Refugee Protection Archive Site for State Department information prior to January 20, 2001. This site is not updated. July 1998 Statement on International Protection of Refugees Protection is at the heart of the international community's responsibility toward refugees.
Governments are responsible for protecting refugees on their territory.
This support should be both political and financial. The United States is concerned that the funding shortfalls which have been reported to this standing committee are eroding the refugee's fundamental right to protection. We welcome the note on international protection, with its focus on the relationship between human rights and refugee protection. Safeguarding human rights is necessary to prevent conditions that force people to flee and if they have to flee, the right to seek and enjoy asylum is fundamental. The note constitutes an annual report on the major developments of the past year.