Action is needed now to stop the Sahara Desert and Mediterranean Sea from “becoming mass graves for migrants”, two UN agencies warned the Security Council on Monday.
Sri Lankan migrants who paid their life savings to people traffickers for perilous and unsuccessful sea crossings in an attempt to find a better life overseas have returned home thanks to the support of the UN migration agency, IOM.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Wednesday welcomed a key deal by members of the European Union (EU) to overhaul their joint migration system which promises a fresh and unified approach to deal with asylum claims.
Migration is a “fact of life” and a “force for good”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, calling for safer options for the millions seeking opportunities to improve their lives in the face of danger and despair.
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, said it was appalled by the recent killing of dozens of civilians in the Sahel region of northern Burkina Faso.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the climate crisis is having a major impact on migration flows, with millions forced to move from their homes as a result of a disaster, or because they have been affected by slower-moving environmental changes that leave their homes uninhabitable, such as desertification or sea-level rises.
