UN
Global food prices dropped further in January: UN
Global food prices dropped for the tenth consecutive month in January, the UN food agency said recently.
Price indices for vegetable oils, dairy and sugar drove the January decline, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said Friday.
The FAO Food Price Index fell 17.9 percent below its peak reached in March 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The downward pricing trend was helped in part by a pivotal agreement signed in July to unblock Ukraine grain exports amid the ongoing war.
Tracking monthly changes in the global prices of commonly traded food commodities, the latest index averaged 131.2 points in January, falling 0.8 percent since December.
The FAO reported small price decreases on its latest meat and sugar indices.
"Strong harvest progress in Thailand and favourable weather conditions in Brazil outweighed the impact on sugar prices due to concerns over lower crop yields in India, higher gasoline prices in Brazil, which support demand for ethanol, as well as the Brazilian real's appreciation against the US dollar," the UN agency said.
Also, vegetable oil prices fell 2.9 percent, stemming from subdued global import demand for palm and soy oils and ample export availability of sunflower seed and rapeseed oils. Cereal prices remained essentially unchanged since December.
International wheat prices fell for the third consecutive month. The 2.5 percent decrease relates to Australia and Russia outpacing production expectations. Meanwhile, slightly higher global maize prices were rooted in a strong demand for exports from Brazil and concerns over dry conditions in Argentina.
Cheese became slightly more expensive despite dairy prices averaging 1.4 percent lower than in December, which came after lighter demand from leading importers and increased supplies from New Zealand.
Currency movements drove the price increase alongside a recovery in food services and retail sales in Western Europe following the New Year holiday.
Global rice prices climbed 6.2 percent from December, triggered by tighter availability. Other factors included strong local demand in some Asian exporting countries and exchange rate movements.
In its latest Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, the FAO expects international trade in cereals in the 2022/23 period to decline by 1.7 percent from the previous year's record level to 474 million tons.
Early indications point to likely area expansions for winter wheat cropping in the northern hemisphere. However, higher costs may affect the amount of fertiliser that can be applied to crops, with adverse implications for yields.
Low domestic prices could result in a small cutback in wheat plantings in Russia, the world's largest exporter, while severe war-induced impacts in Ukraine are estimated to reduce winter wheat area plantings by 40 percent.
Record planting is forecast for India, spurred by high market and support prices, and relatively high planting is projected in Pakistan as standing water from the 2022 floods is causing less hindrance than initially anticipated.
In the southern hemisphere countries, most of the 2023 coarse grain crops have been sown. Brazil may post record maize plantings, while those in Argentina could decrease due to low soil moisture levels and weather conditions augur well for maize yield prospects in South Africa, the FAO said.
Read more: Global food prices in 2022 hit record high amid drought, war
UN: Revive, restore wetlands, home to 40% of all biodiversity
Although coastal and freshwater wetlands – such as swamps, mangroves and marshes – contain 40 percent of all plant and animal species, many are polluted or degraded due to climate change and human development.
On World Wetlands Day Thursday, the UN called for urgent action to revive and restore these ecosystems, which are disappearing three times faster than forests.
Wetlands cover roughly six percent of the Earth's land surface and are vital for human health, food supply, tourism and jobs.
More than a billion people worldwide depend on them for their livelihoods, while their shallow waters and abundant plant life support everything from insects to ducks to moose.
Wetlands also play a crucial role in both achieving sustainable development and the fight against climate change.
They provide essential ecosystem services such as water regulation, and reducing the impact of flooding, for example.
Peatlands, a particular type of vegetated wetland, store twice as much carbon as forests.
However, over the past 200 years, wetlands have been drained to make way for farmland or infrastructure development, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Roughly 35 percent of all wetlands globally disappeared between 1970 and 2015, and the rate of loss has been accelerating since the year 2000.
Depending on the amount of climate-related sea level rise, some 20 to 90 percent of current coastal wetlands could be gone by the end of the century, the UNEP said.
Wetlands have also suffered more biodiversity loss than other land and marine ecosystems.
Leticia Carvalho, head of the agency's Marine and Freshwater Branch, urged governments to end policies and subsidies that incentivise deforestation and wetlands degradation, and urgently focus on restoration.
Read more: Historic biodiversity agreement reached at U.N. conference
"At the same time, we must guide and drive investments to protect priority ecosystems, such as peatlands, and encourage the private sector to commit to deforestation and peatland-drainage-free supply chains," she added.
