Tag: Migrants and refugees

UN expert urges UK to halt transfer of asylum seekers to Rwanda — Global Issues

“There are serious risks that the international law principle of non-refoulement will be breached by forcibly transferring asylum seekers to Rwanda,” said Siobhán Mullally, the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

“People seeking international protection, fleeing conflict and persecution, have the right to seek and enjoy asylum – a fundamental tenet of international human rights and refugee law,” she said.

The Special Rapporteur welcomed urgent interim measures by the European Court of Human Rights that grounded a flight earlier this week, due to transfer a small group of asylum seekers to the central African nation.

Increased risk of exploitation

“Transferring asylum seekers to third countries does nothing to prevent or combat human trafficking, in fact it is likely to push desperate people into riskier and more dangerous situations,” Ms. Mullally said. “Rather than reducing trafficking in persons, it is likely to increase risks of exploitation.”

The Special Rapporteur expressed concern that the arrangement fails to safeguard the rights of asylum seekers who are victims of trafficking and seeking protection in the United Kingdom. These victims and persons at risk of trafficking could be transferred under the arrangement, she said.

‘Inadequate safeguards’

“There are inadequate safeguards to ensure that victims of trafficking or persons at risk of trafficking are identified, given assistance and ensured effective access to international protection. They risk further victimisation and trauma by being transferred to a third country,” added the Special Rapporteur.

“I am also concerned that there are insufficient guarantees against risks of trafficking or re-trafficking for those who may be denied asylum, or arbitrarily removed to another state from Rwanda”.

Ms. Mullally echoed concerns by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees about difficulties that arise in disclosing traumatic experiences – such as trafficking – in screening interviews for asylum seekers, usually conducted shortly after arrival.

Under the arrangement, UK authorities will conduct an initial screening before deciding on whether an individual may be transferred.

The independent expert said the initial screening was not sufficient to identify and recognise the specific protection needs of asylum seekers, including victims of trafficking.

Previous human rights concerns

The Special Rapporteur has previously raised her concerns regarding the Nationality and Borders Bill, and its potential adverse impact on the human rights of victims of trafficking.

She has also repeatedly raised concerns with the international community, about the increasing tendency to place migration within a criminal law enforcement paradigm.

“Restrictive migration-related measures are presented as part of efforts to combat organized crime, including trafficking in persons, regardless of how the measures may affect the human rights of migrants and trafficked persons,” the UN expert said.

Make migration safer

She urged States to expand pathways for safe, orderly and regular migration without discrimination, in order to combat trafficking in persons.

Resettlement programmes, family reunification measures and provision of humanitarian visas were more effective ways to prevent trafficking of those fleeing persecution and conflict, the Special Rapporteur said.

She called on all States to uphold their international obligations regarding the principle of non-refoulement in international law, which guarantees that no person should be returned to a country where they could face irreparable harm.

“We must not allow the objective of combating human trafficking to be misused, in an attempt to undermine the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution, and the principle of non-refoulement”, she concluded.

Special Rapporteurs report to the Human Rights Council and operate in their individual capacity. They are not UN staff and are not paid for their work. 

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A record 37 million children displaced worldwide: UNICEF — Global Issues

This figure includes 13.7 million child refugees and asylum-seekers, and nearly 22.8 million, who are internally displaced due to conflict and violence.  

However, not included are children displaced by climate and environmental shocks or disasters, as well as those newly displaced in 2022, including by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The record number of children displaced is a direct result of cascading crises, said UNICEF, including acute and protracted conflicts such as in Afghanistan, and fragility in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or Yemen – all exacerbated by the destructive impacts of climate change. 

Spreading fast 

Child displacement is spreading fast, the agency said. During the previous year, the global number of displaced children increased by 2.2 million. 

“We can’t ignore the evidence: The number of children being displaced by conflict and crises is rapidly growing – and so is our responsibility to reach them,” said UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell. 

