B Mbete: World Conference of International Association of Refugee Law
Judges

28 January 2009

Salutation
Programme Director
Justice Pius Langa, Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa
Ms Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(UNHCR)
Ms Erika Feller, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Mr Justice North, President of the International Association of Refugee Law
Judges
Members of the judiciary and members of the International Association of
Refugee Law Judges
Senior officials of the UNHCR
Senior officials of the South African Government
Ladies and gentlemen

It is my pleasure to welcome you, on behalf of the Government and people of
South Africa, to the City of Cape Town, the seat of our Parliament. We are also
honoured that you chose our country to play host to this important eighth
Conference, which is the first of its kind in Africa.
As the South African government, we fully support and endorse the main purpose
of this Conference, which is to:
* Develop a common understanding of refugee law throughout the world.
* Advance the principle of the independence of the judiciary.

Africa has an interest in the answer that your deliberations of the next two
days will attempt to provide to your very probing Conference theme: "Where to
Now? Charting the Future Course of International Protection." You, dear
delegates, have a daunting task of coming out of this Conference with an
outcome that will enhance our global effort to address the plight of
refugees.

Our continent was, in 2007, home to over 30 percent of the total individuals
that are of concern to the UNHCR, over two million of which are refugees. This
is mainly because of conflicts that are ravaging our continent from Darfur and
Somalia in the East, through parts of West Africa and the Great Lakes Region,
to Southern Africa.

The UNHCR's recently released report (of October 2008) on Global Needs
Assessment provides a revealing picture of the state of affairs of challenges
facing refugees world-wide. The report, based on case studies of eight
countries, four of which are in Africa, found that 30 percent of needs of
refugees and other people of concern to the UNHCR are not being met; and that a
third of these unmet needs are in the domain of basic and essential
services.

We as the South African Government are committed to rising up to the
challenge of meetings the needs of refugees who, in 2007, were almost 40.000 in
number in our country. We have, for example, extended our HIV and AIDS
anti-retroviral programme to refugees and asylum seekers.

We are also hard at work with our civil society and the UNHCR to promote
tolerance in our communities to ensure that the ugly face of xenophobia does
not surface again.

I, myself, was once a refugee… (Deputy President speaks about her personal
experience of being a refugee – in exile)

* At the age of 24, the Deputy President left the country South Africa for
Swaziland.
* Her experience with officials who register refugees.
* The decision made to leave the country without her young children.

Programme Director,

I should commend the organisers for making the advancement of the principle
of the independence of the judiciary one of the objectives of this conference.
Our Constitution recognises this fundamental principle. An independent
judiciary is critical to the consolidation of our hard-fought-for
democracy.

Ladies and gentlemen

I hope to see you here in our country next year when we kick-off the
sporting extravaganza, the 2010 FIFA World Cup!

I wish you success with your deliberation over the next two days.

I thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
28 January 2009