UNHCR: Rescue migrants not only at sea, but also from deserts
Published: Wednesday, Jun 5th 2024, 01:10
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The UN refugee agency UNHCR has called for the rescue of people on dangerous migration routes to be expanded. There is much discussion about rescues in the Mediterranean, but rescue in the desert is also necessary, said a UNHCR official.
Vincent Cochetel, responsible for the refugee situation on the central Mediterranean route at the UNHCR, criticized humanitarian organizations in Geneva on Tuesday, which are present in large numbers in the capitals of many countries - but where there are hardly any refugees and migrants.
He called for people to be helped where they are in danger, for example in smaller towns along the migration routes, where they are sometimes left alone by traffickers without supplies. They need emergency aid and information about the dangers there. The UNHCR also called for more legal migration routes to help people in search of a new home.
Not all migrants are refugees
According to the Organization for Migration (IOM), migrants are all people who leave their place of residence - for whatever reason, for how long or whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Refugees are a subgroup. They are people seeking protection from war or the threat of persecution, for example because of their religion, nationality or political beliefs. This means that refugees are also migrants, but not all migrants are refugees.
According to UNHCR figures, hundreds of thousands of people are risking their lives on the move in sub-Saharan Africa. He emphasized that most of them are looking for new places to stay close to their home countries and are not on their way to Europe.
Three quarters of the 108 million forcibly displaced people worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries. People are exposed to the risk of violence, torture and kidnapping on migration routes. There needs to be much more cooperation with local authorities who are on the ground in the areas and can help people. The UNHCR called on donor countries to make more money available for this work.
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