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Joint UNHCR-IOM Press Release

Ahead of the International Donors Conference on 17 June, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) call for renewed international support to address the urgent needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela and to assist their host countries.

As the exodus of Venezuelans is prolonged over time, it risks becoming a forgotten crisis, said the Joint UNHCR-IOM Special Representative for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, Eduardo Stein.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate the region, and the future of millions of refugees and migrants and their hosts is at stake. Solidarity and commitment are needed more than ever to ensure the continued delivery of assistance.

Prolonged lockdowns, loss of livelihoods and increased poverty are forcing many Venezuelan refugees and migrants to depend on emergency humanitarian assistance to survive. The needs are dire in the areas of health, food security, water and basic sanitation, as well as access to education and opportunities to earn an income. The pandemic has also resulted in rising rates of evictions and homelessness, as well as a dramatic increase in reported cases of gender-based violence and mental health needs.

The continued departure of refugees and migrants from Venezuela is one of the largest external displacement crises in the world. To date, over 5.6 million people have left their country. In this context, the 2021 Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) brings together 159 organizations to respond to their urgent needs and to establish longer-term resilience and integration solutions targeting close to 3.3 million Venezuelans and host community members. Yet, the US$ 1.44 billion plan remains critically underfunded.

Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean host 80 per cent of refugees and migrants from Venezuela. They have continued to show their solidarity during the global health emergency, notably through the establishment of large-scale regularization programmes. However, national capacities have been dangerously strained by the pandemic.

The burden should not fall on countries in the region alone. The international community has the responsibility to support these efforts favouring regional stability, said Stein. A shortfall in funding would leave hundreds of thousands unprotected, with few options to rebuild a life in dignity.

Canada will host the next International Donors Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants on 17 June 2021, in collaboration with UNHCR and IOM, who are co-leading the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V). The event will bring together host and donor governments and key actors involved in the response, including the private sector, development banks and civil society.

The International Donors Conference is scheduled to run from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. CEST Geneva (9:00 a.m to 12:30 p.m. in Canada; 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. GMT+5 in Panama) on 17 June. The event will be live streamed here.

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UNHCR, IOM, aid partners call for urgent support to refugees and migrants from Venezuela and their hosts - Colombia - ReliefWeb

"I dont want to go but I dont have any option either,"says a migrant labourer waiting to board a train to Surat. A deep furrow came up between his brows while his eyes spoke of an uncertain fear as he narrated his ordeal of having to live without any jobs to feed his family during this Covid time.

A crisis like never before, this pandemic has struck dread in the minds of Dhanu Pradhan and millions of other labourers who migrate to Surat, Mumbai, Chennai and many other distant trade and commercial hubs beyond the boundaries of state to earn a livelihood.

A crisis like never before, this pandemic has struck dread in the minds of Dhanu Pradhan and millions of other labourers who migrate to Surat, Mumbai, Chennai and many other distant trade and commercial hubs beyond the boundaries of state to earn a livelihood.

Between the second wave of the pandemic which is still far from over and a third wave possibly looming near the horizon, mass exodus of migrants from Odisha has once again exposed the sordid tale of unemployment picture in the State.

On Sunday, hundreds of passengers including Dhanu boarded the Puri-Okha Express from Berhmapur Railway Station as they embarked on a journey to Surat.

Many of them had returned to the State a month and half ago after the shutdown of industries due to enforcement of lockdown in the wake of virus resurgence.

It was a dj vu, says Dhanu, because just a year ago exactly a same picture unfolded before their eyes. But this time, they had hoped of a silver lining in the dark clouds. A bit of work to earn something for the family to tide over the surging wave was all they wanted and the homeward journey promised it as well. But yet again, their aspirations vanished as soon as morning stars did.

Odisha governments big promises to provide employment opportunities to such a sizeable population of migrants once again fell flat.

The misery of Khallikote resident Balmiki Das is more or less the same. A month ago, he had to come back home after losing work but now he has nowhere to go other than return to Gujarat. He says there is no work in Odisha and there is little hope that one may find any job with ease because of poor employment and the prevailing pandemic restrictions.

Government is helpless and we are hapless. It is better I return to Surat, at least I will know that we wont die of hunger, says an exasperated Balmiki.

With several states beginning to reopen their economies in a phase wise manner after weeks of lockdown, the hopes of a new rise is rekindling in the hearts of many such migrant labourers like Dhanu and Balmiki.

Jitu Bhai Akharia, president of Textile Mills, Surat has urged migrant employees to return back to the city to resume their work. "I welcome the workers to come back to Surat because we are restarting our factories and are waiting for you all,"said Akharia.

BJD MP and former trade union leader Subas Singh however played down the migration crisis in Odisha. I accept that people from Odisha are moving to other States and it is because of difference in wages. But there is no such situation that people are moving out of the State along with their families in order to save themselves from hunger.

Continue reading here:
Hunger Over Health: Joblessness Triggers Remigration From Odisha Amidst Pandemic - OTV News

The Tunisian Coast has seen a peak in migrant departures to Europe in recent months.

But a solution to the crisis cannot just come from Europe, Tunisian President Kais Saied said in Brussels when he met with the presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council, Charles Michel.

