Volker Türk was issuing a clarion call to protect and expand civic space, arguing that it’s the only way to enable us all “to play a role in political, economic, and social life, at all levels, from local to global.”
Hate speech going unchecked
He said with more and more decision-making migrating online, “with private companies playing an outsized role, having an open, safe digital public square has never been more important”.
And yet, States are struggling and “often failing” to protect online space for the common good, “swinging between a laissez-faire approach that has allowed violence and dangerous hate speech to go unchecked, and overbroad regulations used as a cudgel against those exercising their free speech rights, including journalists and human rights defenders,” he added.
Invest in multilingual markets
He called on big business to step up and increase investment in preventing and responding to online harms, especially in the non-English language environment, stressing that “doing business in any location requires making sure you can do so safely, in line with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”
The UN rights chief said that carving out civic space was key to human rights, to peace, development, and for “sustainable and resilient societies”, but coming under more and more pressure from undue restrictions, and laws.
This includes crackdowns on peaceful assembly, internet shutdowns and bullying and harassment online.
Expand space as a ‘precondition’
“States must step up efforts to protect and expand civic space as the precondition for people to be able to sustainably enjoy all other entitlements enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, from access to healthcare and clean water and quality education to social protection and labour rights”, Mr. Türk argued.
Pressure on civil space continues despite the inspiring commitment of civil society groups, he continued.
“Civil society is a key enabler of trust between governments and the populations they serve and is often the bridge between the two. For governments to reduce barriers to public participation, they must protect this space, for the benefit of all – both online and offline”.
“The escalating war is taking a heavy toll on civilians who live close to the front lines, people who cannot go back to their homes, and people across the country living under almost daily threats of attacks,” said Jens Laerke, from the UN’s humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.
More than a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, mine contamination and lack of access to Russia-controlled areas remain obstacles to reaching those in need, he said.
Delivering emergency assistance
Assistance has included cash to more than 2.1 million people and food for 3.5 million people, while nearly 3 million gained access to health services and medicines, Mr. Laerke said.
The assistance also included support for survivors of gender-based violence, he said, adding that more than 60 per cent of those reached with aid are women and girls.
Other types of assistance include access to clean water and hygiene products, emergency shelter, education services for children, and protection services, including prevention of gender-based violence and support to survivors, he said.
Volunteers play vital role
“Hundreds of humanitarian organizations are involved in this effort working with local groups and community-based volunteers who play a vital role in getting the assistance delivered on the last mile,” he said.
However, assistance to areas under Russian military control remains extremely limited, he said.
This year, because of the worsening security situation and shifts in the front lines, humanitarian partners have lost access to almost 60,000 people in around 40 towns and villages close to the front lines in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, he said.
Mine action casualties
At the same time, mines and explosive remnants of war in Ukraine have left 263 killed or injured in 2023. That is more than 50 per month on average, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, which believes that the actual figures are considerably higher.
The agency’s latest report indicates that from 1 to 21 May, 46 civilians were killed or injured by mines, 44 in April, 102 in March, 36 in February and 35 in January.
Mine contamination remains a deadly threat to farmers and humanitarians delivering assistance. In the agricultural regions of Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kherson, dozens of mine-related accidents are being reported every month, Mr. Laerke said.
Denise Brown, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said recovery work hinges on demining.
“Ukraine is considered as one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world,” she said. “Demining agricultural land is one of the Government’s priorities so that farmers can get back to work, and the UN, through WFP World Food Programme] and FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization], working with the Ministry of Agriculture, are contributing to this.”
Learn more about what the UN is doing to help the people of Ukraine here.
UNDP Ukraine/Oleksandr Simonenko
A deminer for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine sweeps the ground for unexploded ordnance and landmines.
At the same time, UN agencies are also helping to provide emergency relief support, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), whose Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) aims at assisting refugees and third country nationals who are desperately trying to flee fighting by escaping to neighbouring countries.
Sudan’s national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary unit, have been locked in a violent conflict since 15 April. According to the UN, more than 400 people have been killed in the fighting while tens of thousands of people are estimated to have been internally displaced, including more than 100,000 people who have fled to neighbouring countries.
Mr. Sharma moved to Sudan in 2021 with his brother. At the time violence broke out, he was working at the Omega steel plant and living with 160 workers in a guest house on the company’s premises 15 kilometres outside the capital city of Khartoum.
“We worked to clean the environment by recycling scrap metal. It had been almost two years since I had lived there, and things were going well. Unexpectedly, the conflict started there on 15 April. Both the military and the paramilitary fought amongst themselves, and the airport was shelled and burnt.
When the airport was destroyed, we got worried about how we would return home to India. We were not even able to contact anyone in India. We were trying to establish contact with the Indian Embassy as well, but network problems made that difficult.
Fighter planes flew over the guest house where we were staying, dropping ammunition and missiles.
We were very worried about how to get to a safe place in Sudan.
Looting and intimidation
On 17 April, a group of armed men entered the guest house. We all locked ourselves in a room in fear. They were vandalizing and firing their guns indiscriminately and speaking in a local language we could not understand.
Then they took one of our colleagues hostage. He started shouting for help.
Gathering courage, we went to rescue him, and gave them whatever we had – mobile phones, laptops – gave them keys of the vehicles, and that’s how we managed to send them away.
Trading cars for ‘our lives’
We came up with a plan that as soon as armed groups entered the guest house, we would not let them come inside. We felt that as long as we had vehicles and mobile phones, our lives would be spared. We let them take whatever they wanted; we just needed our food to survive. We had to keep our rations hidden.
They came back again and again, hour after hour, and took whatever they wanted. They would come, we would offer them a car, and they would take it. We had 10 to 15 vehicles with us.
It went on this way for seven days. They came every day, and we all would assemble outside the guest house. During this time, we could neither sleep properly nor eat. When they would come, we would go out and give them whatever they wanted. By staying calm, we were able to save our lives.
Child soldiers
The strange thing was that those armed fighters appeared to be mostly children, about 10 to 15 years of age. They didn’t seem to know when and how to fire a weapon. A gun was being handed over to a child, who should have had a pen and a book in his hand.
Meanwhile, there was no proper contact with our families. At least 150 phones were looted from us, but we kept a dozen hidden. We had to cope with serious network problems, but once we contacted the Indian Embassy, the evacuation effort began.
‘Immense sense of relief’
On 23 April, an Indian Embassy bus picked us up, taking us on an almost 1,000-kilometre journey to Port Sudan. When we reached Port Sudan, we finally felt relieved when we saw the Indian Army. We felt an immense sense of relief that our lives may be saved.