Recently, governments have been stepping up efforts to protect wetlands.
At the UN Biodiversity Conference in December, countries agreed a landmark deal to protect a third of the planet's lands, coastal areas and inland waters by 2030.
Action to restore wetlands is gathering momentum around the world. For example, China is developing the "sponge cities" concept, in the face of rapid urbanisation and intensified climate hazards, including flooding.
Initiatives include "green" rooves, constructed wetlands and pavements that capture, slow down and filter stormwater.
PM likely to attend 5th UN conf on least developed countries in Doha next month
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to participate in the fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) to be held in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, on March 5-9.
An inter-ministerial meeting, chaired by Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, was held on January 30 regarding the Prime Minister’s participation in the LDC5, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Seheli Sabrin told reports at a weekly briefing on Thursday.
The LDC5 is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to accelerate sustainable development in the places where international assistance is needed the most - and to tap the full potential of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) helping them make progress on the road to prosperity.
UN experts laud IOC for considering admission of Russian, Belarusian athletes as neutral contestants
The UN experts Wednesday commended the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for considering allowing individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports competitions as neutral athletes.
"We urge the IOC to adopt a decision in that direction, and to go further, ensuring the nondiscrimination of any athlete based on their nationality," he added.
On January 25 and following discussions with two special rapporteurs, the executive board of the IOC issued a statement referring to the need to respect the rights of all athletes to be treated without any discrimination, following the Olympic Charter.
A few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the IOC recommended the ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials such as judges from international competitions. The experts said the recent statement appeared to be a reversal of that policy.
"The IOC recommendation raised serious issues of direct discrimination because athletes should not be discriminated against based on their nationality," the UN experts said.
"We understand the desire to support Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian Olympic community, who suffer terribly from the war, together with all other Ukrainians," they said. "But the Olympic Committee and more widely the Olympic community has also the compelling obligation to abide by the Olympic Charter, and more widely international human rights norms prohibiting discrimination."
"When states so flagrantly ignore human rights, we have a greater obligation to stand in support of our common values," the experts added.
They said while understanding that all precautions must be taken to prevent sports competitions from being instrumentalised, no athlete should be required to take sides in the conflict.
Read more: Bangladesh elected to chair IOC Regional Committee for IOCINDIO
Referring to the IOC's condition that only Russian and Belarussian athletes who have not actively supported the war in Ukraine would be permitted to compete in a neutral capacity, the experts urged the IOC to take more steps to align its recommendations with international human rights standards on non-discrimination.
"This condition opens the door to pressure and interpretation. The same rules must apply to all athletes, whatever their nationality. This includes the rule that any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited," they said.
The experts are Alexandra Xanthaki, special rapporteur in cultural rights, and Ashwini KP, special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Bangladesh playing a critical, life-saving role in responding to climate-related disasters: Gwyn Lewis
UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis has said the government of Bangladesh is playing a critical, and often life-saving role in responding to climate-related disasters.
"Anticipating climate risks is one way we can better support the government to act promptly and mitigate the impacts of disasters. The ultimate goal is to help affected people so that they can recover and get back to normal as soon as possible,” she said thanking the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief for co-organising a meeting to that end.
Strengthening collaboration on disaster risk management for the government-led emergency response was discussed at the first meeting of the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) on Wednesday co-chaired by Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), MD Kamrul Hasan, and the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis.
The Humanitarian Coordination Task Team meeting was attended by government officials, UN agency focal points, representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), international organisations, the Red Cross Movement and the Red Crescent, and diplomatic missions.
Welcoming meeting participants, Gwyn Lewis spoke about the importance of strengthening joint disaster response efforts so that when a flood or a cyclone hits Bangladesh, people that are impacted are supported in the best and quickest way possible.
The Secretary thanked UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis for collaborative efforts to implement the 2019 National Plan for Disaster and the Standing Order on Disaster (SoD) and said that the HCTT and cluster collaboration need to transform considering muti-hazard early warning for all, anticipatory action, internal displacement management, and environmental protection.
“Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. In addition, recent rapid urbanisation has increased the risk of earthquakes as well as man-made disasters. The recent fire incident in Sitakunda, Chittagong district and the protracted floods in Sylhet district reminds us of the necessity of efficient response,” he said, noting that protection and gender should be at the centre of the coordination work.
