On the occasion of the 20th World Refugee Day, June 20, 2021, and celebrating 70 years since the finalisation of the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention, Liberal International’s Human Rights Committee (HRC) calls on all nations to respect the letter and the spirit of the Convention. Unfortunately, many countries try to circumvent the rights of refugees and deny many the dignified treatment they deserve as human beings.
In these years marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, we recall that refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are particularly exposed to the ongoing health crisis, and that women and children are especially vulnerable. However, many refugee communities make a huge contribution to combatting the health crisis.
Converging effects of conflict, corruption, a rapidly changing climate, rising authoritarianism and gridlock in the UN Security Council are all contributing to a steady increase of refugees and internally displaced persons, totalling at least 80 million people today, 90% of them residing in the Global South.
With the spread of coronavirus imperilling the health of refugees and IDPs who lack access to adequate sanitation and health care; escalating conflicts such as in Cameroon, Ethiopia’s Tigray region, Mozambique, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen inhibiting the delivery of aid and protection; and increasing health risks and environmental hazards induced by the climate emergency, the human rights of vulnerable and displaced persons are drastically threatened.
The HRC of Liberal International reaffirms the call by the World Refugee Council that financial and human resources support be provided to UN member states that host large concentrations of refugees and displaced persons, with special consideration for guaranteeing the safety of women who are especially vulnerable in refugee camps.
We urgently call upon governments, particularly those of the Global North, philanthropists, and community organizers for a global mobilization of financial and human resources toward the care and resettlement of refugees and IDPs. Resettlement is the best available option to prevent tragedies taking place when refugees try to reach safe havens – for instance, trying to cross stormy seas in substandard vessels provided by traffickers.
We furthermore urge countries to adopt the Swiss model of repatriating illicitly acquired assets to support and resettle refugees, as raised by prominent Canadian liberal Honourable Lloyd Axworthy last year in our World Refugee Day webinar. This will help governments and international organizations to overcome budgetary challenges that arise from mass displacement.
We strongly endorse the model of private sponsorship for refugees pioneered by liberals in Canada, and endorsed by the European Commission, and encourage more governments to facilitate community-led resettlement schemes.
It is critical that leaders and organizations demonstrate ingenuity and compassion towards the displaced and the stateless. No one can claim to be a human rights champion if they deny dignity and care on the basis of borders.