We can only pray for Sudan. It would be good if the UN can take some action, especially for the children who are being exploited by the paramilitaries.
The people of Sudan love us, and they are happy to help. There is a lot of respect for Indians. People are also crazy about Bollywood. Sudanese people listen to Hindi songs, and Indian Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan are easily recognized by everyone.
I hope that everything gets back to normal in Sudan soon.”
A Venezuelan girl waits at a reception centre in Pacaraima, a city in northern Brazil that lies across the Venezuelan border.
More than 800,000 Venezuelans have come to Brazil in recent years, seeking medical attention, food, and new opportunities.
When they cross the northern border, they are offered overnight accommodation, food, protection, and hygiene services at the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Reception and Support Post (PRA) in Pacaraima as part of the Operação Acolhida, or Operation Welcome programme.
Find out more about Operação Acolhida, and the people it is supporting, here.
“I’m from Jarra, a rural area in the Lower River Region of The Gambia, in the middle of the country. I moved to the capital, Banjul, when I was 15, to live with my brother and go to high school. I didn’t graduate, though, because we couldn’t afford the fees.
Around five years ago, when I was about 20, my friends encouraged me to leave The Gambia. This is not a wealthy country, and we heard that people had left, and became successful in Europe, sending money back to their families.
I wanted to go to Italy, because I thought that this was the easiest European country to get to. I knew that many people had died trying to get to Europe, but I thought that I could make it.
The first step was neighbouring Senegal, and from there we got a bus to Mauritania. I stayed there, with my sister’s husband, for five months, doing construction work, and whatever I could, to earn money for the next stage of the journey.
From Mauritania I went to Mali. This was a very long bus journey, and it took about 12 hours to get to the capital, Bamako. There were many other Gambians on the bus. Then we went to Agadez, in central Niger, via Burkina Faso. At each stage, we had to pay to be allowed to continue. We felt in danger but, by that stage, it was too late to go back.
There were about 25 of us in an open pickup truck, driving through the desert, with no shade. It was very hot and uncomfortable. We drove for three days, sleeping in the desert. At night, it was very cold, and we had to buy blankets and big jackets to keep us warm.
‘I was scared they would shoot us’
Sometimes the drivers were nice people, but others were very harsh, and they would beat us. When we got into Libya, we were beaten, and all of our money was taken from us. Luckily, I had hidden some food in the bus. The people who beat us had guns, and I was very scared that they would shoot us.
The next stage of the journey was to Sabhā, in central Libya. Because I had no money, I had to stay in Sabhā for four months, finding work to pay for my fare to Tripoli.
When you travel from Sabhā to Tripoli, you have to be smuggled in. If you are seen, people might kill you, so I had to hide in a dark room with no lights for three days. This was during the civil war, and there was a lot of danger.
‘They shot the boat’
I had to wait over a year in Tripoli before I could get to the coast and take a boat for Italy. One of my brothers found the money for me to get a place on the boat. Before we set off, there was some shooting and we soon realized that our boat was taking on water:.
There were armed men who didn’t want us to leave for Europe, so they just shot the boat, not caring if any of us died in the water. Our only option was to turn back towards the Libyan coast and, when the boat had taken on too much water, we swam to shore.
When we arrived on shore, we were taken to a detention centre. We were beaten by soldiers, who told us to give them money, but I had nothing left. I had to stay there for two months in these harsh, dirty conditions. Our phones were taken from us so we couldn’t contact our families; many of them though that we were dead.
UN News/ Hisae Kawamori
Amadou Jobe found a job in the Gambia capital Banjul, after a failed attempt to reach Europe by boat.
Starting again from zero
Eventually, people from the UN came to the centre. They gave us clothes and some food and offered us a voluntary flight back to The Gambia.
I was very sad: I had lost everything and would have to start again from zero. I didn’t want to return home, but I had no choice.
When I arrived in The Gambia, the UN migration agency (IOM) offered to help me to start a business. They asked me what I wanted to do and, because of my experience working in construction, I told them that I could sell cement.
They provided me with tailored in-kind support in the form of a cement business, but, unfortunately, the place I found to store the bags of cement was not protected from the weather: it was the rainy season, and the water reached all of the cement. It was ruined.
I went back to the UN to ask for more help, and they offered me skills training. This was very useful, and I was able to get a certificate and go back to working with aluminium. I got a job working in a friend’s shop in Banjul, which sells aluminium window frames.
In the future, once I can raise the money, I plan to open my own shop. I’m married now and I have two children. I want to succeed here now, and I wouldn’t try to retry that journey to Europe. It’s too risky. If you don’t succeed, you lose everything.”
“In the ruins of historic Antakya city today, I met proud and brave people whose past has been eradicated, whose present is full of suffering and whose future is uncertain,” said António Vitorino, following a two-day visit to Türkiye, which included meetings with senior Government officials.
“I am in awe of IOM colleagues and our many partners who began responding within hours of the earthquake, despite being affected themselves.
‘Now comes the long haul’
“But now comes the long haul; standing in solidarity and action with Türkiye as it rebuilds and creates a new future for the millions whose lives have been torn apart,” added Mr. Vitorino.
He said the sacrifices made by the numerous “humanitarian heroes” who dug so many out of the would never be forgotten, “and one of the reasons I am here is to pay tribute and condolences to them, and particularly to the families of the three IOM staff who perished.
“Our teams overcame complex coordination and logistical issues, as well as personal tragedies, to get aid rapidly to affected communities in Türkiye and northwest Syria.”
Three days after the disaster, IOM was one of the first UN agencies to restart cross border assistance, noted Mr Vitorino, visiting a logistics hub close to the border, which has been vital to the response as a transit point for thousands of tons of aid being brought into northwest Syria.
150 trucks and counting
So far in the response, IOM has dispatched over 150 aid trucks across the border.
The UN reports that more than 500,000 in Syria have been made homeless by the earthquakes, and in Türkiye, more than 1.9 million are staying in temporary accommodation shelters, with 2.5 million children needing urgent humanitarian assistance.
A total of 850,00 children from both countries are displaced, and the UN emergency response plans for both countries requires nearly $1.4 billion to cover the first three months of critical aid. More than five million across Türkiye need life-saving assistance.
The 2023 response plan for Syria overall, will require $4.8 billion, the largest humanitarian appeal currently active.