Read more: Gwyn Lewis of Ireland appointed UNRC in Bangladesh
Overall, following the June 2022 floods, the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team and its partners mobilised around 20 million US dollars to respond to the most urgent needs reflected in the Government's Flash Flood Response Plan.
Another key achievement of this humanitarian coordination mechanism in 2022 was the creation of the INFORM Sub-national Risk Index of Bangladesh: an open source for risk assessment at the local level that is used to identify vulnerable populations.
Participants of the event talked about ways to enhance collaboration and strengthen humanitarian preparedness and response to climate-related disasters.
HCTT members agreed to improve the disaster risk information system and to coordinate humanitarian work through effective planning, monitoring and resource mobilisation.
The Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) is a working group and it was set up in 2012 to provide operational-level support coordinating disaster risk management, preparedness, and response efforts of government, national and international organisations in Bangladesh.
Since 2016, the HCTT collectively raised over 103 million USD for nine different response plans in Bangladesh.
UN expert’s report highlights Myanmar junta's fraudulent claim to legitimacy, urges States to denounce 2023 ‘sham’ elections
Myanmar’s junta—the State Administration Council (SAC)—is illegal and illegitimate, the UN human rights expert on Myanmar said on Tuesday.
He called for the international community to deny the SAC legitimacy, create a coalition of member states to enforce strong, coordinated sanctions against the SAC, and support the National Unity Government which has a stronger claim to legitimacy.
On the eve of the second anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar which deposed the democratically elected National Unity Government, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews, issued a new report that lays bare the junta’s flawed claims to be the legitimate government of Myanmar.
“Two years ago, the military deposed a democratically elected government in an unconstitutional coup. The unrelenting violence that it unleashed on the people of Myannar has created a widespread human rights, humanitarian, and economic crisis and galvanised nationwide opposition,” the Special Rapporteur said.
“The conclusion is clear – the SAC’s military coup was illegal and its claim as Myanmar’s government is illegitimate and a new, coordinated international response to the crisis is imperative,” Andrews said.
In “Illegal and Illegitimate: Examining the Myanmar Military’s Claim as the Government of Myanmar and the International Response,” Andrews demonstrates why, under international standards, the junta is not a legitimate government and must not be recognised or engaged with by the international community.
Andrews warned that the junta was planning to seek legitimacy in 2023 by orchestrating a sham “election.”
Read more: Myanmar mired ever deeper in crisis as human rights spiral backwards: Türk
He urged member States, international organisations and election monitoring groups not to provide technical support to the SAC in its efforts to appear legitimate. “Instead they should explicitly denounce what will be a farcical exercise designed to perpetuate military control of Myanmar’s political system,” the UN expert said.
Andrews’ report also examines Member States’ interactions with the SAC, highlighting actions that have delegitimised or withheld recognition to the SAC, and actions by Member States that have created the appearance of legitimacy.
“Importantly, the international community has, by and large, refused to accept the SAC’s claim to be the legitimate government of Myanmar,” said Andrews.
However, the expert pointed to a small minority of States, including Belarus, China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka, that have implicitly supported the junta’s claim as the government of Myanmar by taking actions that are tantamount to recognition.
“These actions include presenting diplomatic credentials to SAC leadership, strengthening economic and military relations with the SAC, and—in the case of at least Belarus and India—publicly engaging with the SAC on its plans to hold sham elections,” Andrews said.
“Even governments that have engaged the SAC, however, recognise the plain truth—the junta lacks legitimacy,” the Special Rapporteur said. For example, during consultations for the report, Vietnam told the Special Rapporteur, "[C]ontact, exchange and cooperation activities with Myanmar within bilateral settings or ASEAN frameworks should not be interpreted as or equated with a recognition of the military government or the State Administration Council.”
Addressing ASEAN Member States separately in his report, the UN Special Rapporteur noted that the regional grouping was divided on policy vis-à-vis Myanmar’s junta.
“Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore have reduced diplomatic engagement with the SAC and rejected its claims of legitimacy. Some of these Member States have also engaged with the National Unity Government. Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam have chosen to engage with the SAC,” Andrews said.
“ASEAN States must distance themselves from the SAC, condemn its actions and support enforcement of international sanctions in their jurisdictions, while increasing engagement with the National Unity Government,” he said.
Read more: UN adopts resolution on human rights of Rohingya, other minorities in Myanmar
“I urge all Member States, but particularly those that have already imposed costs on the junta, to initiate a strategic approach to strengthen, coordinate and enforce economic sanctions and an arms embargo on the SAC and provide more robust humanitarian aid to the millions in desperate need,” the UN expert urged.
