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Moral obligation to help migrants

Scottish Government backs UNHCR calls for more EU action.

The Scottish Government has backed the UNHCR’s call for EU member states to do more to tackle the global migrant crisis and help those in desperate need of international protection.

‪In a meeting with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Brussels yesterday, Europe Minister Humza Yousaf agreed with the refugee agency that all member states should participate in the EU-wide scheme to relocate tens of thousands of migrants who have crossed The Mediterranean.

‪Mr Yousaf said Scotland stands ready to play its part and again urged the UK Prime Minister David Cameron to reconsider his decision not to opt into the EU relocation scheme.

‪Speaking from the UNHCR office in Brussels, Mr Yousaf said:

‪“Scotland and the UK, and all our friends and neighbours across the EU have a moral obligation to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in danger.

‪“The Scottish Government has repeatedly made clear our desire to play a part in efforts to provide a place of safety to those in desperate need.

‪“So while we welcome the news that the European Council has agreed a scheme to relocate 40,000 migrants who have fled danger and crossed the Mediterranean, we are hugely disappointed that the Prime Minister has now confirmed the UK will not partake in this collective effort.

‪“By refusing to take its fair share of vulnerable migrants the UK has turned its back on those in desperate need of help and failed to recognise the part it should play – as a full member state - in the EU’s collective responsibility to address this crisis.

‪“The Scottish Government wholeheartedly disagrees with the UK’s refusal to partake in the EU’s relocation scheme, and I strongly urge the Prime Minister to reconsider his position on this vital issue. Doing so will save lives.

‪“Scotland is determined to be a good global citizen, committed to doing all we can to address poverty and help those around the world who are most in need. We agree with the UNHCR that more can and should be done to help migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean. At the very least the UK should stand alongside other member states and take its proportionate share so that we in Scotland can do the same.”

Paolo Artini, Deputy Regional Representative of UNHCR in Brussels, said;

‪"The situation in the Mediterranean is reaching a critical point. UNHCR hopes that all States in Europe will quickly implement concrete solidarity measures, such as resettlement and relocation, to allow refugees to access safety without putting their lives at risk”

Notes To Editors

Mr Yousaf was in Brussels on Tuesday June 30 to discuss the migrant crisis with Paolo Artini, the Deputy Regional Representative of UNHCR in Brussels, who covers Western Europe. He also undertook a series of engagements with MEPs and EU policy shapers.

‪At late-night talks in Brussels on Thursday June 25, EU leaders agreed to relocate 40,000 people in dire need of international protection who have arrived in Greece and Italy, to other EU states over the next two years. The UK has chosen not to partake in the scheme.

‪On June 26, UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a press briefing in Geneva: "This is an important step along the way to finding answers to this crisis, but clearly much more will have to be done, including addressing root causes.

‪"It is essential that states work together to find answers, and that Europe shows leadership and vision in addressing the challenges of protecting the thousands of refugees," he added.

‪UNHCR said the participation of all Member States will be the key to the success of the initiative and reiterated its readiness to collaborate with EU member states and institutions on these and other measures in support of those needing international protection.

UNHCR's Global Trends Report: World at War, issued at the end of May, showed worldwide displacement was at the highest level ever recorded. The number of people forcibly displaced at the end of 2014 as a result of war, conflict and persecution had risen to a staggering 59.5 million compared to 51.2 million a year earlier and 37.5 million a decade ago. For the full report, visit: http://unhcr.org/556725e69.html

 

Channel website: http://www.gov.scot/

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