Angola was elected Wednesday, in New York, as the 108th member of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (EXCOM), according to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 77/197.

The election, made by acclamation, took place during the 17th Plenary Meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in New York.

The Executive Committee of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (EXCOM) meets annually in Geneva, Switzerland, to review and approve the agency’s programs and budget.

It reviews the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees´s (UNHCR) financial requirements for the following year and approves the annual program target.

EXCOM also adopts conclusions, mainly on international protection, as well as decisions on a range of administrative, financial and procedural matters.

Angola, as a state party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, attaches particular importance to the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

It was determinant for the election of Angola, its experience in the management of refugees and internally displaced persons, acquired during more than 30 years of internal armed conflict and the reception of refugees from various countries.

According to UNHCR data, in Angola there are 56,000 refugees under control, of which 30,000 are asylum seekers.

Source: Angola Press News Agency