Tag Archives: Burden-Sharing
11 May 2015
In the wake of migrant boat crises in the Mediterranean the European Commission has proposed a controversial Union-wide immigration policy. The proposal, which is set to launch on 13 May 2015, seeks to impose a quota system on the 28 member states requiring them to share the burden of ‘persons in clear need of international protection’ and ‘ensure a fair and balanced participation of all member states to this common effort’. The policy document lays down binding rules establishing a regime of refugee sharing among the member states based on a ‘key’. The system, drafted by EU Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos, determines the proportion of refugees each state is obliged to accept based on criteria ranging from rates of unemployment to national wealth. (more…)
Source: The Guardian | EU plans migrant quotas forcing states to 'share' burden
30 October 2014
Saying the ongoing civil war in Syria and its spillover effects continue to inflict a devastating human and humanitarian toll on neighbouring countries, John Ging, Operations Director for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, made a strong plea on behalf of the neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, as well as Turkey. (more…)
Source: UN News Centre | Massive scale-up of assistance needed for countries impacted by ongoing Syria crisis - UN relief official
11 May 2014
Indonesian foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa launched a veiled attack on Australian policy, saying the region should be looking at ‘shared responsibility’ for the irregular movement of refuges, ‘not shifting responsibility’. The remark represented the opening statement of a conference that was opened on 5 May in Jakarta in order to discuss the protection of refugees in the region. 15 states, including Australia took part in this conference. (more…)
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald | UN representatives criticise Abbott government's boat tow-back policy
29 April 2014
On 29 April 2014, Human Rights Watch released a report in which it says that Bulgaria summarily returns Syrians, Afghans, and others from within Bulgaria and at the border with Turkey.
In order to prevent further arrivals, Bulgaria deployed an additional 1,500 police officers at the Turkish border. Frontex, the European Union’s border control agency, has also supplied guest guards from various EU member states. (more…)
Source: Human Rights Watch | Bulgaria: Asylum Seekers Summarily Expelled
3 October 2013
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said regarding Syrian refugees that found refuge in neighbouring states that it is his ‘duty to ask the international community to realize that this burden is far too heavy to be borne by only the neighbouring countries, and to put in place more – and more robust – measures of sharing this burden.’
He said that ‘more international solidarity with host countries and communities is now a must’, meaning not only ‘assistance through humanitarian organizations. It must also mean emergency development support – structural assistance – to neighbouring States, most importantly in health, education, housing, water, and energy supply.’
Helen Clark, Administrator of the UN Development Programme, added that ‘the challenge now is to ensure that our collective response to this complex crisis is both humanitarian and developmental in approach. The humanitarian needs are very stark, but the developmental challenges exacerbated by the crisis in the sub-region cannot be ignored.’
Source: UNHCR | UNHCR head says international community must share burden of Syrian refugees
Source: UNDP | Helen Clark: Speech at UNHCR Executive Committee High Level Segment on “Solidarity with Syrian refugees and host countries”