We are confident that the challenges of sustainable integration will be met in both countries. A solution which deserves special note is third country resettlement. Resettlement is an important tool of protection. Granted, the numbers resettled each year are dwarfed by those in countries of first asylum. Coordination and cooperation among governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations are key elements in the search for solutions.
Protection is fundamental to any comprehensive approach.
Providing protection for persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution is the responsibility of every government here today. The High Commissioner is mandated to keep a close watch on the state of protection of refugees in the world. Disturbingly, Mrs. Ogata has reported severe threats to refugee protection, including cases where some countries are forcibly returning people to countries where they have been persecuted or tortured. There are confirmations of substantial loss of life owing to such flagrant abuse of the right of a refugee to seek and enjoy protection. We must seek to maintain and to strengthen the humanitarian principle that refugees must not be returned to persecution or torture, either from within the territory of a receiving state or from its border.