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rotenotes 's List: Lampedusa

  • Oct 08, 13

    Jumbe Omari Jumbe, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), shared the statement of the IOM Director General William Lacy Swing (http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/news-and-views/press-briefing-notes/pbn-2013/pbn-listing/iom-mourns-lampedusa-shipwreck-v.html): "I am deeply saddened by the tragic shipwreck that that took place on Thursday between Sicily and Lampedusa, in which at least 111 migrants died and over 200 are still missing. These migrants, many of whom were fleeing war and persecution in countries including Somalia and Eritrea, hoped to find a better life. They ended up entrusting their lives to human smugglers, risking everything aboard an unseaworthy boat that caught fire, capsized and sank at night. Entire families drowned. Despite the excellent work of the Italian coast guard and port authorities, who have saved thousands of lives in the Mediterranean over the past two decades, at least 20,000 people have died since 1993. Much more must be done to prevent this humanitarian crisis and IOM stands ready to work with its European Union, North African and other partners to improve migration management and combat people smuggling."

  • Oct 08, 13

    Before I begin, let me just note that we need to look no further than this morning’s headlines to see the great importance of this dialogue. Dozens of African migrants are reported to have perished in the Mediterranean after the ship on which they were travelling sank. I offer my deep condolences and hope that we all take this as another spur to action.

    Seven years ago, we came together in this same venue, and agreed that we could find common ground on international migration.

    We agreed that migration, which for so long had been deemed <nb>too sensitive to discuss</nb>, deserved—and required—our concerted attention.

    Seven years later, there is no doubt that we have come a long way.

    Today, we are united in a joint declaration on the <nb>importance of migration to development</nb>, and on the <nb>protection of the rights of all migrants</nb>.

    This progress has been made possible by the climate of trust that we established in the Global Forum on Migration and Development.

    The face of migration is changing.

    Today, migrants are coming from, and going to, more places than ever before.

    Almost half of migrants are women.

    One of every ten migrants is under the age of 15.

    And four of every ten migrants are living in developing countries.

    Given these complex realities, we need to work together, with courage and vision, recognizing that our actions will have an impact on millions of women, men and children.

    In my report to the General Assembly, I put forward an ambitious eight-point agenda to “make migration work” for all: migrants, societies of origin and societies of destination alike.

    Let me briefly outline my vision.

    <nb>First, we must do more to protect the human rights of all migrants.</nb>

    <nb>Too often, migrants live in fear -- of being victimized as the so-called “other”; of having little recourse to justice; or of having their wages or passports withheld by an unscrupulous employer.</nb>

    We cannot remain silent. <nb>We need to eliminate all forms of discrimination against migrants, including those related to working conditions and wages.</nb>

    <nb>We need to create more channels for safe and orderly migration, and to seek alternatives to the administrative detention of migrants.</nb>

    I call on all of you to ratify and effectively implement the relevant international legal instruments, including the ILO convention on domestic workers and the International Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families. I also urge Member States to engage with the relevant UN human rights mechanisms.

    Second, we need to lower the costs of migration.

    [...]

    Moreover, countless migrants pay their life savings, and those of their families, to unethical recruiters and end up in debt bondage.

    Imagine what we could achieve if those funds were “put to work” for development – to send a child to school, pay for a medical visit, or start a small business.

    <nb>Third, we must end the exploitation to which migrants are vulnerable, including human trafficking.</nb>

    These crimes often perpetuate vicious cycles of abuse, violence and poverty, to which women and children are particularly vulnerable.

    We have a sound international legal framework to guide us in combating these crimes.

    Let us implement these instruments together.

    <nb>Fourth, we need to address the plight of stranded migrants.</nb>

    Migrants are often caught in situations of conflict or natural disaster.

    My Special Representative, Peter Sutherland, who has championed this issue, has made a number of concrete recommendations for protecting migrants affected by such crises.

    I am pleased to note that the United States and the Philippines have offered to lead an initiative to create a framework that would articulate clear roles and responsibilities for all involved.

    <nb>Fifth, we need to improve public perceptions of migrants.</nb>

    Migrants contribute greatly to host societies. As entrepreneurs, they create jobs. As scientists, they are engines of innovation. They are doctors, nurses and domestic workers and often the unheralded heart of many service industries.

    Yet far too often they are viewed negatively. Too many politicians seek electoral advantage by <nb>demonizing migrants</nb>.

    While we should not ignore the challenges that arise from migration, especially in the context of high unemployment, we should dispel dangerous myths.

    But information is not enough. It takes leadership to reinforce positive messages about the <nb>benefits of migration</nb>.