Mr. Vitorino met Türkiye’s Presidency of Migration Management at a Government-run temporary accommodation centre for those made homeless, including the local community, migrants and some Syrians under temporary protection.
IOM 2023/Enver Mohammed
Debris of quake-ruined buildings on one of the central streets of Antakya city, Hatay.
‘We’ve lost it all’
Nawfal Melish, a Syrian national now living at the centre, told the IOM chief that has family used to live in Hatay and wanted for nothing.
“But now we’ve lost it all. I worked in a shop, but that was destroyed by the earthquake, just like my house, but now we will start a new life. We are finding this displacement more difficult than the first one, when we had to leave Syria because of the war.”
On Friday, in the capital Ankara, Mr Vitorino met the head of the Coordination Centre of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management office, Yunus Sezer, a Government agency leading the response.
“I was highly impressed with the Turkish Government’s emergency response in the face of an unimaginable calamity, he said, “and I am ever more proud of the strong relationship IOM has had with this country since our local office was first opened over 30 years ago.
Support for moving forward
“We continue to provide our operational capacity and experience to the Government to support them in moving forward on the road to recovery”.
IOM’s appeal for $161 million to support response efforts in Türkiye and northwest Syria is currently less than 30 per cent funded.
Renewed violent clashes between non-state armed groups and government forces have sparked the latest emergency, with 300,000 people forced to flee their homes in North Kivu Province in February alone.
According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, another 20,000 fled at the start of the week and nearly 50,000 became displaced from the Kitchanga region in Masisi territory during the week of 17 February.
Survivors
“Civilians continue to pay the heavy and bloody price of conflict, including women and children who barely escaped the violence and are now sleeping out in the open, in spontaneous or organized sites, exhausted and traumatised,” said UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh.
“UNHCR teams on the ground reported horrifying testimonies of human rights violations in affected areas, especially in Rutshuru and Masisi territories, including arbitrary killings, kidnappings, extortion and rapes,” the UNHCR spokesperson continued.
Lacking resources
Conditions are dire for those arriving at spontaneous or organized sites, which the UN refugee agency said were now buckling under the strain.
The resurgence of violence in eastern DR Congo has displaced more than 800,000 people since March last year, including towards the provinces of South Kivu and Ituri.
Relief items are distributed to displaced people in Plain Savo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
More than 130 armed groups operate at the border between DR Congo and Rwanda, including the M23 militia, which has in the past targeted Government forces and the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO.
The resurgence of violence in the region has displaced over 800,000 people since March last year, including towards the provinces of South Kivu and Ituri.
Standing by
Where access permits, UNHCR teams are positioned to provide psychosocial counselling and community support for those traumatised by what they have witnessed or endured.
Humanitarians have continued to warn that despite “all efforts” to provide protection and assistance to those displaced close to Goma, Nord Kivu’s provincial capital, relief access remains complicated as major routes have frequently been rendered inaccessible because of ongoing conflict.
More than 5,500 people have also crossed the border into neighbouring Rwanda since January, and a further 5,300 into Uganda as insecurity and violence continue to ravage border regions.
Women collect water at a camp for displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Stop the fighting
“UNHCR strongly reiterates its call on all actors in eastern DRC to stop the violence which is taking an enormous toll on the civilian population,” the UN agency said in a statement.
The DRC is the largest internal displacement crisis in Africa, with 5.8 million people internally displaced, mainly in the east of the country. It also hosts over a million refugees from neighbouring countries.
It is also one of UNHCR’s most underfunded operations worldwide. For 2023, UNHCR is asking for $232.6 million to assist internally displaced people and refugees in the DRC. As of today, the DRC operation is only eight per cent funded.
“Every person searching for a better life deserves safety and dignity,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. “We need safe, legal routes for migrants and refugees.”
The UN refugee agency (UNCHR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in a joint statement, expressed condolences for the victims and called on countries to increase resources and capabilities to effectively meet their responsibilities.
Death toll could rise
As of Sunday evening, 45 lifeless bodies had been recovered, but ongoing search and rescue teams fear the death toll could be worse, the agencies said. News reports said a newborn and small children were among the dead.
Reports indicate that at least 170 people were on board the small vessel, including children and families. The UN refugee agency said that information received shows that there may be as many as 80 survivors. Some of them have been hospitalized for treatment.
‘Unacceptable horrors’
“It is unacceptable to witness such horrors, with families and children entrusted to unseaworthy boats,” said Chiara Cardoletti, the UNHCR representative for Italy, the Holy See and San Marino. “This tragedy must prompt us to act and act now.”
The boat had left Turkey, with many passengers coming from Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2022, people from Turkey accounted for around 15 per cent of total arrivals by sea in Italy, UNHCR said, noting that nearly half of the people arriving along this route were people fleeing Afghanistan.
‘Insufficient’ rescue capacities
The agencies said European Union mechanisms for rescue operations are “urgently needed”.
To avoid tragedies like this, Ms. Cardoletti said, it is “more necessary than ever before to strengthen the rescue capacity, which is still insufficient”.
Laurence Hart, director of the IOM Coordination Office for the Mediterranean, said this shipwreck demonstrates how the phenomenon of migration by sea must be tackled by all European nations.
New approach needed
This requires humanitarian support and adopting an approach that considers the multiple drivers that are causing people to flee, she said.
The IOM Missing Migrants Project reports that at least 220 people, including those who perished on Sunday, have died or gone missing along the central Mediterranean routein 2023.
Johannes Fromholt is currently near the frontline in Donetsk Oblast and has been describing the support the UN is providing.
“I am currently in Kurakhove, which is close to the frontline. We see heavy fighting, which has intensified even in the past week. We came here as part of a UN interagency humanitarian convoy, to provide communities with humanitarian assistance.
Of course, there is extensive damage; some towns in this area are 80 to 90 per cent damaged, some even more. So actually, you could say they don’t even exist anymore. Even on the way to Kurakhove a missile strike occurred in a nearby city, which killed three people and injured 12.
It’s important that we continue supporting, as much as possible, the frontline locations with humanitarian assistance. In Kurakhove where I currently am, there are approximately 12,000 people in need. This humanitarian convoy is the first of twelve convoys going to front line locations in the next five days.
In total across the country, there are nearly 18 million people, that’s almost 40 per cent of the Ukraine population in need of humanitarian assistance. And this includes the western parts of Ukraine, to a lesser extent, the center and north, but mainly in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine, where we also have the frontline at the moment.
A woman walks past a destroyed apartment block in western Ukraine.
