The UN Secretary-General has expressed hope
that the COVID-19 crisis will lead to a rethinking of how the world
supports refugees, migrants and internally displaced people.
António
Guterres on Wednesday launched the latest UN policy briefing on the
pandemic, which reminds countries of their obligation to protect people
on the move, who number more than 70 million globally, according to data
from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
“No country can fight the pandemic or manage migration alone. But
together, we can contain the spread of the virus, buffer its impact on
the most vulnerable and recover better for the benefit of all”, he said
in a video message accompanying the launch.
Three crises in one
While the pandemic continues to shatter lives and livelihoods across
the globe, it is the most vulnerable who are being hit the hardest.
This population includes refugees, internally displaced people and
migrants in precarious situations, who are facing three crises rolled
into one, according to the Secretary-General. COVID-19
is at first a health crisis, and people on the move can be exposed to
the virus in crowded conditions where health care, water and sanitation
are often hard to find, and physical distancing is “an impossible
luxury”.
They are also confronting a socio-economic crisis, especially those
working in the informal sector who have no access to protection schemes.
“In addition, the loss of income from COVID-19 is likely to lead to a
colossal $109 billion drop in remittances”, said Mr. Guterres.
“That’s the equivalent of nearly three-quarters of all official
development assistance that is no longer being sent back home to the 800
million people who depend on it.”
Migrants cross from Venezuela into Cucuta, Colombia.
The final crisis surrounds protection, with more than 150 countries
imposing border restrictions to contain the spread of the virus. The
majority make no exceptions for people seeking asylum.
“At the same time, fear of COVID-19 has led to skyrocketing xenophobia, racism and stigmatization”, he added.
“And the already precarious situation of women and girls is ever more
dire, as they face higher risks of exposure to gender-based violence,
abuse and exploitation.”
Inclusivity, dignity, safety
For the UN Secretary-General, the pandemic provides an opportunity to “reimagine human mobility”.
However, that will mean taking four key understandings into
consideration, starting with acknowledging that exclusion is expensive.
“An inclusive public health and socio-economic response will help suppress the virus, restart our economies and advance the Sustainable Development Goals”, Mr. Guterres explained.
The UN chief also called for upholding human dignity in the face of
the crisis, suggesting that lessons can be learned from those countries
which have implemented travel restrictions and border controls while
respecting international principles on refugee protection.
He also repeated a core message of the crisis: no one is safe until
everyone is safe, and that medicines to diagnose and treat COVID-19 must
be accessible to all people.
Finally, he underlined that “people on the move” are part of the
solution, and called for countries to explore pathways that would
regularize migration and reduce remittance transaction costs.
“We all have a vested interest to ensure that the responsibility of
protecting the world’s refugees is equitably shared and that human
mobility remains safe, inclusive, and respects international human
rights and refugee law”, said Mr. Guterres.
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With a euro here and a dollar there,
remittances – the money that migrant workers send home to their families
– have been adding up in a big way to contribute to the Sustainable
Development Goals and lift tens of millions out of extreme poverty.
Innocent civilians trapped in violence now face “a new and deadly threat” from COVID-19, the UN chief told the Security Council on Wednesday, warning that the pandemic is “amplifying and exploiting the fragilities of our world”.
The final crisis surrounds protection, with more than 150 countries
imposing border restrictions to contain the spread of the virus. The
majority make no exceptions for people seeking asylum.
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