Go to the Gulf: is Ethiopia party to safe migration routes?
6/3/2024: The Ethiopian government hopes to recruit 500,000 young women for domestic work positions in Saudi Arabia, following an agreement between the two countries. Whilst this is an example of regulated migration, observers fear that in practice it is not so different from the operations of human smugglers.
Source: African Arguments
Climate Migration report focuses on the Middle East and North Africa
28/2/2024: A new report from the human rights group EuroMed Rights highlights the growing impact of climate change on human migration patterns in the Middle East, North Africa, and wider Euro-Mediterranean region. Data shows that extreme weather events spur over three times more displacement than armed conflicts.
Source: Morocco World News
How is Germany handling its migration partnerships?
9/2/2024: The aim of migration partnerships is not only to fight irregular migration but to replace it with regular migration. Europe has over 50 partnerships in place but they have failed to halt large movements of refugees. In Germany most migrants are from countries where there are massive human rights violations and war.
Source: DW
Amnesty calls on Italian MPs to reject migration deal with Albania
22/1/2024: In November 2023, the Italian government signed an agreement for the construction of two centres on Albanian territory to detain people rescued or intercepted at sea by Italian state ships. This is part of a broader international trend to move border control and asylum processing to third countries: a policy that threatens the human rights of migrants, according to Amnesty International.
Source: Amnesty International
EU’s Migration Pact is a disaster for migrants and asylum seekers
20/12/2023: Human Rights Watch says that new “political agreement” to overhaul the European Union’s asylum and migration system contains provisions that move closer to legalizing the denial of the right to asylum. The changes are based on deterrence, an approach proven to be both ineffective and abusive.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Global Refugee Forum closes with over $2.2bn in pledges
15/12/2023: Held every four years, the Global Refugee Forum is the world’s largest international gathering on refugees. Over three days in Geneva, financial commitments totalling over $2.2 billion were announced by governments and other sectors, alongside a pledge to resettle 1 million refugees by 2030.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
Central Niger celebrates junta’s repeal of migration law
29/11/2023: Niger's military junta has signed an order revoking a law to curb the smuggling of migrants from West Africa heading north toward Europe. The law was enacted in 2015, under heavy pressure from the European Union, at the height of the European migrant crisis.
Source: DW
Global refugee indicators show progress on improving lives
17/11/2023: The world has made tangible progress in laying the groundwork for improving refugees’ lives, according to a report by the UN Refugee Agency. Four key indicators focus on easing pressure on host countries; enhancing refugee self-reliance; expanding access to third-country solutions; and supporting conditions in countries of origin.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
UNHCR welcomes UK judgement on transfer of asylum-seekers
15/11/2023: The UN Refugee Agency has welcomed the UK's Supreme Court ruling that transfers of asylum-seekers from the UK to Rwanda would breach international and UK law. The Agency advised the Court under its mandate to supervise the application of the 1951 Refugee Convention worldwide.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
UN Refugee Agency sets out obligations for asylum seeker transfers
7/11/2023: In light of Italy's announcement that asylum-seekers will be transferred to Albania, the UN Refugee Agency has reiterated the legal standards that should be applied to such arrangements. In particular that transfers to safe third party countries should share the responsibility for refugees equitably among participating nations, rather than shifting it.
Source: UN Refugee Agency