    <nb>Sixth, we need to integrate migration into the development agenda.</nb>

    With discussions under way on the post-2015 development agenda and a new set of goals for sustainable development, the time is ripe to present a compelling case about why migration matters for development.

    Indeed, my report A Life of Dignity for All includes the positive contribution of migrants as one of the transformative actions of the post-2015 development agenda. One litmus test of the new agenda’s inclusivity will be the degree to which migrants and diasporas are seen as development partners, and not left behind.

    [...]

    Eighth, we need to enhance migration partnerships and cooperation.

    The forward-thinking proposals of civil society now play an integral part in shaping our actions. We have also made progress in improving the coherence and coordination of the Global Migration Group -- which brings together 15 UN entities and the International Organization for Migration.

    I encourage all to continue strengthening their collaboration. Toward that end, I have asked my Special Representative on Migration and Development, Peter Sutherland, to meet regularly with the leadership of the GFMD and the Global Migration Group to identify shared priorities.

    <nb>Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future. It is part of the social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family.</nb>

    It would be naive to overlook the costs, including the human costs.

    Yet even sceptics have to recognize that migration has become a fundamental part of our globalized world.

    It is our collective responsibility to make migration work for the benefit of migrants and countries alike.

    <nb>We owe this to the millions of migrants who, through their courage, vitality and dreams, help make our societies more prosperous, resilient and diverse.</nb>

    Let us intensify our work and be sure to follow-up.

    [...]

    And let us all make sure that the 2013 High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development becomes a watershed moment, when we show the world that we can make a difference for the common good and our common future.

    Thank you.

    New York, 3 October 2013

  • Oct 08, 13

    Amnesty’s Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director Jezerca Tigani said:

    “It is high time the Italian authorities and the EU increased their search-and-rescue capacity and co-operation in the Mediterranean Sea, rather than concentrating resources on closing off the borders. More must be done to prevent further loss of life in the future.”

  • Oct 08, 13

    [...]

    Europe has to step up its effort to prevent these tragedies and show solidarity both with migrants and with countries that are experiencing increasing migratory flows.

    We have to become better at identifying and rescuing vessels at risk. We also need to intensify our efforts to <nb>fight criminal networks exploiting human despair</nb> so that they cannot continue to put people's lives at risk in small, overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels.

    [...]

    We also need to continue to address this phenomenon through <nb>cooperation and dialogue with countries of origin and transit</nb> and <nb>open new channels for legal migration</nb>. The Commission has been engaging with several countries of North-Africa to agree on a concerted manner of better managing migration flows and promoting mobility.

    The EU recently agreed on a new Mobility Partnership with Morocco. The Commission hopes that similar agreements can be reached with other countries in the region, in particular Tunisia.

    While responding to these attempts to reach the EU, we should not forget that <nb>there are still many people in need of international protection</nb>. I therefore call upon Member States to engage more in the resettlement of people in need of international protection. This would demonstrate an increased and much needed commitment to solidarity and the sharing of responsibility and would help to <nb>reduce the number of people putting their lives at risk in the hopes of reaching European shores</nb>.

    [...]

  • Oct 08, 13

    [...]

    Mr. Guterres commended the swift action taken by the Italian coast guard to save lives. At the same time, he expressed his dismay at a rising global phenomenon of migrants and people fleeing conflict or persecution and perishing at sea.

    [...]

    UNHCR is actively engaging with countries in the region to provide effective alternatives for people resorting to taking these dangerous journeys so they don't have to risk their lives.

  • Oct 08, 13

    Press release

    Just died in the Mediterranean. It's time to extraordinary measures.
    In front of the nth tragedy in the Mediterranean, the European Commission and national governments do not remain inert.

    In two days from the tragedy at sea, we are left to count the victims of yet another shipwreck in the Mediterranean.

    In these hours Lampedusa collects a tragic spoils. The budget of more than 80 deaths seems destined to rise. Five hundred shipwrecked off the coast of Lampedusa including 30 children.

    "Not more than a dead man in the Mediterranean" the admonition of Pope Francesco in Lampedusa, now become priorities for the European and national institutions.

    The Italian government immediately ask the European Commission to the activation of humanitarian channels sure able to ensure that victims of wars and conflicts in the international protection.

    <nb>Ensuring the right of asylum today is to allow refugees and forced migrants arriving in safe countries without risking death by relying on traffickers and criminals.</nb>

    "It is unacceptable and shameful that in 2013 in the Mediterranean Sea traveling ramshackle carts with 500 people on board amid general indifference.

    Expressing a formal mourning for the dead is not enough to remove blame and responsibility. <nb>We welcome them alive, otherwise we are as guilty as those who organize the trafficking of human beings</nb>, "said Father Giovanni La Manna, SJ, president Astalli Center.

