Guyana urges coordinated approach to tackle refugee crisis

AT THE United Nations’ General Assembly in New York, Guyana will continue to support the protection of the rights of all migrants.This country welcomes the process that the 2016 High-level Meeting on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants at the United Nations (UN) presents. President David Granger said as much during his address at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday. The Guyanese leader said the 2016 High-Level Meeting on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants is the platform to which convening of the 2018 Inter-governmental conference on international migration will be held. He said the 2018 conference will be convened with the aim of adopting a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, and gave Guyana’s commitment to that process.

“We intend to ensure that the root causes of conflicts are eliminated, and that peace will prevail in the world,” the President said, as he alluded to Guyana’s own stance within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). “Natural disaster has also been a cause of the refugee and migrant problem. The global community must not ignore the impact which catastrophic natural disasters — including those caused by climate change — have had in triggering that which produces refugees and migrants,” he cautioned.

Referring to the tragic case of Haiti in 2010, when that Caribbean state was destroyed by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake which affected some three and one-half million persons and resulted in the deaths of 222,000, President Granger said the Caribbean was overwhelmed by the “death, disease, dislocation and destruction inflicted on the Caribbean state of Haiti, a sister member of our Community.”

“The earthquake left thousands of persons dead, and consigned thousands of others to a life as refugees in their own country. Haiti’s agony is being compounded today by the creation of new waves of refugees from the Dominican Republic,” he declared.

Notwithstanding that, President Granger said the Political Declaration on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants offers a path towards addressing the problem in a more coherent and comprehensive manner. The ‘Declaration’, he said, must be supported by all, to bring an end to international terrorism and state and intra-state conflicts that are “active, incipient and latent.”

He believes that the 2016 meeting represents an opportunity for the international community to commit to a comprehensive solution to “a complex and chronic problem.”

The Guyanese Leader said refugee and migrant crises present grave challenges globally, and he noted that the images and reports of men, women and children who were forced to run away from their homes and homelands in search of safety tell the story of many. The international community President Granger said can ill afford to ignore the plight of “these desperate refugees and migrants.”

“Their conditions and situations demand a commitment to address both the root causes as well as the human consequences which accompany these refugee and migration crises,” he added.

The Guyanese Head of State was the 19th speaker on Monday. He said conflicts within and among states are mainly responsible for most of the mass movement of people, refugees and migrants evident today via the media. But while refugees and migrants suffer, they are not the only ones affected by the situation. President Granger reminded that should conflicts between states remain unresolved, situations can escalate into regional and global crises which can threaten the existence of larger numbers of persons in wider areas beyond each territory’s borders.

CONFLICT PREVENTION
The Guyanese leader emphasised the need for the root causes of conflicts globally, which have spawned refugee and migrant crises, to be addressed. “Conflict-prevention and resolution must be part of the long-term response to the crisis of refugees and migrants. The international community has a responsibility to prevent these conflicts, and to usher in an era of security and preservation of peace between states.”

President of the General Assembly, H.E. Peter Thomson, the organiser of the High-Level Meeting, said he would take forward the commitment of the membership of the UN to begin a process leading to a global compact on migration and refugees.

“I will be urging member states to maintain their high levels of ambition throughout these processes, and to always reach for the higher ground. The fate of millions of refugees and migrants rests with us,” he said.

His Excellency Thompson also said that women and girls who are on the move are vulnerable, and often suffer the compounding effects of “physical insecurity, multiple forms of discrimination, and lack of access to basic services.”

The UN General Assembly President said there are still too many desperate persons in search of refuge and security. Those very vulnerable people are subject to hostility. “I urge all people to recognise the positive contribution that migrants make to countries in which they settle. Today’s adoption of the New York Declaration marks an important step forward, and reflects our collective commitment to address this global challenge. I urge all member states to swiftly implement their commitments under the Declaration,” he said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the summit as a “breakthrough” in the global collective efforts to address the challenges of human mobility. “The Summit represents a breakthrough in our collective efforts to address the challenges of human mobility. Refugees and migrants are not to be seen as a burden; they offer great potential, if only we unlock it. We must place the human rights of all refugees and migrants at the heart of our commitments,” he said.

The UN Secretary-General is to demit office in December. World leaders signed the New York Declaration, which has been adopted to ensure that more children can attend school and workers can securely seek jobs abroad. The UN Secretary-General has said that adoption of the declaration would bring together all partners to protect the human rights of all refugees and migrants, regardless of their status; increase support for the hardest hit countries; assist despairing people in protracted crises to ensure that children get an education; improve search-and-rescue operations, and boost humanitarian funding and resettlement of refugees.

“I call on world leaders to join this campaign and commit together to upholding the rights and dignity of everyone forced by circumstances to flee their homes in search of a better life. This summit shows that we can find common ground,” remarked Ban Ki-moon.

He said the summit would have real significance only if all promises made on Monday are honoured, and that implementation of the New York Declaration would ensure that no refugee or migrant is left behind.

World leaders gathered on Monday at the United Nations General Assembly to adopt the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which expresses the political will of global leaders to protect the rights of refugees and migrants; to save lives; and share responsibility for large movements on a global scale.

By adopting the New York Declaration, UN member states have committed to start negotiations leading to the 2018 international conference on migration; develop guidelines on the treatment of migrants in vulnerable situations; and achieve a more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility for hosting and supporting the world’s refugees by adopting a global compact on refugees in 2018, the UN said in a release.

A new campaign called “Together – Respect, Safety and Dignity for All” was launched on Monday to “respond to rising xenophobia and turn fear into hope.” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed the new agreement by which IOM becomes a related organisation of the United Nations, thereby strengthening the comprehensive global approach to migration.