“I hope this alarming number will move governments to prevent children from being displaced in the first place”, she added, “and when they are displaced, to ensure their access to education, protection, and other critical services that support their wellbeing and development now and in the future.”   

Crises like the war in Ukraine, which has caused more than two million children to flee the country and displaced three million internally since February, come on top of this record high. 

Extreme weather 

Additionally, children and families are also being driven from their homes by extreme weather events, UNICEF said, such as the drought in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, and severe flooding in Bangladesh, India and South Africa. 

During 2021, there were 7.3 million new displacements of children as consequence of natural disasters. 
 
The global refugee population has more than doubled in the last decade, with children making up almost half of the total. Over a third of displaced children live in Sub-Saharan Africa (3.9 million or 36 per cent), one quarter in Europe and Central Asia (2.6 million or 25 per cent), and 13 per cent (1.4 million) in the Middle East and North Africa. 

As the number of displaced and refugee children reaches a record high, access to essential support and services like healthcare, education and protection is falling short. Only half of all refugee children are enrolled in primary school, while less than a quarter of refugee adolescents are in secondary school. 

IOM/Muse Mohammed

Natural disasters triggered the displacement of 7.3 million children in 2021.

Grave risks 

Uprooted children – whether refugee, asylum seeker or internally displaced – can face grave risks to their well-being and safety. This is particularly true for the hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied or separated children who are at heightened risk of trafficking, exploitation, violence and abuse. Children account for approximately 28 per cent of trafficking victims globally. 
 
UNICEF urges Member States to adhere to their commitments to the rights of all uprooted children, including those established under the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), and invest further in data and research that reflects the true scale of the issues facing refugee, migrant and displaced children. 

6 takeaways 

UNICEF is calling on governments to take six actions to level the playing field for all refugee, migrant and displaced children: 

  1. Provide equal support to all children – wherever they come from.
  2. Recognize refugee, migrant and displaced children as children first and foremost – with rights to protection, development and participation.  
  3. Increase collective action to ensure effective access to essential services – including health care and education – for all uprooted children and families regardless of status. 
  4. Protect refugee, migrant and displaced children from discrimination and xenophobia. 
  5. End harmful border management practices and child immigration detention. 
  6. Empower refugee, migrant and displaced youth to unleash their talents and realize their full potential. 

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UNHCR report — Global Issues

“Every year of the last decade, the numbers have climbed,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi. “Either the international community comes together to take action to address this human tragedy, resolve conflicts and find lasting solutions, or this terrible trend will continue.”

Today, one in every 78 people on earth is displaced; it’s a “dramatic milestone” that few would have expected a decade ago, UNHCR said.

By the end of 2021, the number displaced by war, violence, persecution and human rights abuses stood at 89.3 million, according to the agency’s annual Global Trends report.

That was up eight per cent from 2020 and “well over double the figure of 10 years ago”, the report’s authors said, attributing last year’s increase to numerous escalating conflicts “and new ones that flared”.

Food insecurity driver

The 100 million displaced figure was reached in May, 10 weeks since the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted a global cereal and fertilizer shortage from these major exporters that UN humanitarians have reacted to with increasing alarm.

Asked at a press conference in Geneva whether the global food insecurity crisis now underway was likely to push yet more people to leave their homes, High Commissioner Grandi said he “could not imagine how” it could be otherwise.

“If you have a food crisis on top of…war, human rights (violations), climate, you name it; on top of that if you have a food crisis, it will just accelerate the trends are described in this report and that we have seen accelerate in already in the first few months of the year.”

This meant that what countries were doing to withstand the spiralling cereal and fuel prices was of paramount importance also to prevent a larger number of people moving, the UNHCR chief continued, “which if you ask me how many, I don’t know, but it could be pretty big numbers”.

Conflict-driven displacement

In all, 23 countries with a combined population of 850 million faced “medium or high-intensity conflicts”, the UN agency said, citing World Bank data.

Among the 89.3 million globally displaced last year, 27.1 million were refugees – 21.3 million under UNHCR’s mandate, and 5.8 million Palestinians under the care of the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA.

