Joint Statement by UNHCR, OHCHR, IOM, the SRSG for Migration and Development, and UNODC
Press Releases, 1 July 2015
A comprehensive people-oriented approach to the irregular movement of migrants and refugees in South East Asia
We, the undersigned*, welcome the convening later this week of the Emergency ASEAN Ministerial meeting on Transnational Crime: Irregular Movement of Persons in the South East Asia Region. The meeting provides a timely opportunity to move meaningfully forward on the comprehensive and durable solution called for by the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in Putrajaya on 20 May 2015, in keeping with the spirit of unity and solidarity of a people-oriented and people-centred ASEAN.
Progress has been made on a number of the individual and collective actions called for in that statement, as well as on the 17 recommendations of the Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean held in Bangkok on 29 May 2015. But much more needs to be done. This includes providing access for relevant national and international actors, such as UNHCR and IOM, to the refugees and migrants. We encourage States to act consistently with the recommendation we made to avoid the use of immigration detention in our earlier Joint Statement of 19 May 2015.
We call on States to implement UNODC’s recommendation to network ports and border crossings for operations to share information and improve policies in line with country commitments to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
We strongly urge States to undertake sustained efforts to expand avenues for safe and legal migration, including for family reunification and labour migration at all skill levels, while stepping up law enforcement. This includes prosecution of individuals involved in human trafficking and migrant smuggling syndicates – whoever they may be and whatever their affiliations – in a manner fully consistent with international standards for human rights in the administration of justice. Likewise, we continue to urge intensified efforts to identify and respond to the drivers and root causes of the irregular movement, as recommended in the Putrajaya Statement, and therefore call for the protection of the human rights of all migrants and refugees at places of origin, transit and destination.
The creation of an ongoing mechanism, such as the Task Force recommended at the Special Meeting, is the best way to ensure that a regular channel is available for international community support for efforts undertaken by affected States. This must include ensuring protection of the rights of all migrants and refugees, instituting appropriate law enforcement measures and responding to the drivers and root causes of forced movement. The Emergency Meeting on Thursday 2 July 2015 is a welcome opportunity to implement that recommendation.
*António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
William L. Swing, Director-General of the International Organization for Migration
Peter Sutherland, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Migration and Development Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
“At our meeting today, on 29 June 2015, in London at the Headquarters of the International Maritime Organization we discussed the ongoing situation of migration by sea. We noted the urgency with which the situation must be addressed of thousands of migrants who find themselves on perilous journeys. We held a silent minute in honour of the thousands of migrants who lost their lives on such journeys and we resolved to intensify our Organizations’ cooperation to find international solutions to the issues at hand;
We recalled the agreement of cooperation between the two organizations concluded in 1974 and noted with satisfaction the close engagement of the two organizations in accordance with arrangements made from time to time;
We recognized that unsafe mixed migration across the oceans and seas has been a serious concern for decades and that it has increased dramatically in recent years posing a major challenge to the international community;
Concerned about the loss of life, injury, trauma and serious human rights’ violations affecting migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees travelling by sea, we acknowledged that the current situation is a humanitarian crisis and requires concerted global action;
In light of this we decided to:
1. Establish an inter-agency platform for information sharing on unsafe mixed migration by sea, in collaboration with other interested agencies, as soon as possible;
2. Disseminate information material on the dangers of unsafe and irregular migration by sea, in collaboration with other interested agencies;
3. Promote the relevant provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the International Convention on Maritime Search and
Rescue (SAR), the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL), and international migration law;
4. Support the relevant technical cooperation programmes of each organization;
5. Remain engaged by setting up technical or advisory bodies, as appropriate, on terms and conditions to be mutually agreed upon in each case;
6. Facilitate discussions to find solutions to unsafe migration by sea;
7. Urge the international community to take robust measures against people smugglers who operate without fear or remorse and who deliberately and knowingly endanger the lives of thousands of migrants at sea.”
GE2P2 Global :: Knowledge Sharing; Ideas; Operations 