IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1350 

Recognizing June 20, 2010, as World Refugee Day. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 11, 2010 

Ms. WATSON submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

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; 


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•HRES 1350 IH 

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; 


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•HRES 1350 IH 

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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

3 States to promote the safety, health, and well-being 

4 of the millions of refugees who flee war, famine, per5 secution, and torture in search of peace, nourish6 ment, hope, and freedom; 

7 (2) calls on the Department of State to con8 tinue to support the efforts of the United Nations 

9 High Commissioner for Refugees and to advance the 

10 work of nongovernmental organizations, especially 

11 those that also have expertise in resettlement, to 

12 protect refugees; 

13 (3) calls on the United States Government to 

14 continue to strengthen its leadership role in the 

15 international community in response to those who 

16 have been displaced, including the most vulnerable 

17 populations who endure sexual violence, human trafVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:52 May 12, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1350.IH HR1350

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•HRES 1350 IH 

1 ficking, forced conscription, genocide, and exploi2 tation; 

3 (4) commends those who have risked their lives 

4 working individually and for the multitude of non5 governmental organizations, along with the United 

6 Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who have 

7 provided life-saving assistance and helped protect 

8 those displaced by conflict around the world; and 

9 (5) reaffirms the goals of World Refugee Day 

10 and reiterates the strong commitment to protect the 

11 millions of refugees who live without material, social, 

12 or legal protections. 

Æ 


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