Another 53.2 million were internally displaced people, 4.6 million were asylum seekers and 4.4 million were Venezuelans left with little option but to flee their country’s economic and political crisis.

Data from the UNHCR report underscored the crucial role played by the world’s developing nations in sheltering displaced people, with low and middle-income nations hosting more than four in five of the world’s refugees.

With 3.8 million refugees within its borders, Türkiye hosts the largest number of refugees, followed by Colombia, with 1.8 million (including Venezuelan nationals), Uganda and Pakistan (1.5 million each) and Germany (1.3 million).

Relative to their national populations, the Caribbean island of Aruba hosted the largest number of Venezuelans displaced abroad (one in six), while Lebanon hosted the largest number of refugees (one in eight), followed by Curaçao (one in 10), Jordan (one in 14) and Türkiye (one in 23).

Misery for millions

Among the major new humanitarian crises highlighted in 2021, UNHCR noted that conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region pushed at least 2.5 million more people into displacement inside their country, with some 1.5 million of them returning to their homes during the year.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021 resulted in displacement inside the country and into neighbouring nations. The number of people displaced internally rose for the 15th straight year, UNHCR said, even as more than 790,000 Afghans returned during the year.

Finally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen saw increases of between 100,000 and 500,000 people displaced internally in 2021.

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whole continent is on the move, warns WFP — Global Issues

“We are having countries like Haiti with 26 per cent food inflation and we have other countries that really are off the charts even with food inflation,” said Lola Castro, WFP Regional Director in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

Negative trend

Latest data indicates that 9.7 million people in the 13 LAC countries where WFP works are already extremely food insecure, up from 8.3 million in late 2021.  “We are looking at around 14 million people as forecast if the crisis continues,” said Ms. Castro.

“This is not good and we are going back almost to the high levels that we had during COVID-19”, when 17.2 million people were severely food insecure, at the peak of the pandemic.

Fuel and energy prices were also “a huge issue” for those least able to feed themselves, Ms. Castro told journalists in Geneva. “We have seen how in the last two years the cost of moving a tonne of food in our region is seven times more expensive.”

Desperate migrants

The dramatic deterioration in people’s daily lives has given them little option but to leave their communities and head north, even if it means risking their lives, the WFP official explained.

Communities of particular concern include Haitian migrants who travelled during the COVID-19 pandemic in search of work and shelter in Brazil and Chile. 

“All of you are watching caravans, caravans of migrants moving, and before we used to talk about migration happening from the north of Central America, but now, unfortunately, we talk about migration being hemispheric. We have the whole continent on the move.”

Darien Gap danger

One of the clearest signs of people’s desperation is the fact that they are willing to risk their lives crossing the Darien Gap, a particularly arduous and dangerous forest route in Central America that allows access from the south of the continent to the north.

“In 2020, 5,000 people passed by the Darien Gap, migrating from South America into Central America, and you know what, in 2021, 151,000 people passed, and this is 10 days walking through a forest, 10 days through rivers, crossing mountains and people die because this one of most dangerous jungles in the world.” 

For these migrants the reason why they are on the move is simple, the WFP official explained: “They are leaving communities where they have lost everything to climate crisis, they have no food security, they have no ability to feed their people and their families.”

UN data indicates that of the 69 economies now experiencing food, energy and financial shocks, 19 are in the Latin America and the Caribbean region.

This has meant that governments which were already doing their utmost to sustain social welfare safety nets during the coronavirus pandemic are now struggling to maintain this level of support to populations.



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Myanmar’s multidimensional crises have ‘deepened and expanded dramatically’ — Global Issues

Noeleen Heyzer said that since she took up the job six months ago, Myanmar has “continued to descend into profound and widespread conflict”.

Already one of the world’s largest refugee emergencies, she reminded that multidimensional crises there have left over one million internally displaced people (IDPs) across the country with “serious regional and international ramifications”.

Nearly one million mainly Muslim Rohingyas live in refugees camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, and hundreds of thousands of others are scattered across the region.