“Governments that recognise or support to the SAC are propping up a brutal junta that operates in flagrant violation of international human rights law,” he said.
Andrews urged Member States to provide recognition to the NUG as the legitimate representative of the people of Myanmar and begin providing appropriate support to help ensure its sustainability.
“The SAC is seeking to turn back the clock, close the door on Myanmar’s democratic opening, and through violence and force, destroy the advancements in human rights and economic opportunities that Myanmar’s people began to enjoy over the past decade,” the Special Rapporteur said.
“For the sake of the human rights of the people of Myanmar, the SAC must not be allowed to achieve this outcome.”
Myanmar mired ever deeper in crisis as human rights spiral backwards: Türk
Nearly two years on from Myanmar's military coup against the democratically-elected government, the country has sunk deeper than ever into crisis, undergoing a wholesale regression in human rights, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said recently.
"By nearly every feasible measurement, and in every area of human rights – economic, social and cultural, as much as civil and political – Myanmar has profoundly regressed," he said Friday.
"Despite clear legal obligations for the military to protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, there has been a consistent disregard for the related rules of international law."
"Far from being spared, civilians have been the actual targets of attacks – victims of targeted and indiscriminate artillery barrages and air strikes, extrajudicial executions, the use of torture, and the burning of whole villages," the head of OHCHR added.
The OHCHR said at least 2,890 people died at the hands of the military and others working with them, of whom at least 767 were initially taken into custody.
This is almost certainly an underestimate of the number of people killed by the military.
A staggering 1.2 million people of Myanmar were internally displaced, and over 70,000 left the country – joining more than a million others who fled, including the bulk of the country's Rohingya Muslim population, who suffered decades of sustained persecution and attacks, the OHCHR said.
Over 34,000 civilian structures, including homes, clinics, schools and places of worship, were burned over the past two years, the rights office said.
Since February 1, 2021, the military has imprisoned the entire democratically elected leadership of the country and, in subsequent months, detained over 16,000 others – most of whom face specious charges in military-controlled courts, in flagrant breach of due process and fair trial rights, linked to their refusal to accept the military's actions, the OHCHR said.
"There must be a way out of this catastrophic situation, which sees only deepening human suffering and rights violations on a daily basis," Türk said. "Regional leaders, who engaged the military leadership through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed a Five-Point Consensus that Myanmar's generals have treated with disdain."
"Two of the critical conditions that were agreed – to cease all violence and to allow humanitarian access – have not been met. In fact, we have seen the opposite. Violence has spiralled out of control and humanitarian access has been severely restricted."
Read more: Myanmar opium cultivation surged 33% amid violence, UN finds
UN forecasts fall in global economic growth to 1.9% in 2023
The United Nations forecast Wednesday (January 25, 2023) that global economic growth will fall significantly to 1.9% this year as a result of the food and energy crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine, the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, persistently high inflation and the climate emergency.
Painting a gloomy and uncertain economic outlook, the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs said the current global economic slowdown “cuts across both developed and developing countries, with many facing risks of recession in 2023.”
“A broad-based and severe slowdown of the global economy looms large amid high inflation, aggressive monetary tightening, and heightened uncertainties,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a foreword to the 178-page report.
The report said this year's 1.9% economic growth forecast — down from an estimated 3% in 2022 — is one of the lowest growth rates in recent decades. But it projects a moderate pick-up to 2.7% in 2024 if inflation gradually abates and economic headwinds start to subside.
Read More: Global economic growth will slow down in 2023, but will pick up in 2024: IMF chief
In its annual report earlier this month, the World Bank which lends money to poorer countries for development projects, cut its growth forecast nearly in half, from it previous projection of 3% to just 1.7%.
The International Monetary Fund, which provides loans to needy countries, projected in October that global growth would slow from 6% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and 2.7% in 2023. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said at last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos that 2023 will be a difficult year, but stuck by the projection and said “we don’t expect a global recession.”
Shantanu Mukherjee, director of the economic analysis and policy division of the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, highlighted the growing income inequality in the world at a news conference launching the report.
Between 2019 and 2021, he said, average incomes for the top 10% rose by 1.2% while the incomes of the lowest 40% fell by 0.5%.
Read More: Bangladesh-Turkiye Business Forum launched to usher in new era of economic cooperation
“The top 10% now earns on average over 42 times what the lowest percentiles” earn, Mukherjee said.
