The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), together with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will be presenting its new Guide to International Refugee Law, a handbook designed for use by MPs, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the Ministerial mmeeting scheduled in Geneva on 12th December 2001.

The Handbook has a twofold purpose : to inform parliamentarians about the founding principles and challenges of international refugee law and also to mobilise them, as policy makers, in the implementation of the law for securing adequate protection of refugees.

"The Handbook for parliamentarians on refugees is particularly important because most members of parliaments do not know the rights of refugees and the difficulties they face, not to mention the discrimination that prevails in some countries", declares Mrs. Najma Heptulla, President of the IPU Council and Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of India).

This Guide is meant to be a bridge between national and international law. "As lawmakers, parliamentarians can encourage accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, and to other agreements that have not yet been ratified. They can also design and adopt national refugee legislation that conforms to international law, and oversee its implementation", adds the IPU Secretary General, Mr Anders B. Johnsson.

"Asylum-seekers have become something of a campaign issue in election situations, with governments and opposition parties vying with each other to appear toughest on the "bogus" asylum-seekers "flooding" into their countries. Parliamentarians should take the lead in promoting respect and tolerance for refugees and in encouraging local population to see refugees not only as people needing and deserving international protection, but also as persons with a real and enduring contribution to make to the betterment and diversification of their communities", said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr Ruud Lubbers.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 142 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York.
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CONTACTS
Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer Tel. +4122 919 41 16/27 Fax: +4122 919 41 60, 919 41 97 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org	Mr. Ron Redmond, UNHCR Chief Information Service Tel. +4122 739 77 27, E-mail: redmond@unhcr.ch and Rupert Colville, UNHCR Senior Public Information Officer Tel. +4122 739 86 59 E-mail: colville@unhcr.ch