‘Disillusioned’ generation

This crisis has resulted in collapsing State institutions, disrupting social and economic infrastructure – including health, education, banking, food security and employment – while increasing criminality and illicit activities.

And over the past five years, the number of people living in poverty has doubled to encompass half the population.

“Today, 14.4 million people, or one-quarter of the entire population of Myanmar urgently require humanitarian assistance,” said the Special Envoy.

At the same time, following the COVID-19 pandemic and political crisis, school enrolment has dropped by up to 80 per cent in two years, leaving at least 7.8 million children shut out of the classroom.

“A generation that benefitted from the democratic transition is now disillusioned, facing chronic hardship and, tragically, many feel they have no choice left but to take up arms,” she warned.

Conflict, the norm

As military violence and distrust have continued to deepen, including against peaceful protestors, armed conflict “has become the norm” for all Burmese.

“The military continues its disproportionate use of force, has intensified its attack on civilians and increased operations against resistance forces, using aerial bombings,” said the senior UN official. “Civilian buildings and villages have been destroyed by fire and internally displaced populations have been attacked”.

Meanwhile, there are reports of up to 600 armed resistance groups, or “people’s defense forces” engaged in fighting, with some conducting assassinations targeting those seen as “pro-military”.

Unsplash/Pyae Sone Htun

Protesters attend a march against the military coup in Myanmar.

Feel of abandonment

Ms. Heyzer said she was continuing to work closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to de-escalate hostilities.

However, she pointed out that continued differences, regionally and more broadly among UN Member States, “have left the people of Myanmar feeling abandoned in their time of need.”

“I will continue to play a bridging role…in Myanmar, in the region, and the international community to address the protection needs and suffering of the most vulnerable, and to support the will of the people for a future federal democratic union based on peace, stability and shared prosperity.”

Remembering the Rohingya

Instability and conflict place vulnerable communities at further risk, including the Rohingya.

The Special Envoy has developed a multi-track strategy that focuses on humanitarian and protection needs; a return to civilian rule; effective and democratic governance; and durable solutions for the Rohingya – the majority of whom fled following violent persecution by Government forces in 2017, characterized by the then UN human rights chief as a text-book example of ethnic cleansing.

“Sustainable solutions for the Rohingya people must be built into the design of a peaceful, inclusive and democratic Myanmar,” she said. 

‘Face of human tragedy’

In direct contact with the Burmese people, Ms. Heyzer said: “I have learned the face of human tragedy behind these figures.”

Rohingya refugee women shared with her how prolonged camp displacements in Bangladesh and elsewhere, have affected their daily lives and limited opportunities to build skills and livelihoods.

They also mentioned that camp shops in Cox’s Bazar and community-run learning centres have shuttered.

“Women also told me of the many protection risks that face women and girls, including trafficking, child marriage and sexual violence”, she stated. “They described how the lack of accountability has normalized violence against women and girls in the camps.”

© UNICEF/ Min Zayar Oo

A young girl in Myanmar whose education has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Durable solutions

Ms. Heyzer advocated for “integrated and inclusive humanitarian, peace and development action” to strengthen rights and support Rohingya.

Turning to the Rakhine Advisory Commission, which aims to improve conditions in Rakhine state, from which many Rohingya fled north across the border, she told the General Assembly that she supported their recommendations for changes at both a “vertical” level – involving the de-facto authorities, pro-democracy actors and the separatist ethnic militia known as the Arakan Army – and the “horizontal”, such as grassroots initiatives that promote inclusivity, peaceful co-existence, and equality for all.

Ultimately, she said, it was “Myanmar’s responsibility” to address these fundamental issues.

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A ‘child of international solidarity’ — Global Issues

  • UN News

For three generations, Marsel Abdo’s family have been fleeing conflict, including the Syrian war and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It began when grandfather left his home in Palestine after the creation of Israel in 1948, to take refuge in the Syrian capital Damascus. Then in 2011, Mr.Abdo’s family home came under attack when war broke out in the country, and his parents left for Ukraine, his mother’s homeland. And, in 2022, his mother was again forced to relocate, when Russia invaded.

