migrant and refugee crisis

Today, Egala and Oxfam published a new report, “Brutal Barriers”, detailing the frightening and sometimes deadly journey of people trying to reach safety in Europe. Survivors’ testimonies reveal the violence inflicted by both Polish and Belarusian authorities on people seeking asylum as well as the treacherous conditions people face in crossing the swamplands of the primeval Białowieża forest.

In response to the $2.2bn pledged at the 2nd Global Refugee Forum (GRF), Oxfam in Africa Director Fati N'Zi-Hassane said: Oxfam welcomes the pledges made to support refugees and those who are shouldering the biggest responsibility of welcoming refugees, and to shift power to communities at the frontline of response, especially refugee leaders. But the chasm between commitments made and the political realities on the ground remains enormous."

Oxfam leaders, experts, and refugee partners will be at the Global Refugee Forum taking place 13-15 December 2023 in Geneva. They will speak to a range of issues including meaningful participation of refugees, shifting funding and power to refugee-led organizations, gender inequality, responsibility sharing, and the growing climate-fuelled forced displacement. 

 

“It’s deeply concerning that the number of forcibly displaced people has increased for the tenth year in a row to yet another record level. In addition to the violence, persecution, and hardship that these people are fleeing, many are now also facing the threat of the global coronavirus pandemic in overcrowded camps without enough clean water or health facilities", said Fionna Smyth, Oxfam’s Head of Humanitarian Campaigns, in response to the launch of the UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report today.

Over 170,000 people in the Sahrawi refugee camps are bracing for the Coronavirus as local authorities and organizations remain extremely underprepared for the pandemic due to dwindling funding, Oxfam said today.

Rather than protecting vulnerable people from the spread of the coronavirus, the Greek government is using the crisis to absolve itself from its obligations under international and EU law, said Oxfam.

In response to the proposals from the Greek government to install floating barriers in the sea to deter migrants and refugees, Evelien van Roemburg, Oxfam's Europe Migration Campaign manager, said:

"This is an extremely worrying development that would be a violation of the basic human right for people to seek protection and put even more lives at risk.

"People would be forced to make more dangerous crossings through deep and treacherous waters.


 

The EU's plans for 'controlled centers' for refugees and other migrants on European soil, as well as their proposed disembarkation arrangements in countries outside the EU for migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, are a recipe for failure.

European leaders at the EU summit in Brussels have failed to agree on reforms to the common European asylum system. Instead, they try to respond to internal rows by reducing the space for asylum seekers even further, and want to offload their responsibilities to countries outside the EU. Oxfam argues that European agreements on migration are welcome, but they should not have a negative impact on the lives of refugees and migrants.

The EU is about to set out a multi-year framework for its budget after 2020, which will have an impact on sustainable development worldwide and on the EU’s support for people in humanitarian crisis. Oxfam calls on the EU and its member states to increase aid commitments, in order to reduce the gap between what is needed and what is being given.