Advocacy

Towards a New Narrative on Migrants and Refugees

For ICMC Europe Head Petra Hueck, promoting private sponsorships of vulnerable refugees in Europe is more important than ever. With grassroots organizations active in welcoming refugees from day one, expanding Europe’s tradition of welcome becomes a journey of transformation for both newcomers and host communities.

“When people in receiving countries engage with refugees, a new narrative takes shape, one that defies the many news reports painting refugees and migration in a negative light.”

Hueck spoke at a hearing at the Italian Parliament in Rome that took stock of humanitarian corridors in Italy, a complementary admission pathway like private sponsorships.

Private sponsorship programs must function in addition to, not as a replacement for, the traditional resettlement services provided by a State, she reminded the Members of Parliament. And noted that, in the current political climate, it is particularly crucial that such programs can thrive.

“This engagement can create a much better world than the one envisioned by many politicians.”

Ensuring That Governments Assume Their Responsibilities

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) adopted in December 2018 by some 160 UN Member States is a landmark but non-binding agreement.

Together with other NGOs, ICMC called on States to lead in implementing the GCM and using it as a tool to protect people on the move. It stressed that the Compact is already acting as a guide for civil society, migrants and communities in Asia, Central America and the Middle East and North Africa – often in partnership with governments.

In doing so, ICMC and other NGOs raised concerns about increasing human rights violations and the criminalization of migrants and those helping them.

Encouraging Global Solidarity

When over 180 UN Member States adopted the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) in December 2018, they agreed to better share responsibility to protect and find durable solutions for people forced by war, persecution or violence to flee their home country.

In 2019 the focus shifted from adoption to implementation. The Global Refugee Forum (GRF) was launched to take stock of progress, with the first GRF held last December, the next to follow in two years’ time and every four years after that.

In a call for global solidarity ahead of the GRF, ICMC, together with other faith-based organizations, renewed commitments to partner with the international community to realize the potential of the GCR. The faith-based actors vowed to continue working to change negative narratives about migration and fight xenophobia.

At the first GRF in December, States along with other stakeholders were asked to make concrete pledges to meet refugees’ needs and show solidarity with host countries.

ICMC Europe and other NGOs called on EU Member States to take the lead in putting the GCR into action by bringing to the Forum a minimum collective pledge of 30,000 resettlement places in the coming year. The NGOs advocated for this new pledge to be implemented during 2020 and for a further commitment to increase resettlement places each year at a stable rate.

Immediately preceding the Forum, ICMC co-organized a roundtable discussion to explore ways faith-based organizations can build a culture of encounter with refugees and how governments can make concrete contributions towards refugee inclusion.

At the GRF, ICMC pledged increased support to the ICMC-UNHCR Deployment Scheme, committing to send more experts to bolster field operations of the UN Refugee Agency as it seeks to meet targets outlined in the GCR’s Three-Year Strategy for Resettlement and Complementary Pathways.

ICMC joined with international NGOs at the UNHCR Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement to urge States to take leadership with long-term commitments. In doing so, they noted that the need for resettlement continues to outstrip available places, with critical consequences for vulnerable refugees. And they reiterated the essential role of resettlement as an indispensable protection tool for refugees at risk.

The NGOs called for further expansion of complementary admission pathways and a heightened focus on integration and inclusion. Such efforts must be holistic and collaborative – supporting refugees to rebuild their lives with the involvement of the communities that welcome them.

ICMC welcomed the new Sustainable Resettlement and Complementary Pathways Initiative (CRISP) launched by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR. One of its aims is to increase the number of new States offering resettlement places.

ICMC advocated for refugees to have a seat at discussion and decision-making tables in order to root action in the realities of forcible displacement.

Protecting the Most Vulnerable

ICMC advocacy in 2019 focused on child protection, and, in particular, on children migrating alone.

ICMC underlined the destructive effects of children being separated from their families. It urged broader family reunification, including grandparents and other members, and promoted alternatives to child detention.

At the International Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees, ICMC recommended listening to children as the foundation for deciding the most beneficial course of action for a child on the move. This means hearing what children feel they need, what they want for the future and believing in their right to self-determination.

ICMC raised as a concern during the IOM Council the increasing number of children crossing international borders alone who have been abused by traffickers. It emphasized the life-saving impact of resettlement for such refugees at risk and called for more government resettlement places and expanded complementary admission pathways like family reunification.

ICMC also proposed that the IOM include children as a priority concern in its new institutional strategy to ensure their particular protection needs do not fall through the cracks.

Keeping EU Policy Humane and Effective

In conjunction with its call for a collective EU resettlement commitment at the Global Refugee Forum, ICMC Europe noted with concern that resettlement is increasingly used as a tool to manage migration. Together with other NGOs, ICMC Europe underlined that resettlement’s purpose is first and foremost to offer protection and a long-term solution for refugees.

Responding to proposed changes to the EU’s directive on returns, ICMC Europe urged keeping respect for human rights and dignity – foundational EU values – at the fore. Specific issues included truly voluntary returns, proper reintegration measures and detention as last resort.

ICMC Europe and other civil society organizations appealed to the EU to agree on a principled response to migrants in distress in the Mediterranean that respects EU treaties and international law. In doing so, they called for a total support of rescue operations and timely, safe disembarkment. Further, the NGOs asked for an immediate and absolute suspension of returns to Libya.

ICMC Europe advocated for a humane and effective use of the EU’s migration and asylum budget, as negotiations for a new designated fund got underway. Together with other NGOs, ICMC Europe called for resources to bolster partnerships among civil society organizations and local and regional authorities as key actors to promote inclusion across the region. They also emphasized the importance of coordination between relevant EU funds. And they proposed a minimum funding target for refugee integration at the national level.