New Delhi (ABC Live):The UN General Assembly met today to conclude its debate on the refugee and migrant crisis in the Mediterranean basin, with specific emphasis on Syrian asylum-seekers (for background information, see Press ReleaseGA/11729 of 20 November), as well as to discuss and take action on resolutions on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East.
On the Palestinian issue, the UN Assembly had before it the report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (document A/70/35); the Secretary-General’s report on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine (document A/70/354) and four draft resolutions: Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (document A/70/L.10); Division of Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat (document A/70/L.11); Special information programme on the question of Palestine of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat (document A/70/L.12) and the Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine (document A/70/L.13).
On the situation in the Middle East, the Assembly considered the Secretary-General’s eponymous report (document A/70/353) and two draft resolutions: Jerusalem (document A/70/L.14) and the Syrian Golan (document A/70/L.17).
UN General Assembly on Mediterranean Basin Refugee and Migrant Crisis/Syrian Asylum-Seekers
ANTONIO DE AGUIAR PATRIOTA (Brazil) said that his country had contributed to the global humanitarian response to the massive displacement crisis. Since 2013, Brazilian consulates in the Middle East had been issuing special visas under simplified procedures to people affected by the Syrian conflict to travel to Brazil, where they could present an asylum claim. On that basis, over 2,200 Syrians had been formally recognized as refugees in Brazil. In October, the Government of Brazil and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) signed an agreement to enhance and formalize cooperation to allow more Syrians to find a new home in Brazil. To that end, he warned against allowing barbaric acts of terror to turn the refugee crisis into a pretext for restrictive policies and allow terrorism to dictate limits to efforts aimed at providing shelter for people forcibly displaced by war. It was paramount to preserve the integrity of the asylum system, he stressed.
ION JINGA (Romania), associating with the position of the European Union, said that the data UNHCR provided on the migrants and refugees was disturbing and highlighted the seriousness of the humanitarian problem, which was linked to the unstable political situation in the world. A new approach was necessary and cooperation with UNHCR was at the core of a solution based on equitable responsibility sharing. The Valletta Summit on migration held in November 2015 between the European Union and African Union was a good example of international cooperation in that regard. The Emergency Transit Centre in Timisoara, Romania, established in 2008, through which 1,700 had passed since its creation, highlighted his country’s contribution to solving the crisis. Romania had also contributed to UNHCR’s budget, increased its donations to the World Food Programme (WFP), and provided bilateral assistance to Syrian refugees. However, a long-term sustainable solution was required that reduced demand for assistance by recipient countries. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was essential in that regard.
BHAGWANT SINGH BISHNOI (India), stressing the importance of saving lives and avoiding the language of racism and xenophobia, stated that while countries of the region had given shelter to more than four million refugees from Syria, their contributions often went unrecognized. Turning to Security Council resolution 2240 (2015), he added that the text seemed to suggest that those risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean were doing so out of greed and not to escape persecution and death. It seemed that the Council had decreed that people could not flee for their lives unless they used vessels whose sea worthiness met the standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). By securitizing migration, the Council had legitimized a morally challenging response. It was especially ironic because the crisis was created by the Council through its acts of omission.
ÁLVARO MENDONÇA E MOURA (Portugal) said the scale of the migration crisis called for comprehensive, integrated and concerted policies. Any approach had to be built on respect for international and human rights laws and based on solidarity, ownership and shared responsibility. Portugal looked forward to the swift implementation of the concrete and operational measures jointly agreed upon by European and African leaders in Valletta. The promotion of a strong partnership between Europe and Africa was a long-standing priority for Portugal and it also would assume its responsibility towards those seeking protection, particularly Syrian asylum-seekers. Portugal had supported the initiative of former President Jorge Sampaio, “Global Platform 4 Syrian Students”, and would continue to support its efforts to develop its Rapid Mechanism for Higher Education in Emergencies. The collective response had to include concerted actions to enhance international stability, security and the adequate management of migration flows as security was provided for migrants, refugees and host communities
FERNANDO ANDRÉS MARANI (Argentina) said that last year the number of people displaced in the world had reached 60 million, of which half were internally displaced people. The trend was disturbing. Since the beginning of Syrian crisis, Argentina had stressed that all parties to the conflict should put an end to violence. Women accounted for more than half of the refugees and the situation was more difficult for them, as some were forced into marriage and were at a risk of sexual violence. Argentina reaffirmed that despite current migration flows, refugees should not be confused with migrants. Although no country was exempt, the reality was that the phenomenon of refugees affected developing countries the hardest, as they were hosting the vast majority.
