UNHCR 90th Standing Committee Agenda item 3a: Note on international protection EU Statement

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UNHCR 90th Standing Committee - Agenda item 3a: Note on international protection - EU Statement

01.07.2024 Press and information team of the Delegation to the UN in Geneva

UNHCR 90^th Standing Committee

1-3 July 2024

Agenda item 3a: Note on international protection

Statement by the EU and its Member States

1 July 2024

Chair,

I have the honour to speakon behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia^[*], Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this statement.

1. We thank UNHCR for this year's note on international protection and express our unwavering support to providing protection to forcibly displaced persons globally. We reiterate our commitment to asylum and adherence to international refugee law.
2. As the number of persons in need of protection continues to increase, there is a growing pressure on asylum systems, including within the EU. Last year, over 1.1 million persons applied for international protection in the EU, the highest figure in seven years. EU Member States granted protection to almost 400 000 asylum seekers in 2023. Further, the EU and its Member States continue to provide temporary protection to almost 4.2 million people who have fled Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, 80% of them women and children. We have decided to prolong the Temporary Protection for another year, until March 2026.
3. We agree that it is essential that States strengthen their asylum and migration systems to enhance protection globally. We welcome and support the relevant pledges presented by host countries at the second Global Refugee Forum and commend those countries who have made improvements in their asylum systems and processes. We will continue our collective engagement to support such efforts.
4. Modernising our asylum and migration system in compliance with international and EU law, is the objective of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The Pact will equip the EU and its Member States with a sustainable migration and asylum system in full respect of fundamental rights of refugees and migrants and with due attention to specific vulnerabilities in accordance with the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility. The Pact sets out safe and predictable arrival procedures, more efficient and faster processes at the external borders and more effective asylum and return procedures. It aims at increasing the safeguards for the protection of asylum seekers and the most vulnerable, particularly minors and families with children.We count on continued good cooperation with UNHCR in the implementation of the Pact.
5. We welcome the joint work of UNHCR and IOM aimed at designing policies and building partnerships to address mixed movements of migrants and refugees with a whole-of-route, rights-based and comprehensive approach. We need comprehensive approaches that ensure the protection and fundamental rights of refugees and migrants, provide international protection to those in need and return of those not in need of international protection. The EU's migration and asylum policy has been based on a whole of route approach for many years and we have steadily promoted coordination between actors. We stand ready to continue our support in developing andimplementing this approach with partner countries, UN agencies and other stakeholders in a coherent and comprehensive way along routes.
6. The EU and its Member States recognise the critical importance of refugee inclusion. We are implementing a comprehensive array of initiatives to enhance inclusion of refugees. In the EU, refugees have access to labour markets and social welfare benefits. EU funding tools such as the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and the European Social Fund provide support to Member States' efforts in key sectors like education, employment, housing, or healthcare. We commend and support partner countries who are pursuing progressive policies of refugee inclusion to the benefit of both refugees and their host communities.
7. The EU and its Member States continue to offer safe and legal pathways to protection in line with national competencies. Since 2015, EU-supported resettlement programmes have helped more than 120 000 refugees to find protection in the EU and facilitated almost 48,000 humanitarian admissions. For 2024-2025, EU Member States affirmed their commitment to providing safe and legal pathways to protection by pledging collectively 61,000 places for resettlement and humanitarian admission combined. We continue contributing to efforts to promote complementary pathways to protection and community sponsorship. We call upon other countries to provide resettlement.
8. We support the practice of the Executive Committee to adopt conclusions and we are looking forward to the adoption of this year's conclusion on durable solutions and complementary pathways.
9. Finally, working towards ending statelessness is an objective that we share, and we look forward to the launch of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness during the next session of the Executive Committee in October.

[*]North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.