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TROMAN 'NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND REFUGEES RECORDS SERVICE" GOVERNUEST The entry into force of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees on April 22, 1954 was an important event in the international effort to secure protection for refugees. The Convention promulgated by the diplomatic conference convened by the General Assembly of the United Nations at Geneva in 1951 was ratified by Belgium, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Ger- - many, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The accession of Australia in January 1954 brought the Conven- tion into force. The Convention codifies the rights of refugees and gives them status in international law. Among the rights and privileges accorded to refugees under the Convention are the right to work, participation in social security systems, freedom to travel, public eduction for children, the right to join labor unions and status in the courts. The application of the conven- tion is supervised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees was established by the United Nations for a three-year term on December 14, 1950 to assume the function of legal and political protection of refugees, formerly performed by the International Refugee Organization, which terminated its services in 1952. The Office was also charged with responsibility for facilitating the repatriation of refugees or their assimilation in new countries of residence, and for seeking permanent solutions for refugee problems. By decision of the General Assembly in 1953 the Office

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