There are 5.3 million IDPs, internally displaced persons, within Ukraine and we know that around eight million people have also fled to neighboring countries.
Milder winter
Luckily, it’s been a somewhat mild winter compared to Ukrainian standards, but people still need to stay warm. They have been provided with basic humanitarian assistance such as food, hygiene items, winter clothes, solar lamps, as people are really staying down in the bunkers, especially in the areas where there’s shelling on a daily basis.
These bunkers and basements are, of course, cold as there’s no electricity in these frontline locations.
There has been a massive scale-up in needs for generators, water pumps and water systems in the last two or three months since the Russians started attacking and destroying critical infrastructure, which we have supported.
And there are people with incredible humanitarian needs on the other side of the frontline in Russian-held territory. At the moment, the UN has not been able to access these areas.
As IOM, we are supporting both the war affected communities and the people staying behind. But we also supporting especially the IDPs in regions further away from the frontlines.
So far, we have supported 102 collective centers with various types of relief to improve living conditions inside the centers.
We have provided emergency shelter kits for people staying in damaged apartments or houses. We have also been distributing cash to over 70,000 people who are very close to the frontline locations. This is actually an approach that the government would like other humanitarian actors to use.
Psychosocial support
One other concern is supporting mental health services and psychosocial support, especially for people in the frontline locations, but also people who are on the move following the outbreak of war broke.
People are resilient and try to adapt, but after some time, of course they need support to talk about their emotions and feelings. And this not only includes IDPs, but also veterans and the families coming back from the war.
One year into the war, it’s important that we try to end it as quickly as possible.
Tucked away in the southeastern corner of Europe, Moldova’s winters may be drab and harsh, but the road from Ukraine’s border spools out through bare, brown hills like a ribbon of hope.
To Larysa, who came from the Donetsk region of Ukraine, the silent heath means safety. It means a pause in the constant barrage of artillery, the whine of sirens and drones, the rush for the bunker, the dark, the cold, the smell, and the grime of war. The terror can be set aside, and life can start again.
When Larysa got off a bus from the border to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) station outside the small town of Palanca, she left behind the Donetsk region, having made a 2,000-kilometre, three-day journey with her sick daughter.
‘Mama, will we wake up tomorrow?’
Her conversation, like all those who have just left the hell of war, comes in ebbs and flows. Torrents follow silences, stifled tears and too raw memories. At first, disbelief, then relief. But, she is already planning her next move, to Romania.
“When I get to Bucharest, I want to apply for a job, find work, accommodation,” she says. “The most important thing is that there is no shooting there, that it’s peaceful and your child goes to bed without saying ‘mama, will we wake up tomorrow?’”
Larysa and her daughter are two of a few dozen people sitting around a tent staffed by IOM and other agencies. Before the bus leaves for a 10-hour-long trek to the Romanian capital, there is time for a hot meal, a health check-up, to get information needed for the coming days and weeks and even a shower.
“When we first came here in late February, immediately after the Russian invasion, there was total chaos on the border,” remembers Lars Johan Lonnback, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Moldova. “It was immediately clear to us that, along with food, shelter, medical care and counselling, transport was a massive need. Well-meaning volunteers were arriving, offering to take vulnerable families – who, you have to remember, left their men behind to fight – to Portugal, Norway, Italy. It was totally unorganized and a dream scenario for human traffickers, who always turn up when people are at their most vulnerable.”
Bussed to Bucharest
It was also abundantly clear to Lonnback that the thousands of people coming across the border would place a massive strain on Moldova’s scarce resources, risking a social crisis. IOM, partnering with the Moldovan authorities and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), assessed the needs and worked towards finding solutions. The partners quickly established a dedicated bus service that decongested the border area, protected the vulnerable, and added a raft of services to the massive relief effort.
In the same vein, IOM has been helping people, particularly the most needy – including persons with disabilities, the elderly and those who are bedridden – to get to European Union countries by plane. To date, more than 15,000 people have entered the European Union by bus and plane with IOM support, which Lonnback believes has helped to stave off a difficult situation in Moldova, a country already wracked by poverty and social tensions.
“The critical thing is that the international community continues to help Moldova in any way it can,” he says. “We’ve seen that the Ukrainians are proud and resilient, and they really don’t want to leave their homes. But, as the attacks on infrastructure mount, and as the snow piles up, it gets more and more difficult to live, to simply exist. We have established a system that is flexible and responsive, and we can scale up in the event of large numbers of people once again fleeing Ukraine.”
About 10 per cent of those who have fled from Ukraine via Moldova have decided to stay in the country. Many of those who stayed are from cities relatively close to the border; have family and friends in Moldova; or, like people in any war, they want to remain close to their homeland.
Four generations uprooted
Svitlana, a 60-year-old real estate agent from Odesa, 40 kilometres from Moldova, is now a mainstay for four generations of women living in a small house about an hour outside Chisinau. She speaks slowly, sometimes mechanically, describing the horrors she saw and heard. Her mother quietly reads as her daughter prepares borscht and her granddaughter sketches.
But, she doesn’t cry. Svitlana gives the impression that sorrow is something she must not, will not, make time for. Her husband and sons-in-law are on the front line, and her task is to lead the family, alone.
Moldova has welcomed them warmly, she says, with humanitarian aid and simple kindness. She and her daughter are learning Romanian so they can compete on the local job market and use their skills for the benefit of their host country and themselves. Much as they appreciate the aid they have been given, they don’t want to survive on it.
“It’s sustainability through solidarity,” says Margo Baars, IOM’s Emergency Coordinator in Moldova, describing the organization’s approach. “We provide livelihood support, grants for small businesses, training and transitional shelter support, particularly to get people through this difficult winter. One of the main things we do is psychological support, because people have been through a lot and need more than just material aid.”
Leaving Ukraine along with the mothers, young children and grandmothers, are old men. Yurii, 73, vividly remembers his parents talking about the Second World War, and never thought that he would see such death and destruction in his homeland. “It’s horrible,” he says. “Every day we have victims being brought in. Every day. There are so many victims, so much grief, so many people suffering.”
Five-month-old Ivan, conceived in peace and born into war in Ukraine, is now safe in Moldova with his mother Ksenia. While heavily pregnant, Ksenia had run through a minefield as cluster bombs rained down. She fell, but escaped, with a birthmark on Ivan remaining as a memory of the day they had both cheated death.
“I want this war to end so I can enjoy motherhood to the fullest,” says Ksenia. “I think I would have gone crazy with this war without Ivan. He’s the one who brightened up all the horror.”