ŽELJKO PEROVIĆ (Montenegro) said the international community had a moral responsibility to put an end to the migration crisis. It should join efforts to strengthen the humanitarian response in order to save lives, beat back exploitative criminal gangs and restore hope to those fleeing for their lives. States should be prepared for the challenges of migration flows by providing needed support, he added, calling for them to provide medical care, food, transport organization, sheltering and special care for vulnerable groups as the minimum standard. His country welcomed all initiatives aimed at making good use of multilateral frameworks of cooperation to address both the consequences and the root causes of the migration problem. Though not currently a country that migrants passed through, Montenegro had adopted an action plan to promote and bolster its capacity to shelter, protect and rehabilitate refugees and migrants.
ANDREJ LOGAR (Slovenia) said that the international community simply could not just observe the human tragedies and suffering at the doorstep of Europe. Rather it must play an active role in finding solutions to the migration and refugee situation while remembering that fundamental human rights were universal, inalienable and indivisible. He called for regional and international cooperation and pointed out that in the last few weeks Slovenia had been confronted with an immense refugee and migrant flow along the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans migration route. Thus far, more than 230,000 people had passed through Slovenia, a country of two million. The migration crisis could not be the responsibility of only one country or one region. It required strengthening political dialogue, he said, pledging Slovenia’s cooperation in European Union efforts to fight and disable the smuggling and trafficking routes in the Central Mediterranean.
OMER DAHAB FADL MOHAMED (Sudan) said UNHCR’s statistics on the refugee and migrant crisis in the Mediterranean basin showed an unprecedented increase in the number of people who had lost their lives attempting to cross into Europe. Since the beginning of 2015, 479 had died compared to only 15 for the same period in 2014. The international community should make sure that that was not repeated. Sudan was hosting a considerable number of refugees from countries in the region, many of whom had fled their homes due to environmental degradation. Sudan had provided decent jobs to refugees from South Sudan and had given them citizenship rights. The root causes of the refugee and migrant crisis, namely armed conflict, natural disasters and political strife, must be addressed. In that regard the United Nations should take all measures to tackle it through its specialized agencies.
MICHAEL DOUGLAS GRANT (Canada) said that the current crisis was attaining proportions not seen since the Second World War. Close to half of those in forced displacement were children. The Canadian Government was concerned by the situation in the Mediterranean where refugees were undertaking journeys risking their lives to get to Europe. Canada had reiterated its commitment to resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees without compromising security, as well as providing $100 million to UNHCR, which came on top of $800 million in humanitarian, development, and security assistance Canada had committed to date in response to the Syria crisis.
Yashar T. Aliyev (Azerbaijan) said that the Syrian crisis was today’s largest humanitarian tragedy. Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon supported vast numbers of refugees, but as the Secretary-General had underlined last Friday, having such few countries bear the responsibility was not a sustainable solution. While pursuing migration policies, States had to take an inclusive approach and avoid xenophobia. It was of deep concern that Armenia was facilitating the resettlement of refugees in an occupied area of Azerbaijan. The true intention was far from being humanitarian; rather, Armenia was capitalizing on the Syrian tragedy to expand its own agenda, he said, adding that that was a breach of the Geneva Conventions.
ABDULMOHSEN F. A. ALYAS (Saudi Arabia) said the waves of people fleeing Syria presented a paramount challenge to the international community in responding to their needs while preserving their dignity. Saudi Arabia was ready to cooperate with the United Nations to handle the crisis by creating appropriate protection mechanisms, providing financial aid and assisting host countries. The Kingdom had hosted 2.5 million Syrian refugees and allowed them free movement within the country. It had also given them access to free healthcare and education, with 100,000 Syrians receiving free education so far. Saudi Arabia was also supporting Syrians in neighbouring countries by providing financial and in-kind assistance. The country’s aid for the Syrian people had reached some $700 million, according to data provided by the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, which took place in Kuwait on 31 March 2015. The Kingdom was concerned by the inhumane discourse on refugees and Muslims in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks. The international community should rise above that racist dialogue and take practical steps to address the humanitarian crisis. It should create appropriate international mechanisms for burden sharing and tackle the root causes of the conflict rather than confine itself to slogans.
MUHAMMAD ANSHOR (Indonesia) said no country could solve the migration problem alone and the international community needed to redouble its efforts to end the crisis in Syria without delay. Counter-terrorism efforts to deal with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham (ISIL/ISIS), in relation to the Syrian conflict, had to best be carried out in a coordinated manner and aligned with strategies to resolve the Syrian conflict through the political process. Strengthening international cooperation to ensure sustained support for neighbouring countries hosting refugees was necessary. Promoting common approaches and policies to deal with the crisis was essential. Comprehensive approaches should include strengthening law enforcement, prosecuting those responsible for smuggling people and trafficking-in-persons and transnational organized crime, while respecting human rights and humanitarian principles to protect the victims. Over the long run, conflict prevention and promoting sustainable peace were essential to avoiding humanitarian crises and the irregular migration of people.