Follow this link for the full story of the struggles of Mr. Abdo’s family, and his hopes for a brighter future, in France.
 

© UN News (2022) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: UN News

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The South Sudanese refugee helping others through trauma — Global Issues

Ms. Tiep lives and works in Omugo II, an extension of Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement, which is home to 43,000 refugees from South Sudan. 

After receiving counselling from the Spotlight Initiative, a UN-EU partnership, she became a volunteer psychosocial support assistant with an NGO in Uganda, helping other women and children leave and recover from violent situations.

“Two things led me to flee South Sudan: the war and my abusive husband. I was living in Yei, South Sudan, working for an organization that handled cases of violence against women.

Life was fine, I had money and a place to stay. I was even able to buy a car from my earnings. However, I now know that even if you have resources, if you have stress in your mind, you can go mad.
My husband used to beat me. He was a soldier and would threaten to shoot me. Sometimes, I would sleep in the bush. He felt that the children favoured me, and he would get angry about that, but children know love and that’s why they favoured me. I decided to leave him.

I fled in August 2017 and arrived in Uganda four days later, after a painful journey with my five children. I was unable to carry food; because the children were so young, I had to carry them. We walked using side roads because driving on the main road would get us killed by the rebels. The rebels wanted to capture me as their wife as they knew I had money.

Once we reached the border, we were met by the UN who helped transfer us to the settlement

Eva Sibanda/ UN Women

Rose Mary Tiep a beneficiary of a UN-backed support programme, in Omugo II Refugee Settlement, Uganda.

Adjusting to a new life and challenges

When I first arrived at Omugu II, I wanted to die. I was lonely, I would isolate myself and pity myself. In South Sudan, I was doing well.

As refugees, we experience discrimination. Sometimes, the host community will claim the land as theirs. [Within the settlement, every refugee household is allocated some land to plant food.] Even if they harass you, you’re not allowed to respond to them, or they react violently. The host community are resentful that we are using their land, but this is not their land, this is God’s land. The host community speaks Lugbara, so we cannot communicate.

Psychosocial counselling sessions [with TPO Uganda, an implementing partner of UN Women] helped me a lot. I can support my children now. Thanks to the psychosocial support I received, I was able to be a better mother.

Even when the counselling sessions ended, I mobilized groups of women and we would hold discussions. I transferred the knowledge I gained to the community – I continued the work that I left behind in South Sudan. I chose to enrol as a Volunteer Psychosocial Assistant (VPA) with TPO Uganda. 

With the confidence I have gained, I now help families that experience violence and I make referrals to partners, police and to childcare, if the case requires it.

Paying it forward

We give psychosocial support to children who have lost their parents and I learnt how to identify cases of gender-based violence. I usually pose questions to the women, using my own life experience as an example.

The volunteer training changed me, and I am now recognized in the community. I have changed the lives of community members who have experienced violence and I was enrolled as a women’s representative in the Omugo community. I feel confident and comfortable in my work.

I wish that my children could have grown up elsewhere, and not in a settlement. I want to make sure they learn, go to school and get jobs. One day I will be old, I want to prepare them for the future.”
 

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Mediterranean Sea journeys for migrants have grown more deadly: UNHCR — Global Issues

Latest data visualisation figures from UNHCR, shows that there were 3,231 dead or missing at sea last year, a sharp rise from 2020.

Last year’s shipwreck death toll is on a par with 2014, even though almost twice as many people crossed the sea to Europe eight years ago, when the exodus of those fleeing war in Syria, war was at its height.

The situation is a “widespread, longstanding and largely overlooked tragedy”, said UNHCR.

The UN agency noted that although some of those crossing the Mediterranean want a better life and better jobs, many are fleeing conflict, violence or persecution.

Out of Africa

The most common countries of origin for people moving along Mediterranean routes include those affected by years of conflict and displacement, particularly in the East and Horn of Africa regions.