In this cold, miserable field, her own smile is a beam of sunlight.
“We welcome the timely action taken by Switzerland to suspend the children’s return to Bulgaria, in compliance with the Committee’s request for interim measures,” said Ann Skelton, a member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
“We also welcome the decision to reassess these children’s situation and their risk of being exposed to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatments if returned to Bulgaria, showcasing the country’s commitment to compliance and cooperation with the Committee,” she added.
Fleeing war-torn Syria
The children, now 10 to 14, were born to a young mother, a victim of sexual violence who was forced into marriage at age 11 and gave birth to her first child at age 14. Fleeing war-ravaged Syria in early 2017, the family arrived in Bulgaria, which granted the parents and children refugee status and asylum.
Violent father
Expulsion from the asylum camp and the father’s extremely violent behaviour led the mother and her children to beg for food on the streets then, three months later, to seek asylum in Germany, which granted her protection measures in 2019.
Fearing her husband, she took the children to Switzerland to seek asylum once again, but failed.
Following the Swiss State Secretariat for Migrations order in August 2020 to deport the family to Bulgaria and a dismissed appeal of that decision, the mother and children petitioned the UN child rights committee.
Swiss authorities then reopened the cases of the children and their mother, recognizing them as refugees. Following that action, the Committee issued a decision Thursday to discontinue the examination of the family’s complaint.
“This is the fifth case in which Switzerland has immediately reopened asylum proceedings following the registration of the cases with the Committee and granted children residence permits after reassessing their situation,” Ms. Skelton said. “This shows the potential of the complaints mechanism to bring immediate relief to children.”
“The Moldovan people and Government have shown remarkable solidarity with refugees since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began nearly one year ago”, Filippo Grandi told the media during his visit to the country.
“This support was visible from the first days and weeks of the war, when tens of thousands of refugees – mainly women and children – fled Ukraine and continues to this day”.
“Opening homes”
Despite many pressing economic challenges and limited resources, “Moldovans opened their country and their homes”, the senior UN official continued.
During the past 11 months, almost 750,000 Ukrainian refugees entered and over 102,000 have remained – almost half of whom are children.
“The Government’s decision earlier this week to activate temporary protection is another concrete and tangible expression of continued and sustained solidarity with the Ukrainian people”, he stated.
The UN refugee chief explained that the move provides a more secure legal status for refugees and paves the way for a more sustainable planning and response.
“Temporary protection will help refugees access employment, become self-reliant, and will also allow them to contribute to their host communities until they can return home in safety and dignity”.
It also provides the framework for even more long-standing access to education and other basic services as well as stability during trauma and upheaval.
Stepped-up support needed
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is committed to supporting Moldova and deepening its cooperation on refugee inclusion, while simultaneously mobilizing support for host families and communities.
Since the beginning of the refugee influx, it has delivered to Moldova more than $100 million worth of assistance and support.
“We will continue to invest in strengthening social protection systems in Moldova for refugees and Moldovans alike”, assured Mr. Grandi.
“But it is imperative that the international community steps up to provide renewed support for the refugee response and for the communities generously hosting refugees in Moldova”.
This means urgent and enhanced development investments in the country, as well as significant international efforts to shore up and grow the State’s economy, including encouraging private sector investment that can provide sustainable opportunities for both Moldovans and refugees.
The hearing involving 24 volunteers and activists began on Tuesday on the Greek island of Lesvos, prompting OHCHR to warn of the “chilling effect” that it has had on other rights defenders, who’ve now halted their work in Greece and other European Union countries.
Those on trial were all associated with Emergency Response Centre International, or ERCI; between 2016 and 2018, the group helped more than 1,000 people to reach safety and provided survivors with medical and other assistance on Lesvos, OHCHR said.
Voice of reason
“I think it’s absolutely clear, that you have people who are in distress at sea, people who are on boats that may have capsized, or may have sunk; they are in the water and there is nobody to rescue them,” said UN rights office spokesperson, Liz Throssell.
“That is why we are saying that this trial, and trials like it, are absolutely concerning because they criminalise actions that save people’s lives.”
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Ms. Throssell noted that those on trial included a Syrian refugee and foreign nationals, such as the Irish-German national, Sean Binder.
The OHCHR official explained that the defendants face charges that include several alleged misdemeanours related to the facilitation of migrant smuggling, and she welcomed the news on Friday that the prosecution had recommended the annulment of some of the accusations.
Cut adrift
Today, there are no civil society rescue teams operating in Greek waters, Ms. Throssell reiterated, despite the fact that 492 migrants have either died or gone missing in the Eastern Mediterranean since 2021, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Similar trials of other rights activists have already taken place in a number of other EU countries including Hungary, Italy and Malta, the OHCHR official continued.
“The fact of saving lives, providing humanitarian help is crucial and it should never be criminalised by any State, and that is why in this particular case we are saying that that the charges against these defendants should be dropped,” she said.
IOM’s Missing Migrants project updates migrant fatalities in the region and has recorded nearly 1,700 deaths and disappearances on the Eastern Mediterranean sea route since 2014, including nearly 500 children.
Many of the victims are known to have come from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Expressing deep sadness that more than 200 Rohingya – who fled military persecution in Myanmar in 2017 – have died trying to cross the Andaman Sea from Bangladesh this year, Mr. Türk said that the boats used to make the crossings are not only “overcrowded and unsafe” but also “left to drift for days on end without any help”.
Heartfelt appeal
This year alone, more than 2,400 Rohingya have attempted the sea journey.
And with no sign in sight of the crisis ending, the UN rights chief urged more countries to assist in their safekeeping.
Specifically, Mr. Türk urged States to coordinate proactive search and rescue operations, disembark Rohingya refugees on their territories, and ensure their protection.
He also called on regional and countries globally to help Bangladesh support the over one million Rohingya refugees who have sought protection there since 2017.
“An urgent solution must be found to enable the voluntary return of all Rohingya, with full respect of their dignity and human rights as full and equal citizens of Myanmar”, underscored the High Commissioner.
Turning the page to a new year
At the close of 2022, the senior UN official reflected on “the story we’d like to write for our future”.
“My hope for next year is that we lead our lives, individually and collectively, with kindness, empathy, and unity. In how we relate to each other. In our homes, neighbourhoods, schools, workplaces, [and] online”, he said in his look ahead message for 2023.
‘Story of hope and unity’
Mr. Türk reminded recalled that if human rights are not protected “in the little places”, they lack meaning anywhere.
