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 con-
tributions 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 coun-
tries, involving government officials, humanitarian work-
ers 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 bor-
ders 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;
•HRES 1350 EH 
Whereas these vulnerable individuals rely on the United 
States, other governments, the United Nations, and nu-
merous 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 Thai-
land since the mid-1980s; 
Whereas decades of violence in Afghanistan have produced al-
most 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 dis-
placed 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;
•HRES 1350 EH 
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 Ref-
ugees: 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 mil-
lions of refugees who flee war, famine, persecution, and 
torture in search of peace, nourishment, hope, and free-
dom; 
(2) calls on the Department of State to continue to 
support the efforts of the United Nations High Commis-
sioner for Refugees and to advance the work of non-
governmental organizations, especially those that also 
have expertise in resettlement, to protect refugees; 
(3) calls on the United States Government to con-
tinue its international leadership role in response to 
those who have been displaced, including the most vul-
nerable populations who endure sexual violence, human 
trafficking, forced conscription, genocide, and exploi-
tation; 
(4) commends those who have risked their lives 
working individually and for the multitude of nongovern-
•HRES 1350 EH 
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.