"Refugees," Article in The New International Year Book: Events of 1954

NEW INTERNATIONAL YEAR BOOK Events 954 REFORMED 440 REFUGEES ed States and Canada, landslides in Italy, and earth- The Convention relating to the Status of Refugees quakes in Algeria. Red Cross relief totaled approxi- came into force on Apr. 22, 1954 as a result of the mately $25 million, of which more than $10 million accession of the Australian Government in January in food and drugs was contributed by the United 1954. The Convention was originally promulgated States Government through Red Cross channels for by the Diplomatic Conference called by the United flood sufferers in East and West Germany, Czecho- Nations at Geneva in 1951. Since promulgation the slovakia, Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia. About Convention has been ratified by Austria, Belgium, $1.5 million was spent by the Red Cross to assist Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, refugees in Korea and Indo-China. France, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, and the Repatriations under the auspices of the Red Cross United Kingdom, and is now in effect in these from the U.S.S.R. and China to Japan and from countries and in Australia. Under the Convention Yugoslavia, Nungary, and Roumania to Greece to- refugees are afforded asylum under certain condi- taled approximately 4,000 men, women, and chil- tions, the right of continuing residence, the right to dren, among the latter being a number of Greek work and to join labor organizations, the facilities children expatriated during the civil war in Greece. of public education for children, status before the (Also see PRISONERS OF WAR.) courts, and travel documents. Responsibility for International Junior Red Cross camps organized supervision of application of the provisions of the under the auspices of the League in Turkey, Lux- Convention rests with the United Nations High embourg, and Sweden were attended by more than Commissioner for Refugees. 200 Junior Red Cross leaders from 25 countries. The Office of the High Commissioner for Refu- Courses in first-aid and home nursing were organ- gees was established for a term of three years by ized by League instructors from Geneva in Haiti the United Nations in December 1950 and con- and in Venezuela for Central American Red Cross tinued for a period of five years by the General Societies. Assembly in 1953. Dr. G. J. van Heuven Goedhart Publications: The Red Cross World (quarterly) (Netherlands) was reelected as High Commissioner in English, French and Spanish; Junior Red Cross at the same time. The primary function of the Office Newsletter (every two months) in English, French, is to provide legal and political protection for refu- Spanish and German; Red Cross News of the Month gees formerly afforded by the International Refugee in English, French and Spanish. Headquarters: 26 Organization which completed its liquidation in Avenue Beau-Séjour, Geneva, Switzerland. 1953. The High Commissioner is also charged with -HENRY W. DUNNING the responsibility for seeking permanent solutions REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA. Established as the of refugee problems. Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in 1628, it em- In January 1952 the General Assembly of the braces many of the historic churches in New York United Nations authorized the High Commissioner and New Jersey. Today it has many strong churches to appeal to governments for contributions to the in the Middle and Far West. There are 807 churches, United Nations Refugee Emergency Fund to meet 951 pastors, and 199,381 members. During the year the emergency needs of refugees under his mandate. 1953 there were 10,072 baptisms and 141,663 en- The High Commissioner reported to the General roled in the Sunday Schools. The denomination Assembly in the fall of 1954 that $1,294,086 had maintains 2 colleges, 1 junior college, and 2 sem- been received from 16 governments, the Holy See inaries with 1,462 students. Total contributions for and other sources. Assistance from the Fund was the year amounted to $14,400,738. Headquarters: given to approximately 14,000 refugees of European 156 Fifth Ave., New York 10, N.Y. origin in China who were awaiting opportunities REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS. The two con- for resettlement abroad. Over 20,000 such refugees spicuous movements of refugees in 1954 were the had been assisted to leave China in previous years continuing flow of German refugees from Eastern by the International Refugee Organization and the Germany to Western Germany and the more rapid voluntary agencies. Smaller numbers were assisted transfer of 450,000 supporters of the Vietnam Gov- in Europe chiefly by placement in hospitals or in- ernment in Indochina from the Communist Viet- stitutions for the aged. The High Commissioner minh area in the north to the south after the cessa- also received a final grant of $200,000 from the tion of hostilities in that country. Ford Foundation in 1954 to conclude certain proj- The movement to Western Germany during 1954 ects of assistance to refugees initiated under its was estimated at 194,000, a reduction from the total earlier grant of $2.9 million. of 340,000 in 1953. Of the 194,000, some 104,000 On the basis of experience gained in the ad- entered through West Berlin, 30,000 through the ministration of the Ford Foundation grant, the High reception center at Giessen and 60,000 through Commissioner requested and received authority Uelzen. As in previous years these refugees after from the General Assembly of the United Nations screening and determination of refugee status were in 1954 to undertake a program of permanent solu- distributed for residence in the several laender of tions for refugees to be concluded within the life- Western Germany. Most of the Vietnamese refugees time of the present mandate of his Office. This pro- were still in reception centers at the end of the gram is to be combined with the operations of the year awaiting relocation and resettlement on the United Nations Refugee Emergency Fund which land in southern Indochina. The French and United are to be continued. A budget of $12 million for States Governments and the voluntary agencies the permanent solutions program and of $4 million were assisting the efforts of the Vietnam Govern- for emergency relief was envisaged for the four year ment to deal with this dislocation of population re- period ending in 1958 by the High Commissioner's resulting from the war. Advisory Committee which met in Geneva in De- Refugees from the Soviet and satellite areas of cember 1954. A budget of $4.2 million was adopted Eastern Europe continued to arrive in the first areas for the first year of operations of the combined of asylum: Germany, Austria, Trieste, Italy, and funds. Projects under the permanent solutions pro- Greece, at the rate of several hundred monthly. The gram are to assist primarily some 85,000 refugees flow of refugees from Eastern Europe through under the High Commissioner's mandate who are Yugoslavia into Trieste continued after the transfer still housed in camps in Europe. They will consist of the administration of Zone A of the area to the of loans for housing, for the lease or purchase of Italian Government. farms, or for the establishment of refugees in small