He argued for the protection of women’s rights at home and in public, saying that women and girls must have “full equality and freedom from discrimination”.
Children’s eyes must also be opened to the mistakes of the past, so they can “write a story of hope and unity” to create a better world in which “we celebrate diversity, convinced that we are stronger together than we are apart”, added the UN right chief.
Guided by humanity
He hoped for a future of online expression, protected from hatred and disinformation with consideration for other viewpoints; respectful disagreements; and embraced diversity.
“Think of the person on the other side of the screen”, urged the High Commissioner, reminding that “there is no place for dehumanizing the other by using reductionist labels or identity politics”.
“I hope our shared humanity will be our guide”.
Unified forces
Mr. Türk regarded human rights as “the force that come in and unify us”, bringing everyone “back to the fundamentals of who we are, of human dignity and to what connects us all with each other”.
He argued that one person’s pain ultimately hurts everyone and underscored the importance of safeguarding the rights of current and future generations.
“Let’s treat our planet with the kindness and the humility it deserves. And let’s make sure that actions to safeguard our environment are grounded in the human rights of all”.
According to the senior UN official, this requires bravery and the courage to listen and speak up when others are being wronged, to live in a space in which everyone can safely exercise their rights in justice and dignity.
“As we approach the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights next year, let us strive to make the world more dignified”, concluded the High Commissioner. “A world where everyone’s rights are respected”.
UNHCR issued a statement explaining that two groups of survivors had been brought to shore off the coast of north-west Indonesia.
Believed to have been at sea for more than a month, the UN agency expressed relief that they are now safe in Indonesia.
After highlighting their plight, Ann Maymann, UNHCR Representative in Indonesia said, “we welcome this act of humanity by local communities and authorities in Indonesia”.
“These actions help to save human lives from certain death, ending torturous ordeals for many desperate people.”
Attending to the new arrivals
Urgent medical care has been provided to treat survivors for exhaustion and dehydration.
According to the survivors, dire conditions onboard triggered the deaths of 26 people at sea.
UNHCR, local authorities, and humanitarian partner staff are caring for those brought ashore.
“Many require urgent medical attention to stabilize their condition”, the UN agency reported. “The agency is also rushing more supplies and staff to help local communities and local authorities support those rescued.”
Deadly passage
So far this year, more than 2,000 people have taken risky sea journeys in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, during which nearly 200 have reportedly perished.
Many are Rohingya men, women and children, who fled persecution in Myanmar for Bangladesh in 2017.
Humanitarian obligation ignored
UNHCR is also working to confirm reports that one additional boat with 180 people on board is still missing at sea – with all passengers presumed dead.
All States in the region “must fulfil their legal obligations” to save people on boats in distress to avoid further misery and deaths, the UN agency insisted.
Indonesia’s commitment
Latest UN data indicates that over the past six weeks, Indonesia has helped to save 472 people from four boats.
This demonstrates “its commitment and respect of basic humanitarian principles for people who face persecution and conflict”, UNHCR said.
“Many others did not act despite numerous pleas and appeals for help”, lamented the UN refugee agency, urging other countries in the region to follow Indonesia’s example.
The 100 million figure, which includes those fleeing conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution, was announced by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in May and described by Filippo Grandi, the head of the agency, as “a record that should never have been set”.
The figure is up from some 90 million in 2021. Outbreaks of violence, or protracted conflicts, were key migration factors in many parts of the world, including Ukraine, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Syria, and Myanmar.
Thousands of desperate migrants looked to Europe as a preferred destination, putting their lives in the hands of human traffickers, and setting off on perilous journeys across the Mediterranean.
All too often these journeys ended in tragedy.
IOM/Rami Ibrahim
Worsening conditions for migrants in Yemen
It has now been more than seven years since the protracted conflict began in Yemen, between a Saudi-led pro-Government coalition and Houthi rebels, together with their allies. It precipitated a humanitarian catastrophe, and has forced more than 4.3 million people to leave their homes.
In May, The UN migration agency IOM and the European Union’s Humanitarian Aid wing (ECHO), announced that they were scaling up efforts to respond to the needs of more than 325,000 displaced by the conflict, including migrants and the communities that host them.
“The situation is also getting worse for migrants in Yemen, especially women, who are living in dire conditions in Yemen with little control over their lives,” said Christa Rottensteiner, Chief of the IOM Mission in the country.
Despite the dire situation in Yemen, it remains a destination and transit point for migrants leaving countries in the Horn of Africa.
Upon arrival, travellers face perilous journeys, with many heading north, en route to Gulf countries in search of work.
They are often forced to journey across local frontlines, at risk of suffering grave human rights violations, such as detention, inhumane conditions, exploitation, and forced transfers.
In Syria, war has now been upending lives for 11 years: nearly five million children born in Syria have never known the country at peace.
More than 80,000 Syrians call the huge Za’atari camp, in Jordan, home: many of them may have to remain outside of their country for the foreseeable future.
“Prospects for return for the time being do not look promising”, said Dominik Bartsch, UNHCR Representative in the Jordanian capital Amman, in July. “We are not seeing an environment in Syria that would be conducive to returns.”
Overall, Jordan hosts around 675,000 registered refugees from Syria, and most of them live in its towns and villages among local communities: only 17 per cent live in the two main refugee camps, Za’atari and Azraq.
Rohingya continue to flee Myanmar
More than five years ago, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled their homes in Myanmar, after a military campaign of persecution. Almost a million live in the vast Cox’s Bazar camp across the border in neighbouring Bangladesh.
In March, the UN launched its latest response plan, calling for more than $881 million for the refugees, and neighbouring communities (more than half a million Bangladeshis), who are also highly reliant on aid.
This year, Rohingya continued to leave Myanmar, many attempting to cross the Andaman Sea, one of the deadliest water crossings in the world.
When more than a dozen migrants, including children, reportedly died at sea off the coast of Myanmar in May, Indrika Ratwatte, the UN refugee agency’s Asia and Pacific Director, said the tragedy demonstrated the sense of desperation being felt by Rohingya still in the country.
‘Double standard’ in treatment of Ukraine refugees
10 months on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February, and seems likely to continue into 2023, UN refugee agency figures show that, by December, more than 7.8 million Ukrainian refugees had been recorded across Europe.
Soon after the conflict began, UN agencies mobilized to provide support. UNHCR coordinated the refugee response together with sister UN agencies and partners, in support of national authorities.
