The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged Spain and Sweden to use their respective EU presidencies to prolong «the humanitarian spirit and solidarity» demonstrated in 2022 by the bloc in the wake of the war in Ukraine and to protect people forced to flee their homes.
«UNHCR urges this year’s EU Presidencies to build on these good practices, and stand in solidarity with all refugees and asylum seekers, wherever they come from,» said the agency’s representative to the UN, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, who called for «a new vision of Europe’s commitment.»
The organization has drawn up a roadmap that proposes the implementation of the draft EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which also includes guaranteeing access to fair and efficient asylum procedures and creating solidarity and responsibility-sharing mechanisms.
He also warned that there are still «violent expulsions» at EU borders and «serious violations» of human rights that even endanger the lives of migrants. Combating both scourges is, according to UNHCR, a «key» aspect to have a «fair and sustainable» asylum system.
The organization also focuses on rescue operations at sea, so that there is a predictable mechanism for both search and disembarkation, at a time when the Italian government, controlled by the far right, has toughened its policies against NGOs working in the central Mediterranean.
On the other hand, he urged the Spanish and Swedish presidencies to favor aid to the countries and regions that host the majority of forcibly displaced people, bearing in mind that almost three quarters of the world’s refugees and other people in need of international protection live in low and middle income countries.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
