2023-09-13 13:21:34
A boat full of migrants off the coast of Greece before a rescue operation in June 2023. Hellenic Coast Guard / Handout via REUTERS.Before European Union (EU) Member States present their commitments to the EU resettlement program on 15 September, we call on leaders to ambitiously expand safe routes to access international protection and better reflect Europe’s reception capacity.
Resettlement and other complementary protection routes are a lifeline for people forced to flee: a path to safety without putting their lives at risk. For first receiving countries they represent a form of solidarity and support, while for receiving countries they constitute a structured and lasting method of welcoming people in need.
After many years of reduced commitments on resettlement and humanitarian admissions, the coming months offer new opportunities for the EU to make ambitious quotas on safe routes for refugees. The COVID-19 pandemic is no longer an obstacle to international transfers and the upcoming celebration of the second World Refugee Forum December is a crucial opportunity for the EU to demonstrate its leadership on international protection. While negotiations continue European Pact on Migration and Asylumthe importance of safe routes in truly sustainable and balanced asylum and migration policies should not be ignored.
Even with the current displacements from Ukraine, EU Member States only host a small proportion of forcibly displaced people globally and have only met a paltry 1.1% of global needs in recent years. regarding resettlement. It is clear that Europe can and must do more to support those in need of protection, as well as show solidarity with the countries hosting the vast majority of displaced people.
The 45 undersigned non-governmental and humanitarian organizations call on the EU, its Member States and associated countries:
1. Intensify resettlement activities to achieve the objectives set in the Roadmap to 2030 regarding third country solutions to comply with the Global Compact on Refugees.
2. Invest in preparation when they present their commitments for 2024 and 2025, and ensure adequate capacity for emergency resettlements. Adopting a two-year cycle should lead to better implementation of quotas, not a reduction in overall numbers.
3. Improve implementation of resettlement commitments, streamlining procedures to allow the full materialization of the agreed places. Increasing cooperation with countries of first asylum to simplify departures, visas, travel documentation requirements and medical clearances can help improve application rates.
4. Include knowledge from refugee communities in resettlement processes, to facilitate the satisfactory inclusion of newly arrived refugees, as well as in the design of inclusion activities in policies at any level.
5. Adopt the Union Humanitarian Admission and Resettlement Framework, to demonstrate that the EU institutions and their Member States are serious about their commitment to expanding access to safe routes. The implementation of the Framework should focus on maximizing the number of people who gain access to security through durable solutions.
6. Invest in decent reception systems to meet the immediate needs of refugees upon arrival through appropriate services, and promote additional community-led solutions to boost our societies’ ability to provide shelter to more people in need.
7. Defend the right to asylum of all people who request protection, regardless of how they arrived in Europe. States must maintain high-quality asylum procedures that respect human rights and oppose any national developments that seek to combine greater commitment to resettlement with stricter asylum policies.
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