IPU unanimously passes UAE's emergency request on protection of refugees

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has endorsed a request submitted by the UAE Parliamentary Division of the Federal National Council (FNC) for the inclusion of an emergency item in the agenda of the 133rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union titled, "Strengthening the role of parliamentarians in the effective implementation of the principles of international humanitarian law and international conventions on the protection of refugees".

Members of the IPU last night unanimously approved the UAE request following its merger with a proposal presented by the National Assembly of the Sudan.

Addressing the IPU Assembly, Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi, First Deputy Speaker of the FNC, said, 'As I am standing here before you, I feel the tremendous human tragedies that have arisen from the sharp rise in numbers of migrants and refugees, particularly from some Middle Eastern and North African countries, where military conflicts and political and sectarian tensions prevail. This situation has led to a loss of human dignity and human rights, as well as to violations of international humanitarian law and international conventions on the protection of refugees.' 'The delegation of the United Arab Emirates considers that the deteriorating refugee situation represents a major violation of human rights in countries of origin and an imminent threat to the political, economic and social stability of host countries. According to a report from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the rate of asylum claims has increased by 23 per cent during 2015, bringing the total number of refugees across the world to more than 30 million, ' she said.

Furthermore, she added, according to the United Nations Secretary-General, conflicts in some Middle Eastern and North African countries with major military, political, religious or sectarian tensions, generate one refugee every four seconds. Currently, half the population of Syria is at risk of becoming a migrant. For the last six months, tens of thousands in Yemen, Iraq and Libya have been emigrating every day.

More than 2,000 migrants have died from either being drowned at sea or from exposure to severe weather conditions. There are currently around 30 countries around the world considered to generate the most refugees.

'One of the fundamental reasons that caused the delegation of the United Arab Emirates to present this item was its recognition of the gross violations committed in countries where military, political or sectarian conflicts have broken out. It also recognises the duties of other countries to host refugees under the Geneva Convention (IV) (1949), particularly Article 44, which concerns the protection of civilians in wartime and confirms that all the countries of the world are responsible for the protection of human safety and the provision of appropriate conditions, including shelter, housing, health and food, to those who have been deported from their countries,' she said.

'It is important to advocate and confirm an active role for parliamentarians in maintaining the right to asylum as an internationally recognised human right and ensuring the protection of millions of those whose rights have been violated or have been subject to threats due to military, political or sectarian conflicts have broken out. It is also important to advocate the active involvement of parliamentarians in the enforcement of international humanitarian law, that requires the joint efforts of those in the international community, and co-operation among rich countries, poor countries and international organisations, particularly the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, ' Al Qubaisi said.

'The involvement of parliamentarians will reduce the risks associated with military, sectarian, religious and political hotspots, in terms of controlling immigration waves, refugee resettlement and internationally mandated intervention for the purposes of accomplishing political and military stability in countries of origin,' she noted.

Al Qubaisi called on the United Nations and other regional and international organisations to recognise the principle of "shared international responsibility" in order to protect refugees, to provide urgent humanitarian aid, to support host countries, to ensure that refugees enjoy their internationally recognised human rights, to expedite the implementation of international and regional co-operation programmes which aim to strengthen sustainable economic development.

'The delegation of the United Arab Emirates would like to call attention to the need to advocate the active involvement of parliamentarians in tackling refugee-related issues, not as a political problem (the circumstances of which might become more complicated), but first and foremost as a social and humanitarian issue, so that such situations in the future do not lead to more casualties or drowned refugees,' she said.

She also called on the United Nations and all countries that are active at the international and regional levels both, to settle military conflicts in the Middle East in compliance with resolutions adopted by the international community, particularly resolution 2216 on Yemen, resolutions 2043 and 2139 on Syria and the final communiqué of the Action Group for Syria ("Geneva I" conference, June 2012), and also to enforce the United Nations resolutions on Libya and Iraq, in order to establish political and military stability in the region and to avoid threats to international peace and security.

'We also call for the necessary implementation of and respect for the principle of "international relief" highlighted by international conventions relating to the protection of refugees. Those conventions are designed to provide refugees with urgent and permanent aid regarding health and food, and the States or parties involved in any conflict or tensions shall undertake to ensure that they facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid without damaging relief consignments and supplies destined by aid agencies for distribution to people in need and ensure the dispatch of those supplies is not delayed,' she said Al Qubaisi noted that the UAE is one of the world's largest donors of humanitarian and development assistance to the Syrian refugees whether inside Syria and host countries with total accumulated aid reaching more than Dh4 billion (US$1.1 billion).