UNHCR Spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, told journalists in Geneva that in addition to the rising death toll at sea, the agency is concerned that “deaths and abuses are also widespread along land routes, most commonly in and through the countries of origin and transit, including Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Libya – where the overwhelming majority of risks and incidents are reported.”

 

The No End in Sight visualization, shows that in 2014, more than 200,000 refugees and migrants moved from East and West Africa, to North Africa, an onwards to Europe, peaking in 2015, when more than a million reaches European countries.

Numbers gradually decreased in the following years, and ebbed further during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Despite measures implemented in 2020, smuggers have quickly adapted to find alternative routes to bypass official controls, said UNHCR. The flow has been increasing since 2021, suggesting a continuing upward trend.

Prevention and protection

Calling for more action to prevent deaths and protect refugees and asylum seekers who are embarking on these journeys, UNHCR released an updated protection and solutions strategy – and new funding appeal – earlier in April.

The appeal calls for increased humanitarian assistance, support and solutions for people in need of international protection and survivors of gross human rights abuses, said the agency’s Ms. Mantoo.

It covers around 25 countries across three different regions connected by the same land and sea routes which are used by migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.

“At the same time, UNHCR is urging States to ensure safe alternatives to dangerous crossings and to commit to strengthened humanitarian, development and peace action to address protection and solutions challenges”, the Spokesperson added.

UNHCR has joined other UN agencies to urge States to adopt measures ensuring that refugees and migrants retrieved at sea are disembarked in places where their lives and human rights are safeguarded.



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Sahel should be seen as region of ‘opportunity’ despite ‘multiple crises’ — Global Issues

The Sahel is a vast under-populated region stretching across Africa from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, an area which is being destabilized by terrorism-related conflict, the effects of climate change and a lack of development.

UN News spoke to Mr. Annadif about the solutions to the problems the region faces.  

What is the historical context of the Sahel region?

The people who live in the Sahel are far from the centres of decision-making of the countries that make up the region and so they live on the margins. But they are resilient and self-sufficient, living from commerce and nomadic farming.

Following political turmoil in Libya and before that, in Afghanistan, this region has become a sanctuary for terrorist groups who use religion to incite hatred. This is not Islam, it’s a corrupted form of Islam that these groups want to spread to serve their plans, taking advantage of the fact that most of the people in the Sahel are very sensitive to religious issues.

Because of lack of basic services, and infrastructure, some people can be tempted to adhere to the discourse of these groups, who, in some situations play the role of the State by offering services like education, health and justice.

UN News/Daniel Dickinson

Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel.

Can you describe the situation today?

Today, the Sahel has been infested with terrorists. With the fall of Libya’s Gaddafi, the region has become an open arsenal, where arms circulate like bread; anyone can get hold of a weapon, and this provokes violence.

The region is also suffering from the impact of climate change. Before, nomadic herders and farmers coexisted well alongside each other, but with climate change there is less land to cultivate and less grazing land for herders, and this has led to more inter-communal strife.

In the past, local leaders would help to alleviate these conflicts, but they have been driven out by the terrorists, who in some cases, manipulate and aggravate disagreements between farmers and herders in order to extend their sphere of influence. 

What type of crisis is the region faced with?

The region is facing multiple crises, for which the people of the Sahel are not responsible. These are global issues with global affects: we are seeing more illegal migration, more terrorist influence and the destabilization of states.

With a little support, Sahelian countries could make headway against these overlapping crises and provide a bulwark against terrorism. But it’s important that the international community remains engaged to support the efforts of the countries of the region.

UNOCHA/Giles Clarke

A refugee Malian family who fled violence and conflict sit under their shelter in a settlement near Dore, in northern Burkina Faso.

What are the solutions to these deep-rooted problems?

Investing more in education is vital to articulate durable solutions. In a region which is 60 to 70 per cent made up of young people, it’s crucial to redouble our efforts to ensure that young people have access to education.

