote the safety, health, and 

4 well-being of millions of refugees, including the edu5 cation of refugee children and displaced persons, 

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

7 peace, hope, and freedom; 


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1 (2) recognizes those individuals who have risked 

2 their lives working, either individually or for non3 governmental organizations and international agen4 cies, such as the United Nations High Commissioner 

5 for Refugees, to provide lifesaving assistance and 

6 protection for people displaced around the world; 

7 (3) underscores the importance of the United 

8 States Refugee Admissions Program as a critical 

9 tool for the United States Government to strengthen 

10 national and regional security and encourage inter11 national solidarity with host countries; 

12 (4) calls upon the Secretary of State and 

13 United States Ambassador to the United Nations 

14 to— 

15 (A) continue providing robust funding for 

16 refugee protection overseas and resettlement in 

17 the United States; 

18 (B) uphold the United States international 

19 leadership role in responding to displacement 

20 crises with humanitarian assistance, and restore 

21 its leadership role in the protection of vulner22 able refugee populations that endure sexual vio23 lence, human trafficking, persecution and vio24 lence against religious minorities, forced con25 scription, genocide, and exploitation; 


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1 (C) work in partnership with the inter2 national community to find solutions to existing 

3 conflicts and prevent new conflicts from begin4 ning; 

5 (D) continue supporting the efforts of the 

6 United Nations High Commissioner for Refu7 gees to advance the work of nongovernmental 

8 organizations to protect refugees regardless of 

9 their country of origin or religious beliefs; 

10 (E) continue to alleviate pressures on 

11 frontline refugee host countries that absorb the 

12 majority of the world’s refugees through hu13 manitarian and development support; and 

14 (F) respond to the global refugee crisis by 

15 meeting robust refugee admissions goals; and 

16 (5) reaffirms the goals of ‘‘World Refugee Day’’ 

17 and reiterates the strong commitment of the United 

18 States to protect the millions of refugees who live 

19 without material, social, or legal protections. 

Æ 


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