UNHCR calls for sharing of responsibility for migrants as Malta standoff continues

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, is calling for greater coordination, solidarity and responsibility-sharing, in view of the increased movements of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean Sea and despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement comes at a time when Malta’s government is facing accusations of organising a private pushback of refugees and migrants, using chartered vessels. At the moment there are currently 57 migrants who were rescued from a dinghy inside Malta’s search and rescue area by the private fishing vessel, Dar El Salaam 1, chartered by the Maltese government. The migrants are being held aboard a vessel operated by pleasure cruise operator Captain Morgan until a solution is found. Malta is refusing to take in the migrants, arguing that the ports are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The protection of lives and fundamental human rights must remain at the forefront of our decision-making,” said the UNHCR this morning. “Rescue at sea is a humanitarian imperative and an obligation under international law. Legitimate public health concerns can be addressed through quarantine, health checks, and other measures. However, delayed rescue or failure to disembark boats in distress put lives in danger.” 

In all cases, it called for a safe port for disembarkation to be provided without delay, together with a prompt agreement on how to share responsibility amongst States for hosting people once they reach safety on dry land.

UNHCR reiterated its position that no one should be returned to Libya after being rescued at sea, due to the ongoing conflict in Libya, as well as the routine detention of disembarked migrants and asylum-seekers, who often face overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, and other human rights concerns.

Pointing out that Mediterranean coastal states bore the brunt of the arrivals, it said that those few states who are regularly allowing disembarkation “must be able to count on the predictable solidarity of others through an effective and timely relocation mechanism, as well as support for reception facilities.”

Reception capacity constraints were also a major problem stopping the disembarkation of refugees and migrants who have been rescued at sea after harrowing journeys across the Mediterranean.

In that context, UNHCR urged stronger intra-EU solidarity with the EU Mediterranean coastal states receiving refugees and migrants and called on other member states to show greater responsibility-sharing in the form of relocation support, increased search and rescue capacity and a predictable disembarkation mechanism. “Collective efforts on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea are essential to save lives at sea,” it said.