HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.
![handle is hein.unl/mfarr0001 and id is 1 raw text is:
[Distributed to the Council, A. 90. 1927. IV.
the Members of the League and
the Delegates at the Assembly.]
Geneva, September 21st, 1927.
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Measures in Favour of Armenian and Russian Refugees
REPORT OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE TO THE ASSEMBLY
Rapporteur: Major ELLIOT (British Empire).
There are several League activities closely connected with refugee problems, and it may be
of use to state at the outset, for the information of delegates attending for the first time, that the
present subject has no connection with the Greek or the Bulgarian Refugee Settlement schemes.
The problems of Russian and Armenian refugees have occupied the attention of successive Assem-
blies for some years. They have been dealt with jointly by the High Commissioner for Refugees
tDr. Nansen) and by the International Labour Office with great vigour, and both are greatly to be
congratulated on the very useful results which have attended their efforts. In the original stages,
a very serious problem was presented by the influx of large numbers of disorganised and destitute
refugees into countries where the machinery of government was in process either of reconstruction
or of creation. This aspect of the problem has no entirely passed away, and the greatest praise
is due to the energy and self-sacrifice of the Refugee Service, whose patient and unremitting work
over a long period has, with the help of the League and the help of the Governments concerned,
reduced the whole question to one of comparatively small dimensions. It is an especial pleasure
to me to offer, in the name of the Fifth Committee, our hommage to the great personality of
Dr. Nansen, whose vision and guidance throughout have been such an inspiration.
The problems were attacked as follows:
i. The anomalous status of the refugees was dealt with by the issue of identity certi-
ficates, to overcome passport difficulties, etc. These certificates have proved, as can be well
imagined, of the utmost use to the refugees, who have gratefully recognised their value.
z. The destitution and unemployment were dealt with by the transfer of the refugees
to countries, largely in Europe but also overseas, where opportunities for employment
presented themselves. In this manner, approximately 2oo,ooo were placed in a position to
support themselves.
3. Land settlement schemes were drawn up to deal with a proportion of the remaining
refugees.
The High Commissioner for Refugees further convened an Inter-Governmental Conference
in May 1926 for the purpose of improving the passport system and of raising a revolving fund of
not less than j1ioo,ooo to assist the migration of refugees.
The International Passport Arrangement existing when this Conference met had at that date
been adopted by forty-six and thirty-four Governments for Russian and Armenian refugees
respectively.
The Conference of May 1926, however, finding that refugees in some countries were not
receiving the benefits from the passport system contemplated by the original International
Arrangement, drew up a Supplementary Arrangement to improve passport facilities. It also
arranged to increase the revolving fund by means of the issue of stamps constituting a special
yearly tax of 5 gold francs on the renewal of the Nansen certificates, usually charged only to self-
supporting refugees. Last year, in its survey, the Fifth Committee reported to the Assembly
that the statistics supplied by the International Labour Office indicated the existence of not less
than 1,ooo,ooo Armenian and Russian refugees in twenty-six different countries. As the records
for some countries had not been received, the Committee considered the total might be safely
estimated at 1.500,000.
Of these, 190,000 were reported unemployed, but here again the complete statistics were
lacking, and the total number of unemployed was estimated at 250,000. There are therefore
1,250,000 placed, and the problem now before us is the problem of the last 20 per cent. Progress
has been as follows.
Fifty Governments in the case of the Russian passport and thirty-six in the case of the
Armenian passport have now adopted and recognised in principle the original Passport
Arrangement.
Sixteen Governments have notified their formal adhesion to the Supplementary Arrangement
drawn up by the Inter-Governmental Conference of 1926. The report before you shows that a
Publications of the League of Nations
IV. SOCIAL
dN1875 (F.) 1.4OO (A.) 9127. Imp. Kundig. . IV . 13.
. .
. .](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.unl/mfarr0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)