BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 10, 2015/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
“The Valletta Summit should not be about building higher walls and barbed wire around our borders, but about shared responsibility” says DROI Chair Elena Valenciano.
In view of tomorrow’s Valletta Summit on migration between the EU and 35 African countries, the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights underlines the need for a genuine partnership with Africa, based on the shared value of respect for human rights.
“First and foremost the human rights of migrants should be mainstreamed in all our actions and policies. It is not sufficient just to mainstream migration in development cooperation as the draft Action Plan foresees. Only by addressing and tackling basic human rights violations in countries of origin can a long-term solution to migration be found. People do not flee their countries when their human rights are being respected and observed.
I firmly hope that strengthening international protection for refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced persons as well advancing legal migration and mobility will be high on the Summit’s agenda and will not be side-lined by readmission and return measures.
Member States must comply with their commitments and add fresh money to the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa and ensure that this fund is not used only for securing borders but rather towards eradicating poverty and fighting social inequalities in the countries of origin” declared Ms Elena Valenciano.
