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Belarus Participates in the 72nd Session of the UNHCR Executive Committee

06.10.2021

From 4 to 8 October 2021 Geneva has been hosting the 72nd session of the Executive Council of the Programme of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The delegation of Belarus composed of the representatives of the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the UN in Geneva is taking part in the session.

His Excellency Yury Ambrazevich, the Head of the delegation of Belarus and Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva, delivered a national statement in the general debate on 5 October.

In his statement, the Permanent Representative of Belarus pointed to the the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees as one of the key instruments that defines UNHCR’s mandate. Yuri Ambrazevich emphasized the continued relevance of the Office’ mandate in today’s world due to many ongoing wars and conflicts, which, in turn, give rise to massive forced displacement of people. In this regard, the head of the delegation of Belarus drew attention to the initiative of the President of the Republic of Belarus on the need for a global security dialogue, whose implementation would help, inter alia, eliminate such root causes underlying massive forced displacement as wars and conflicts.

The Permanent Representative of Belarus commented on the prospects for further cooperation between Belarus and UNHCR, noting the need for the Office’s continued support in the context of the country's accession to two conventions on statelessness.

Furthermore, the Belarusian diplomat drew particular attention to the situation with illegal migrants on Belarus’ borders with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. He has underscored the point that illegal migrants do not seek asylum in Belarus, but they do seek such asylum in these three countries, which, in violation of the Refugee Convention, refuse to consider migrants’ requests for asylum and forcibly expel them to Belarus, which has already led to a number of tragic cases. The Permanent Representative of Belarus called upon the three countries to comply with their international obligations.

 

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