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; 
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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; 
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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 nongovern-
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mental 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.