STATEMENT TO THE 54TH SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER’S PROGRAMME, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC SAFETY, HON. MOTSOAHAE THOMAS THABANE.  

Thank you Mr. Chairman

The High Commissioner

Excellencies

Distinguished Delegates

Ladies and Gentlemen  

The Kingdom of Lesotho highly appreciates this opportunity to make some remarks relating to the opening statement of this Excellency Mr. Ruud Lubbers, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on this 54^th Session of the Executive Committee.  

Mr. Chairman, may I first of all start by congratulating you and your Bureau in your election.  I would also like to congratulate the outgoing Chairman, Ambassador Fisseha Yimer of Ethiopia and his Bureau for the job well done since last year’s election.  

Mr. Chairman, may I on behalf of my Government and my delegation express the sadness that be fell us on hearing of an untimely death of His Excellency, the late Mr. Sergio Viera De Mello, and  22 other UN colleagues in Baghdad, may their souls rest in peace.  I had the occasion to meet Mr. De Mello on the margins of last year EXCOM, I have to point out that the United Nations especially Human Rights and Refugees agencies have lost a man of a great stature and integrity.  We are in the same manner sharing the loss with his country men; family, friends and Government of Brazil for their loss of this indispensable hero who stood up for the voiceless and down trodden.  

Moving further, allow me Mr. Chairman that we are very much encouraged by the active role and involvement of the High Commissioner in the developments occurring in the Southern Africa region.  His visits to this sub region are a true reflection of how much UNHCR and its partners care for the uprooted people in this part of our continent.  I think the success story that we hear in relation to ongoing repatriation of Angolan refugees is to a large extent attributable to excellent multilateral consultations between the Angolan government, the High Commissioner and other partners.  This should be taken as a benchmark in other operations. We sincerely wish Angola and other countries whose refugees are repatriating in this manner a sustainable peace and prosperity. Like the High Commissioner has pointed out, we firmly believe that the international community and the Government of Angola should remain committed to see this process fully accomplished.  The success of repatriating the huge members of Afghanistan refugees amidst difficult financial and climatic situation shows the extent to which UNHCR has gained valuable experience in this kind of operations.  I can only agree with the High Commissioner that this massive repatriation is a reflection of the practicality of 4RS principle. 

Mr. Chairman, I am happy to announce to this august forum that the Kingdom of Lesotho, as a contribution to principle of development through local integration, is charging refugees equivalent of national fees at University or College.  We had repeated pleas from refugees community in Lesotho that the fees at tertiary institutions were too high for them.  The Government decided to reverse this state of affairs.  We urge other states to consider this gesture in the spirit of providing durable solutions to refugees.   

Lastly, my delegation would like the Executive Committee to sincerely consider issues of human smuggling and trafficking which are on the rise in the Southern African region and it also affects asylum seekers and refugees.  The Executive Committee, only in passing, had once considered this issue.  It did not however, make clear guidelines on how asylum seekers in this kind of situation should be handled.  We hope this should be seriously addressed by this committee.  We wish to recommend that this issue be accommodated in the agenda of Geneva Migration Group as explained in High Commissioner’s opening statement.  

I thank you!!!

7 October 2003