The 67^th session of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees took place in Geneva on October 3-7.

The meeting was opened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who highly praised the performance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Having stated that the number of displaced persons in the world has exceeded 65 million people, he emphasised the need to enhance international solidarity and urged countries “to transcend their national interests and come together in a forceful, global response.”

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said wars and conflicts were the main reasons for large migration flows. He set out the priorities of the office in the forthcoming period, in particular, to enhance international protection and alleviate the position of refugees, internally displaced and stateless persons, reinforce and expand the capacity and expertise in emergency preparedness and response, and establish a link between aid to refugees and promoting development.

The participants paid much attention to the migration crisis in Europe. Mr Grandi said the “arrival of large numbers of refugees and migrants has created panic and political instability in the global North” and made the conclusion about “the failure of European states to implement an effective, shared response to last year’s crisis.” Russia shares these assessments.

The UNHCR continues to focus on the developments in Ukraine. Mr Grandi and many members of the Executive Committee expressed concern over the exodus of Ukrainian refugees and the position of internally displaced persons in Ukraine.

During the session the members of the Executive Committee endorsed the UNHCR budget of $7.3 billion for 2017. They elected the committee’s Chair and the Bureau.

The Russian delegation at the session was headed by First Deputy Minister of the Interior Alexander Gorovoy. In his speech he spoke highly of the UNHCR’s role in promoting the international protection of refugees and urged it to continue following the principles of neutrality, humaneness, independence and lack of bias. He noted that a sharp growth in the number of displaced persons has largely been caused by the irresponsible policy of interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states with a view to destabilising them. He emphasised that the countries involved in the emergence of crises should be primarily responsible for dealing with mass migration issues caused by them. Mr Gorovoy informed the audience about Russia’s unique experience in receiving migrants and helping with their integration, and its efforts to help Ukrainian refugees in Russia.

Russia intends to continue its many-sided cooperation with the UNHCR and support its activities. Mr Grandi was invited to visit Russia before the end of this year.