Joint Statement on Mediterranean Crossings
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Special Representative of
the UN Secretary-General for International Migration and Development Peter
Sutherland, and Director-General of the International Organization for
Migration William Lacy Swing
A tragedy of epic proportions is unfolding in the
Mediterranean. We, the undersigned*, strongly urge European leaders to put
human life, rights, and dignity first today when agreeing upon a common response
to the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean.
The European Union is founded on the fundamental principles
of humanity, solidarity and respect for human rights. We urge EU Member States
to demonstrate moral and political leadership in adopting a holistic and
forward-looking action plan centred upon these values.
The European Union response needs to go beyond the present
minimalist approach in the 10 Point Plan on Migration, announced by the EU on
Monday, which focuses primarily on stemming the arrival of migrants and
refugees on its shores. As a paramount principle, the safety, protection needs,
and human rights of all migrants and refugees should be at the forefront of the
EU response.
EU leaders must look beyond the present situation and work closely
with transit and origin countries both to alleviate the immediate plight of
migrants and refugees and address in a more comprehensive way the many factors
that drive them to resort to such desperate journeys by sea.
Enforcement alone
will not solve the issue of irregular migration, but could increase the risks
and abuse faced by migrants and refugees.
We would therefore encourage bold, collective action to
expand the range of measures under consideration to include:
- Setting in place a State-led, robust, proactive, and well-resourced search-and-rescue operation, urgently and without delay, with a capacity similar to Mare Nostrum and a clear mission to save lives.
- Creating sufficient channels for safe and regular migration, including for low-skilled migrant workers and individuals in need of family reunification, and access to protection where needed, as safe alternatives to resorting to smugglers.
- Making a firm commitment to receive significantly higher numbers of refugees through EU-wide resettlement, in addition to current quotas, and on a scale which will make a real impact, combined with other legal means for refugees to reach safety.
- Bolstering arrangements to support those countries receiving the most arrivals (Italy, Malta, and Greece) and to distribute responsibility more equitably across the European Union for saving lives and protecting all those in need.
- Combatting racist and xenophobic rhetoric vilifying migrants and refugees.
*
António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Peter Sutherland, Special Representative of the UN
Secretary-General for International Migration and Development
William L. Swing, Director-General of the International
Organization for Migration
Media Contacts
UNHCR
GENEVA
Adrian Edwards, UNHCR Spokesman, edwards@unhcr.org +41 79
557 9120
William Spindler, UNHCR Senior Comms Officer,
spindler@unhcr.org +41 79 217 30 11
PARIS
Philippe Leclerc, UNHCR Paris Representative,
Leclerc@unhcr.org +33 1 44 43 48 50
LONDON
Andrej Mahecic, UNHCR UK Spokesperson, Mahecic@unhcr.org +44
78 802 30 985
WASHINGTON DC
Brian Hansford, UNHCR US Spokesperson, Hansford@unhcr.org +1
202 999 8253
ROME
Carlotta Sami, UNHCR Southern Europe Spokesperson,
Sami@unhcr.org +39 335 679 4746
IOM MEDIA CONTACT
Joel Millman jmillman@iom.int, +41 79 103 8720
OHCHR MEDIA CONTACT
Rupert Colville rcolville@ohchr.org, +41 22 917 9767
Senior Advisor to SRSG Sutherland
Gregory Maniatis gmaniatis@gmail.com +1 917 609 8777
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