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Senior officials from 66 African and European states will meet in Malta on Wednesday (8/2). Photo: Italian Coast Guard
Legal Migration, Rights, Protection for Vulnerable African Migrants Key to Implementation of 2015 Valletta Action Plan: IOM
Posted on Tue. Feb. 7, 2017
Malta - IOM will highlight the need for more legal channels, better migrant protection and the centrality of human rights in its contribution to discussions starting Wednesday (8/2) at the first intercontinental, high-level meeting to follow up on progress made since the Valletta Summit on Migration held in November 2015.
The Senior Officials Meeting in Malta will be an opportunity to reinforce cooperation and take stock of the implementation of commitments agreed at the 2015 Summit, where 66 African and European states, international and regional organizations contributed to the adoption of a joint political declaration and a roadmap known as the “Joint Valletta Action Plan” (JVAP).
Eugenio Ambrosi, Regional Director of IOM’s EU office, who will be participating in the two-day meeting, said that the safety, dignity and human rights of all migrants, refugees and asylum seekers should underpin all actions being implemented under the 2015 Valletta declaration and its action plan.
“Let us not forget the key global developments to which all Valletta partners have committed, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the New York Declaration of 2016 and the future Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees. We appeal to our Valletta partners to re-invigorate a rights-based approach to migrants, with more attention given to sustainable reintegration, protection and humanitarian assistance for all people of concern throughout their migratory process, regardless of their status, particularly the most vulnerable,” said Ambrosi.
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Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 11,010; Deaths: 255
Posted on Tue. Feb. 7, 2017
Switzerland - IOM reports that 11,010 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through 5 February – about 85 percent arriving in Italy and the rest in Greece. This compares with 74,808 during the first 36 days of 2016. IOM has registered 4,879 more arrivals since its last report (3/2), of whom 1,596 were rescued at sea during the weekend in 15 different operations.
IOM’s Missing Migrants Project reports an estimated 255 deaths at sea on various routes, compared with 380 during the first 37 days of 2016. The lone death recorded since IOM’s last report on Friday (3/2) was that of an Ethiopian woman recorded off Greece over the weekend. The latest figures do not include several deaths reported off Libya on Saturday (4/2).
IOM Athens reports that 1,651 migrants or refugees have arrived by sea in Greece so far this year – less than 2.5 percent of arrivals in Greece by this time last year. On Friday (3/2), IOM reported the arrival of 142 migrants to the islands of Lesvos, Samos and Kalymnos. This was one of the few times this year that over a hundred arrivals have been recorded in a single day.
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More IOM Headlines
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IOM Aids Displaced Families in Remote Libyan Village
Turkey Hackathon Develops Solutions for Refugee Challenges
IOM’s Community Response Map Strengthens Communication with Communities in Afghanistan
IOM Targets Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Mesoamerica
For the latest Mediterranean Update data on arrivals and fatalities please visit:
http://migration.iom.int/europe
A global database tracking data on deceased and missing migrants along migratory routes. Please visit: MissingMigrants.iom.int
"Our way – and I would like this to be very clear – is managing the flows. It’s not the wall. It’s not keeping people out. It’s a different way, it’s a European way of managing something that is extremely complicated to manage – putting human lives, human rights and the fight against the criminal organisations first." – EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Read more here.
Migration in the News
- Humanosphere reported that Argentina has toughened its stance on immigration - deterring migrants from Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru - some of the poorest countries in South America.
- Phnom Penh Post reported that a Japanese restaurant owner in Phnom Penh has been identified as the alleged ringleader of a sex slavery operation that sent at least 10 Cambodian women to Japan.
Trending on the Internet
- New York Times reported that a Syrian refugee’s 2015 picture with German Chancellor Angela Merkel came to symbolize her decision to welcome migrants, but has been used to falsely link the refugee to terrorism.
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