IMO Calls for Concerted Action Against Unsafe Migration in Mediterranean

In response to a staggering variety of boat migrants rescued and killed within the Mediterranean Sea in latest days, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu has at present referred to as for extra concerted motion to deal with the difficulty of the prison gangs who illegally arrange the unregulated sea passages, placing hundreds of lives in danger.

It has been estimated up to now a number of days alone, greater than 2,000 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean and a whole bunch have misplaced their lives. According to the UN Refugee Agency, 2014 was a peak 12 months with greater than 200,000 individuals getting into Europe by way of the Mediterranean and over 3,500 lives misplaced. So far this 12 months, greater than 5.600 migrants already been rescued, representing a 50% improve from the identical time final 12 months.

“We do not seek to prevent migration. People have the human right to migrate. But it is time to stop illegal, unregulated passage arranged by people smugglers. Not only do they put the lives of the migrants in danger, they also endanger the rescue services and merchant shipping which take part in the rescue operations. Something needs to be done against the smugglers or the situation will not improve. It is placing an intolerable strain on rescue services and on merchant vessels,” Sekimizu mentioned.

Sekimizu famous appreciation the efforts made by Italian and different authorities in the newest rescue operations over the weekend, however drew rising variety of unsafe, irregular and unlawful sea passages within the Mediterranean throughout 2014.

“This is a serious issue for IMO and a humanitarian tragedy. There is a strong tradition of search and rescue at sea and this will continue but the search and rescue services provided by a number of countries are overstretched. Even with the contribution of the Italian Navy and Italian Coast Guard, more than 600 merchant ships were diverted last year to go to the support of persons in distress at sea. This is beyond acceptable limits and without the Italian efforts many more would have died. The efforts of Italian rescuers – and others – are greatly appreciated but we have reached the point where we need to focus more effort on the prevention side.”

To fight the difficulty, the IMO shall be internet hosting an UN inter-agency assembly on the the difficulty in March, which can even contain a number of intergovernmental organizations, Member States and delivery business stakeholders.

The assembly will search to construct on the momentum gained on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Dialogue on Protection Challenges held in early December 2014, looking for develop potential methods ahead each by particular person businesses and thru the Global Migration Group.

Sekimizu added that consideration needs to be given to establishing a database of incidents to assist legislation enforcement businesses to establish, arrest, prosecute and punish smugglers. All necessary is bigger management over coastal zones and ports so that individuals don’t journey on board unsafe boats, he mentioned.

“I firmly believe that there is scope for greater efforts by the international community to better manage the process of migration,” Sekimizu mentioned.

Also Thursday, the EU revealed plans to step up its help to Italy in dealing difficulty, notably to assist it cope with the present excessive migratory pressures in Lampedusa, a small Italian island that has develop into the epicenter of boat migration within the Mediterranean. The European Commission mentioned that it might be extending its central migration joint operation Triton till at the very least the top of 2015, and likewise awarded €13.7 million in emergency funding from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) to Italy.