    The European institutions and national states to intervene as soon as possible to allow the <nb>exercise of the right of asylum in safety</nb>.
    In particular, we ask that you take seriously consider the possibility that the program Frontex is charged with the responsibility to monitor and accompany safe forced migrants fleeing war and persecution and is thus guaranteed the right to seek asylum in Europe.

    Press Center Astalli
    Donatella Parisi: 0669925099 - d.parisi @ fondazioneastalli.it

  • Oct 08, 13

    NEW YORK / GENEVA (7 October 2013) - The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, today reiterated his call on all European Union Member States to urgently adopt <nb>a new approach to migration that places the rights of migrants at the forefront</nb>.

    "Last week's tragic events off the coast of Italy, which has already claimed the lives of over 100 migrants, highlights the human tragedy that migration can entail," Mr. Crépeau said after a crucial discussion on international migration and development, convened by the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

    Only 150 of the 500 migrants aboard the overcrowded ship are reported to have survived the perilous trip across the Mediterranean when the vessel sank after a fire broke out. The victims, which include a number of women and children, are believed to be mostly Eritreans and Somalis.

    "Unfortunately, this tragedy is just one in a long line of migration-related deaths at borders, be it in deserts, in mountainous regions, as well as at sea, not only in the Mediterranean but around the world," the expert noted.

    <nb>"If countries continue to <nb>criminalise irregular migration</nb>, without adopting new <nb>legal channels for migration</nb>, especially for low-skilled migrants, thus <nb>limiting the possibilities for asylum seekers and migrants to securely and regularly reach safe destinations</nb>, the number of migrants risking their lives on dangerously overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels over perilous sea routes can only increase," he warned.</nb>

    In his recent visit to Italy in 2012, which was carried out in the context of a year-long study on the external border management of the European Union and its impact on the human rights of migrants*, the Special Rapporteur urged all European Union Member States to prioritise <nb>a new human rights framework in the development of their migration policies</nb>. "This tragedy reminds us of the importance of that recommendation," he said.

    Mr. Crépeau's call was echoed by the United Nations Independent Expert on Somalia, Shamsul Bari, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, Sheila B. Keetharuth.

    "This tragic incident shows the level of desperation of the people living in areas of <nb>Somalia</nb> which are still stricken by insecurity and the lack of enjoyment of basic economic, social and cultural rights," Mr. Bari said. "<nb>I urge Somali authorities</nb> to address the root causes of the smuggling and trafficking in persons in Somalia, with the collaboration of the international community and the UN."

    "The alarming human rights situation in <nb>Eritrea</nb> is triggering a constant stream of refugees to neighbouring countries and far beyond. People continue to flee despite the extreme dangers along escape routes," Ms. Keetharuth said. "Among them, there is a large number of unaccompanied children, some as young as seven or eight years old, revealing the scale of despair they are facing at home."

    <nb>"I call on the international community to keep monitoring the human rights situation in Eritrea and to <nb>protect and support those fleeing the country</nb>, in particular the increasing numbers of unaccompanied children," she restated.</nb>

    [...]

  • Oct 08, 13

    [...]

    We have to increase our cooperation and dialogue with the countries of origin and transit of the migrants, in order to open more channels for legal migration and strike the criminals at the heart of their operation.

    [...]

    Member States have to do more to help refugees and asylum seekers. These people are the most vulnerable and they have already gone through horrible events. It is unacceptable that they have to risk their lives in order to receive protection. Member States have to be more active in resettling refugees to the EU, in order to prevent these deadly crossings. I have made it clear to all Ministers that these are European issues that require European answers. If they want to provide answers and show concrete solidarity they have to give the Commission the appropriate financial resources. I am confident that today all Member States have heard our strong call and will react accordingly.

    [...]

  • Oct 08, 13

    [...]

    Human rights groups suggest Europe's asylum policies are a contributory factor to the regular boat tragedies in the Mediterranean.

    Daniela Enzler, an asylum adviser with Amnesty International and the Swiss charity Caritas, said she was not surprised by this week's loss of life.

    "Almost every week boats sink in the Mediterranean," she said. "It's a tragedy that people can't apply for asylum in embassies anymore. If they could, they would not have to risk this journey… Lives could be saved."

    [...]

    Both human rights groups like Amnesty International and the UN refugee agency have expressed concern that national coastguards and Europe's joint border patrol Frontex are more interested in pushing migrants and asylum seekers back than they are in rescuing those in distress.

    [...]

  • Oct 11, 13

    Στη Λαμπεντούζα πνίγεται η Ευρώπη

    Posted on Οκτωβρίου 9, 2013

    Του Γιώργου Στάμκου

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