In an interview with Euronews, he said that migrants who arrive illegally in Europe from Tunisia or North Africa are encouraged by networks in Europe, which exploit them and violate their fundamental rights.

"Who receives them in the north? When they turn to the fields or to some factories, and work in the so-called black or paperless work, who exploits them and who benefits from it? Here also, it is necessary to fight the networks that traffic in human beings within Europe. We must give man his right everywhere," Saied said.

For the Tunisian president, it is necessary to look for the reasons that push young people to migrate, such as the lack of job opportunities. But he asks to take also into consideration the positive side of skilled migrants, as Europe profits from it.

"We must also talk about the regular migration of a number of scholars. In the past year, nearly five hundred doctors went to Europe," he said.

"They are absolutely invaluable human resources. We must address the issue from all angles, not one. One is limited to the presence of a number of miserable poor migrants who have no hope in life... The issue cannot be addressed unilaterally, nor can it be with a pure security approach."

The U.N. refugee agency says most new arrivals land in Italy and Spain from Tunisia and Algeria.

The EU is working on a deal with Tunisia to offer economic help to reduce migrant sea crossings.

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How can Tunisia and Europe solve the migrant influx? - Africanews English

Kent County Council has begun legal proceedings against the Home Office after it said its children's services have reached "breaking point".

Since the beginning of the year, a total of 242 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) have reached Kent's shores and the authority's director of children's services has said "enough is enough".

There are currently nearly double the number of UASC children in care in the county than the government says it is safe to care for.

Following a similar plea last year, the Home Office and Department for Education promised to reform the national system so that Kent services would not be put under the same strain this summer.

But, the council says that in the intervening nine months, although it welcomed government support in the transfer of some children out of Kent, assistance with age assessments and additional funding, the substantive changes needed to the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) to prevent a repeat have not been made, the council says.

A statement from the council said: "Once again Kent services are at risk of being overwhelmed by the number of new UASC arrivals by boat, which already stands at 60 more children than at the same time last year.

"Kent's services have reached breaking point for the second time in under a year."

The council has now taken the first steps in legal proceedings which is says is designed to "implement a long-term solution that will prevent this crisis from occurring again".

The proposed Judicial Review asks the home secretary to use her existing powers to direct local authorities other than Kent to "receive their fair share of UASC".

Roger Gough, the authority's director of children's services says the current pace of arrivals and strain on care services is likely to mean he will soon no longer be able to safely accept any further new UASC arrivals in Kent.

Border Force will then be asked to place new arrivals directly into other local authorities around the country from the port, as they did for three months last year.

Mr Gough said: "I am deeply saddened that we are now seeing a repeat of the same crisis of nine months ago.

"While there have been a number of welcome measures from government - to the benefit of the Kent council taxpayer - we have not seen what is most needed: a robust National Transfer Scheme that prevents port authorities such as Kent coming under unmanageable pressure.

"Over this past year we have argued consistently and repeatedly this must be done through a mandatory system."

"Enough is enough. A robust, long-term solution is well overdue and critical for the future welfare of all children supported by KCC, whatever their background, and the continuation of the excellent services that support them."

Between 1 January and 1 June this year 242 unaccompanied children arrived on Kent's shores and been passed to its Children's Services.

Of these, only 52 have been transferred to other local authorities under the voluntary NTS.

A statement from the Home Office said it recognised the "longstanding role that Kent County Council has played in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children" and that is was "extremely grateful for their contribution".

It added: "We continue to encourage more areas to join the National Transfer Scheme and do their part.

"We have already consulted on how to improve the Scheme to make it fairer - the outcome of which will be published very shortly."

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'Enough is enough': Kent begins legal proceedings against Home Secretary as migrant children crisis threatens to 'overwhelm them' - Sky News

The debate over migrant workers in recent times and their invisibility in government data and in policy discourse has led to a series of responses from state and central governments. While the number of returning migrants is lower in the second wave ofCovid-19, nothing much has changed for the migrants on the ground. This past year has seen state governments, such as Haryana and Karnataka, move to give preference to local persons over migrants, even as a draft national migrant policy is under consideration. Is there a constitutional right to migrate within India? What, if any, are the duties cast upon governments and employers? These questions must be considered if the current migrant crisis is not to result in deprivation of the fundamental right to internal migration.

The images of returning migrant workers due toCovid-19 lockdown triggered widespread public debates on the invisibility of migrant workers in normal times, their absence in policy discourse, and the need for a robust legal framework to protect migrants (ILO2020). In the midst of this pandemic, pressure has been brought upon governments to ensure minimum dignity and rights of migrant workers. Yet, disturbingly, some governments such as Karnataka had sought to restrict migrant workers right to return to their home states, while others such as Haryana sought to replace them with local workers (Poovanna 2020;PRS2021). A draft policy on migrant workers is reportedly under discussion at the national level. The question whether there is a right to migrate within India, and what, if any, are the duties cast upon the central government, the employer and state governments involved, must be considered so that the current migrant crisis does not result in depriving workers of their right to internal migration.

Right to Internal Migration

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The Fundamental Freedom to Migrate within India | Economic and Political Weekly - Economic and Political Weekly