Rescue of Asylum-Seekers in Distress at Sea No. 38 (XXXVI) - 1985
| Publisher | Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme |
| Publication Date | 18 October 1985 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | No. 38 (XXXVI) |
| Other Languages / Attachments | German | Greek |
| Related Document(s) | Sauvetage des personnes en quête d'asile en détresse en mer Nº 38 (XXXVI) - 1985 |
| Cite as | Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme, Rescue of Asylum-Seekers in Distress at Sea No. 38 (XXXVI) - 1985, 18 October 1985, No. 38 (XXXVI), available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae68c4358.html [accessed 26 May 2023] |
| Comments | Executive Committee 36th session. Contained in United Nations General Assembly Document No. 12A (A/40/12/Add.1). Conclusion endorsed by the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme upon the recommendation of the Sub-Committee of the Whole on International Protection of Refugees. |
The Executive Committee,
(a) Reaffirmed the fundamental obligation under international law for shipmasters to rescue all persons, including asylum-seekers, in distress at sea;
(b) Recalled the conclusions adopted by the Executive Committee at previous sessions recognizing the need to promote measures to facilitate the rescue of asylum-seekers in distress at sea [No. 20, No. 23, No. 26, No. 31, No. 34];
(c) Expressed satisfaction that the rescue of asylum-seekers in distress at sea has increased significantly in 1985 but at the same time expressed concern that many ships continued to ignore asylum-seekers in distress at sea;
(d) Welcomed the fact that the provision of an appropriate number of resettlement places had made it possible for the Rescue at Sea Resettlement Offers (RASRO) scheme to commence on a trial basis as from May 1985;
(e) Welcomed the wide-ranging initiatives undertaken by UNHCR to promote the rescue of asylum-seekers in distress at sea and the support given to these initiatives by States;
(f) Strongly recommended that States maintain their support of UNHCR action in this area and, in particular, that they:
(i) join or renew contributions to the DISERO (Disembarkation Resettlement Offers) and to the RASRO (Rescue at Sea Resettlement Offers) schemes, or to either of them, as soon as possible;
(ii) request shipowners to inform all shipmasters in the South China Sea of their responsibility to rescue all asylum-seekers in distress at sea.