It’s important that the State, and public institutions play their role by ensuring the delivery of basic services and putting in place development infrastructures.  There is no way out without development. And that requires a minimum of financial support.

It’s also important to see the Sahel as a region of opportunity rather than merely as a problem, and the people must be considered as part of the solution rather than as part of the problem.

Where are these opportunities?

Most of the people of the Sahel want peace; they are hard-working, resilient and can live with very little. They don’t ask for a lot. The opportunity is there to exploit the resources which lie below the surface of the land, for example subterranean sources of water, minerals and gold.

The terrorists sell gold mined in the Sahel to finance their operations.

If these resources were properly exploited, if the people who live in the Sahel would benefit, that would be a way to stop the illicit flows of drugs, arms and people across the region.

Even if these people are poor and neglected, they are proud and attached to their region and will never want to leave.

How is the United Nations supporting these solutions?

The United Nations is a key partner in the Sahel, working in coordination of various partners to support the tireless efforts of the governments of the region.

As part of the implementation of the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS), the UN is contributing to peace consolidation, and humanitarian aid and development through the work of dedicated UN agencies, fund and programmes, that are serving the people of the Sahel on a daily basis, to shape a better future.

Under the leadership of Mar Dieye, the Office of the Coordinator for the Development of the Sahel (OCDS), is actively engaged in mobilizing regional and international partners to hasten the implementation of development programs and projects as part of the UNISS framework.

The governments of the countries of the Sahel are doing what they can, and we should continue to support them. Their efforts are necessary but are not sufficient to put an end to the various challenges.

Given the evolving global situation caused by the Ukrainian crisis, I call on the international community not to neglect the Sahel region, and to maintain its financial support and political engagement in the region. We must all remain mobilized at this is critical moment that the countries of the Sahel are experiencing. 

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States urged to do more to help Haitians fleeing insecurity by sea — Global Issues

Speaking to journalists at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), told journalists that many of the dangerous crossings in the Caribbean Sea take place in overloaded and unseaworthy boats

Ms. Mantoo cited a recent example of a vessel carrying over 800 Haitians, bound for the United States, that instead arrived in Cuba after being abandoned by its captain and set adrift at sea.

Many of those who resort to dangerous sea crossings are fleeing the political instability and socio-economic insecurity of the region, which has put severe strains on communities throughout the Caribbean.

Haiti is being rocked by violent gang-related activity, internal displacement, natural disasters, and a lack of employment opportunities. Under such dire humanitarian and security conditions, the outlook for those pushed back or forced to return to the country is poor.

Refugees in the Caribbean region are not solely Haitian, but there are clear signs that more migrants and asylum seekers are fleeing the troubled island nation.

As of May, the US Coast Guard reported almost 3,900 interceptions of Haitian nationals, more than double the number reported a year ago. In addition, at least 175 Haitians have been reported to the Coast Guard as missing or deceased.

Countries must ‘fulfil international obligations’

Ms. Mantoo said that UNHCR is urging Governments in the region to fulfil their maritime rescue obligations, and ensure that all those in need of international protection are identified, and offered unobstructed and prompt access to fair asylum procedures.

“Search and rescue at sea is a legal and humanitarian imperative, and those rescued include refugees and others in need of protection”, explained Ms. Mantoo. “Coordination, solidarity, and responsibility-sharing are crucial in responding effectively and ensuring that people in need of international protection are not returned to their country of origin, and the dangers they have fled”.

The spokesperson went on to note that countries receiving refugees and migrants have the first line of responsibility in protecting those who may have well-founded fears of persecution in their country of origin. 

“It is vital to ensure that arrangements for disembarkation of those rescued do not result in summary return, and that they have access to procedures to have their claims assessed before being expelled or deported”, Ms. Mantoo told journalists.

In response to the growing numbers risking their lives in perilous sea crossings, UNHCR is working with Governments in the region to support the response and reception of arrivals at their borders, strengthen asylum systems, ensure the protection of refugees in a fair and efficient manner, and support international human rights and refugee law, while respecting national security concerns and state sovereignty.

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