In neighbouring Poland, for example, staff supported the authorities with registering refugees and providing them with accommodation and assistance.
Filippo Grandi praised European countries for their willingness to take in Ukrainians, the majority of whom sought shelter in neighbouring countries, but expressed his sorrow for the country and its citizens.
‘Ripped apart’
“Families have been senselessly ripped apart. Tragically, unless the war is stopped, the same will be true for many more,” he said.
However, this generosity of spirit was not always in evidence, when it came to some members of minority communities. In March, Mr. Grandi spoke out the discrimination, racism, and violence they faced.
Speaking on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Mr. Grandi said that the UN refugee agency had born witness “to the ugly reality, that some Black and Brown people fleeing Ukraine – and other wars and conflicts around the world – have not received the same treatment as Ukrainian refugees”.
Mr. Grandi’s concerns were echoed, in July, by González Morales, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants. Mr. Morales alleged that there was a double standard in the way that refugees are treated in Poland and Belarus, particularly when it comes to people of African descent, and other racial and ethnic minorities.
In Ethiopia, millions remain displaced due to the armed conflict in the Tigray region, which began on 3 November 2020 between Ethiopian national forces, Eritrean troops, Amhara forces and other militias on one side, and forces loyal to the Tigrayan People’s Liberation front on the other.
By the end of this year, a fragile internationally-brokered truce seemed to be holding with aid returning to embattled northern regions inaccessible for months, along with many returning home to rebuild their shattered lives.
Back in January, the UN refugee agency issued the stark warning that, due to deteriorating conditions, refugees in the region were struggling to get enough food, medicine, and clean water, and risked death unless the situation improved.
“The desperate situation in these camps is a stark example of the impact of the lack of access and supplies affecting millions of displaced persons and other civilians throughout the region,” said UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov.
Refugees also found themselves under direct attack: in February, for example, thousands of Eritreans were forced to flee a camp in the Afar region, after armed men stormed in, stealing belongings and killing residents.
By August, UN agencies put out an urgent appeal for funding to help more than 750,000 people seeking refuge in Ethiopia. The World Food Programme warned that, unless it received the funding, many refugees would have nothing to eat.
The number of people who died or went missing trying to reach Europe by boat doubled between 2022 and 2021, to more than 3,000. This grim statistic was released by the UNHCR in April.
“Most of the sea crossings took place in packed, unseaworthy, inflatable boats – many of which capsized or were deflated leading to loss of life,” UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told journalists at a regular press briefing in Geneva.
This did not deter many from putting themselves at considerable risk, by trying a sea crossing. In just one attempt, in March, at least 70 migrants were reported dead or missing off the coast of Libya, the departure point for many crossings.
In August, when a boat sank off the Greek island of Karpathos in August, there were dozens of reported deaths, and in September, more than 70 bodies were recovered following a shipwreck off the coast of Syria.
Hope for a brighter future?
Amid the tragedy and difficulties faced by so many, there was at least one ray of light, reported in December.
UNHCR declared that governments around the world had pledged some $1.13 billion, a record amount, to provide a lifeline to people displaced by war, violence, and human rights violations.
“As a result of conflict, the climate emergency, and other crises, displaced people around the world face unprecedented needs,” said Mr. Grandi. “Fortunately, UNHCR’s generous donors continue to support them during these dire days, creating hope for a brighter future.”
“This shocking ordeal and tragedy must not continue”, said Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR’s Director for Asia and the Pacific.
“These are human beings – men, women and children”, he added.
Unraveling the situation
Reports indicate that they have been at sea in dire conditions for a month, lacking sufficient food or water, and with no efforts from any States in the region to help.
Many are women and children, with reports of up to 20 people dying on the unseaworthy vessel during the journey.
“We need to see the States in the region help save lives and not let people die”, underscored Mr. Ratwatte.
A month adrift
Since the first reports of the boat being sighted in Thai waters, UNHCR has received unverified information of the vessel being spotted near Indonesia and then subsequently off the coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India.
Its current location is reportedly once more back eastwards, in the Andaman sea north of Aceh.
UNHCR has repeatedly asked all countries in the region to make saving lives a priority and requested the Indian marine rescue centre earlier this week to allow for disembarkations.
“It is devastating to learn that many people have already lost their lives, including children”, added UNHCR’s Ratwatte.
Deadly year at sea
It is very difficult for UNHCR to verify the information, but if true, the number of dead and missing in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea will be recorded to nearly 200 this year alone.
All States have a responsibility to rescue those on the boat and allow them to safely disembark in the name of humanity, UNHCR spelled out.
Meanwhile, this shocking number represents around 10 per cent of the estimated 2,000 people who have taken risky sea journeys in the region since January.
“Sadly, this makes it one of the deadliest years in the seas in the region’’, lamented the UNHCR Director.
Saltwater tears
Yesterday UN-appointed independent human rights expert Tom Andrews issued a statement urging Governments to “immediately and urgently coordinate search and rescue for this boat and ensure safe disembarkation of those aboard before any further loss of life occurs”.
“While many in the world are preparing to enjoy a holiday season and ring in a new year, boats bearing desperate Rohingya men, women and young children, are setting off on perilous journeys in unseaworthy vessels”, said the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar.
In his plea to all regional Governments for “a more humane regional response” to those fleeing the junta’s brutal violence, including the Rohingya, Mr. Andrews called for “an absolute moratorium on any deportations or pushbacks to Myanmar” as well as harmonized search and rescues at sea.
Hazardous journeys
This is just the latest in a series of dangerous voyages, said the UN expert.
Two weeks ago, a Vietnamese oil company vessel on its way to Myanmar rescued one sinking boat with 154 Rohingya refugees aboard.
“As they were close to Myanmar waters, they reportedly handed the group over to Myanmar authorities”, he recounted.
“It has been reported that those aboard were placed in migration detention in Myanmar and may now face criminal charges”.
And last weekend, the Sri Lankan Navy rescued a third trawler in distress, carrying 104 Rohingya, including numerous children, some unaccompanied.
“The international community must step forward and assist regional actors to provide durable solutions for the Rohingya”, said Mr. Andrews.
Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not paid for their work.
Secretary-General António Guterres credited the more than 80 per cent of those who cross borders in a safe and orderly fashion as powerful drivers of “economic growth, dynamism, and understanding”.
“But unregulated migration along increasingly perilous routes – the cruel realm of traffickers – continues to extract a terrible cost”, he continued in his message marking the day.
