Scribd
Upload
76 views2 pages

Unhcr - Namibia - Syalsabilla M

The document discusses the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean Sea and Namibia's role in addressing it. It provides background on how conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa have led to many refugees seeking help elsewhere. Namibia has taken in Angolan refugees in the past and provided them security, education, healthcare and other rights. The document proposes solutions like dividing responsibilities according to countries' acceptance of the non-refoulement principle, with those accepting it providing refuge and those violating it offering other support like funding. It aims to ensure refugees' lives are protected rather than sending them back to danger.

Uploaded by

Abinaya Oktavio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
76 views2 pages

Unhcr - Namibia - Syalsabilla M

The document discusses the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean Sea and Namibia's role in addressing it. It provides background on how conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa have led to many refugees seeking help elsewhere. Namibia has taken in Angolan refugees in the past and provided them security, education, healthcare and other rights. The document proposes solutions like dividing responsibilities according to countries' acceptance of the non-refoulement principle, with those accepting it providing refuge and those violating it offering other support like funding. It aims to ensure refugees' lives are protected rather than sending them back to danger.

Uploaded by

Abinaya Oktavio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

NAMIBIA

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees


Safeguarding The Refugees in The Mediterranean Sea

Background and International History


Although the voice to protect human rights for every single living person and
creature has been introduced, there are, in fact, a ton of countries who decided to not give
access to people due to their race, religion, political opinion, or one’s membership to a social
group. The one that fulfills the criteria above are usually defined as refugees by the
international society and the complexity is most refugees are stateless. The issue of
someone’s identity that relates to access should not be partisan, so does protecting refugees.
The Middle-East and North African (MENA) have been at war for decades and this
situation makes many citizens threatened by a wide sphere of dangerous situations, as simple
as human rights violations. In MENA, it is a common thing for them to seek help in other
countries in the hope of the opportunity to live a better life, or at least a chance to survive.
The refugees from Middle-East or North Africa, such as Libya and Syria, take a “long
vacation” to Europe by vessel which is inadequate for them. Refugees are usually
underestimated by other people, some are defined as a poor person. Again, the issue should
not be partisan, but as the world develops swiftly, this issue is still there due to incapability
from UNHCR to appeal to European countries to restart government rescue operations for
migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. 27 European member states are violating the
non-refoulement principle by doing pullback and pushback to the refugees. Pushback is
expelling the refugees from their borders and sending them back to the refugee’s country
which has been at war torn. Whilst pullback is keeping their borders by Libyan coast guard in
order to intercept refugee boats and return them back to their countries.

Namibia’s Past Action


Becoming one of the countries in African continent has become the privilege of
Namibia to have a better understanding of the human rights factor of refugees. Namibia has
had a comprehensive approach and immense amount of support to the safeguarding process
of refugees, as instance the Angolan action that Namibia has involved in. Recalling the
implementation of the Comprehensive Solutions Strategy for Angolan refugees and the
Declaration of Cessation in Namibia at the end of 2012, Namibia was assigned by UNHCR to
be completely taking care of the remaining refugees from Angola. In total of 1.808 refugees
and 1.106 asylum-seekers were living in Osire settlement at the end of 2015, all of the
refugees that stayed in Namibia got their human rights, such as, but not limited to access to
security, good education, and health facilities as well as local nationals.

Possible Solution
Refugee crisis is our responsibility as a human race. We feel what they feel and they
must feel what we feel. They’re seeking for a good life in this mortal existence. Thus, we, as
a human that live on this earth, must work together to make and help them for seeking a
better life. We, as the delegation from Namibia, would like to represent our solutions, the
details are as follows below.
A. Dividing the task for each country according to the non-refoulement principle
that each country has signatories before.
a. For countries that are in agreement with non-refoulement principle.
The countries are in agreement with non-refoulement principle should provide a
place or places for principal reception and residence for refugees. They also have
to restrict their freedom of movement if consideration of national security is
required or make it advisable. So that the refugees really know where they have to
go to survive their life.
b. For countries are violating the non-refoulement principle.
The countries are violating the non-refoulement principle due to fear that the
refugees will steal their jobs or opportunities or others are having the same
responsibility to protect the refugee's life. They must support the refugees with
their way, such as make a funding to fulfill their needs.
c. For the countries that are close to the Mediterranean Sea.
The countries close to the Mediterranean Sea are required to guide the refugees to
the safe place, instead sending them back to their countries.

Bibliography
[1] UNHCR, “2. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees,” UNHCR, Geneva, 1951.
[2] UNHCR, “A guide to international refugee protection and building state asylum
systems,” UNHCR, 2017.
[3] UNHCR, “Submission by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees For the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Compilation Report Universal Periodic
Review: 2nd Cycle, 24th Session NAMIBIA,” UNHCR.
[4] UNHCR, “Refugees and Asylum-seekers in Namibia,” UNHCR, 2015.
[Online] Available: ​https://reporting.unhcr.org/node/3633​. [Accessed 26 August 2020]
[5] Parliament Republic of Namibia, “​Namibia Refugees (Recognition and Control) Act 2
of 1999,” 1999.

You might also like