Deaths and disappearances
Over the past eight years, at least 51,000 migrants have died, and thousands of others gone missing, said the top UN official.
“Behind each number is a human being – a sister, brother, daughter, son, mother, or father”, he said, reminding that “migrant rights are human rights”.
“They must be respected without discrimination – and irrespective of whether their movement is forced, voluntary, or formally authorized”.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
UN Secretary-General António Guterres meets South Sudanese refugees who are awaiting relocation in Imvepi Camp, in Uganda.
‘Do everything possible’
Mr. Guterres urged the world to “do everything possible” to prevent their loss of life – as a humanitarian imperative and a moral and legal obligation.
And he pushed for search and rescue efforts, medical care, expanded and diversified rights-based pathways for migration, and greater international investments in countries of origin “to ensure migration is a choice, not a necessity”.
“There is no migration crisis; there is a crisis of solidarity”, the Secretary-General concluded. “Today and every day, let us safeguard our common humanity and secure the rights and dignity of all”.
Realize basic rights
For his part, the head of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Gilbert F. Houngbo, shone a light on protecting the rights of the world’s 169 million migrant workers.
“The international community must do better to ensure… [that they] are able to realize their basic human and labour rights”, he spelled out in his message for the day.
Leaving them unable to exercise basic rights renders migrant workers “invisible, vulnerable and undervalued for their contributions to society”, pointed out the most senior ILO official.
Vulnerabilities
And when intersecting with race, ethnicity, and gender, they become even more vulnerable to various forms of discrimination.
Mr. Houngbo flagged that migrants do not only go missing on high-risk and desperate journeys.
“Many migrant domestic, agricultural and other workers are isolated and out of reach of those who could protect them”, with the undocumented particularly at risk of abuse.
Make fair labour migration a reality
Fair labour migration
Meanwhile, ILO supports governments, employers and workers to make fair labour migration a reality.
Like all employees, migrant workers are entitled to labour standards and international human rights protections, including freedom of association and collective bargaining, non-discrimination, and safe and healthy working environments, upheld the ILO chief.
They should also be entitled to social protection, development and recognition.
To make these rights a reality, Mr. Houngbo stressed the key importance of fair recruitment, including eliminating recruitment fees charged to migrant workers, which can help eradicate human trafficking and forced labour.
“Access to decent work is a key strategy to realize migrants’ development potential and contribution to society”, he said.
“We must recognize that injustices suffered by migrant workers are injustices to us all. We must do better”.
‘Cornerstone of development’
Meanwhile, in his message, the head of the International Migration Organization (IMO), António Vitorino, described migrants as “being a cornerstone of development and progress”.
“We can’t let the politicization of migration, hostility and divisive narratives divert us from the values that matter most”, he urged.
Regardless of what compels people to move, “their rights must be respected”, underscored the IMO chief.
Message from the Director General on International Migrants Day
The Southeast Asia waterway is one of the deadliest in the world and more than 1,900 people have already made the journey since January – six times more than in 2020.
‘Grave risks’ at sea
“UNHCR warns that attempts at these journeys are exposing people to grave risks and fatal consequences, said UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo. “Tragically, 119 people have been reported dead or missing on these journeys, this year alone.”
Most of those risking their lives are Rohingya refugees, who fled Myanmar in their hundreds of thousands in 2017, to escape military persecution.
In an appeal for help from Governments in the region, UNHCR said that the most recent arrivals included more than 200 people in North Aceh, Indonesia, where the authorities allowed them to disembark and provided shelter. Ms. Mantoo said the agency welcomed and appreciated their efforts.
UN support
Refugees who safely disembarked on the Indonesian coast from the two boats, a fortnight ago, are currently hosted, somewhat ironically, in a former immigration office in Lhokseumawe.
UNHCR, with UN migration agency, IOM and partners, is on the ground, the Spokesperson said.
“We are working closely with the local authorities to help support the refugees, including through registration, providing for their basic needs and working to ensure secure and adequate accommodation for the two groups.”
Many more adrift
UNHCR has also received unverified reports of more boats with desperate individuals, adrift at sea, who require life-saving rescue and attention, she said.
With increasing levels of desperation and vulnerability forcing more refugees to make these deadly journeys, UNHCR and humanitarian partners continue to stress the need for increased regional and international cooperation to save lives and share responsibility.
Indonesia currently hosts nearly 13,000 refugees and asylum-seekers mostly from Afghanistan, Somalia and Myanmar and should not be alone in rescuing and disembarking people adrift at sea, Ms. Mantoo added.
“It is imperative that States in the region uphold their commitments made in 2005 under the Bali Process to collectively find solutions for these desperate journeys”.
In 2016, Asia-Pacific governments pledged to do more to prevent people dying on such journeys, after 5,000 men, women and children were abandoned by people-smugglers in the Andaman Sea, and left adrift, starving and sick, for months.
It’s not quite rags to riches, but No Nation Fashion has come a long way from its beginnings in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2021, when it was launched as way for people in transit centres to improve their sewing skills.
Those involved graduated from creating reusable masks, providing protection against COVID-19, to designing unique items of clothing, and accessories. The sewing corners became fashion studios, and, by the end of the year, a No Nation Fashion show was held at Sarajevo City Hall, to mark International Migrants Day.
The beneficiaries of the project are migrants and members of the local and wider community, such as: local fashion brands and designers, artists, craftspeople, private sector, media, and volunteers.
This year, the initiative made it all the way to one of the most prestigious fashion events of the year, New York Fashion Week, for a special event involving No Nation Fashion, the International Fashion Academy, and students from Ohio’s Kent State University.
The No Nation Fashion collection was the product of the creative collaboration of migrants and the Bosnian fashion industry, under the creative direction of Aleksandra Lovrić, a renowned national designer.
The three outfits presented at the event, were designed to reflect the journey of migrants, from the earliest nomad way of life; to resilience and the ability to rebuild and adapt; and inclusion, through social and cultural integration at their destinations.
“We are very excited that No Nation Fashion brand made it all the way to New York – a city that is famous for art, fashion as well as cultural diversity,” said Laura Lungarotti, IOM Chief of Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “This reminds us that migration and inclusion of diversity can produce beauty and opportunities for all.”
The Mission of No Nation Fashion is to build a brand and a social enterprise that promotes the inclusion of migrants in host communities, and actively participates in making societies more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable.
Following its New York success, the initiatives will continue to support migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with talented individuals from different parts of the world sharing their knowledge, skills and culture to create wearable artworks.