According to the U.N. report, this year “growth momentum has weakened in the United States, the European Union and other developed economies, adversely affecting the rest of the world economy.”
In the United States, GDP is projected to expand by only 0.4% in 2023 after estimated growth of 1.8% in 2022, the U.N. said. And many European countries are projected to experience “a mild recession" with the war in Ukraine heading into its second year on Feb. 14, high energy costs, and inflation and tighter financial conditions depressing household consumption and investment.
The economies in the 27-nation European Union are forecast to grow by just 0.2% in 2023, down from an estimated 3.3% in 2022, the U.N. said. And in the United Kingdom, which left the EU three years ago, GDP is projected to contract by 0.8% in 2023, continuing a recession that began in the second half of 2022, it said.
Read More: China’s economic growth falls to second-lowest level in four decades
With China’s government abandoning its zero-COVID policy late last year and easing monetary and fiscal policies, the U.N. forecast that its economy, which expanded by only 3% in 2022, will accelerate to 4.8% this year.
“But the reopening of the economy is expected to be bumpy,” the U.N. said. ”Growth will likely remain well below the pre-pandemic rate of 6-6.5%.”
The U.N. report said Japan’s economy is expected to be among the better-performing among developed countries this year, with GDP forecast to increase by 1.5%, slightly lower than last year’s estimated growth of 1.6%.
Across east Asia, the U.N. said economic recovery remains fragile though GDP growth in 2023 is forecast to reach 4.4%, up from 3.2% last year, and stronger than in other regions.
Read More: AL govt's ouster a 'must' to tackle political, economic crises
In South Asia, the U.N. forecast average GDP growth will slow from 5.6% last year to 4.8% this year as a result of high food and energy prices, “monetary tightening and fiscal vulnerabilities.”
But growth in India, which is expected to overtake China this year as the world’s most populous nation, is expected to remain strong at 5.8%, slightly lower than the estimated 6.4% in 2022, “as higher interest rates and a global slowdown weigh on investments and exports,” the U.N. report said.
In Western Asia, oil-producing countries are benefiting from high prices and rising output as well as a revival in tourism, the U.N. said. But economies that aren’t oil producers remain weak “given tightening access to international finance and severe fiscal constraints,” and average growth in the region is projected to slow from an estimated 6.4% in 2022 to 3.5% this year.
The U.N. said Africa has been hit “by multiple shocks, including weaker demand from key trading partners (especially China and Europe), a sharp increase in energy and food prices, rapidly rising borrowing costs and adverse weather events.”
Read More: Burden of Bangladesh’s economic and political stability must be shared
One result, it said, is mounting debt-servicing burdens which have forced a growing number of African governments to seek bilateral and multilateral support.
The U.N. projected economic growth in Africa to slow from an estimated 4.1% in 2022 to 3.8% this year.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the U.N. said the outlook “remains challenging,” citing labor market prospects, stubbornly high inflation and other issues. It forecast that regional growth will slow to just 1.4% in 2023 from an estimated expansion of 3.8% in 2022.
“The region’s largest economies – Argentina, Brazil and Mexico – are expected to grow at very low rates due to tightening financial conditions, weakening exports, and domestic vulnerabilities,” the U.N. said.
Read More: Bangladesh considering ‘pros and cons’ of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework: Momen
For the world’s least developed countries, the U.N. said growth is projected at 4.4% this year, about the same as last year but significantly below the UN's target of 7% by 2030.
UN expert welcomes verdict on Nobel laureate Maria Ressa's tax evasion case
The UN expert on freedom of expression Thursday welcomed the decision by a Philippines' court to acquit journalist and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and news outlet Rappler of tax evasion charges.
"The acquittal of Maria Ressa and Rappler is a victory for media freedom as well as justice," Irene Khan, UN special rapporteur on the freedom of expression and opinion, said.
"Journalistic work, especially journalistic expression about public and political issues, is an integral part of the right to freedom of expression and guaranteed by international human rights law."
Ressa and Rappler were charged by the former administration in the Philippines with evading tax payments after the news outlet raised foreign funding.
If convicted, the Nobel laureate would have faced up to 10 years imprisonment and fines. Maria and Rappler denied the charges and said the transactions involved legitimate financial mechanisms.
Noting that Maria Ressa continues to face several other charges, including cyber libel, Irene called on the authorities to withdraw all charges against her.
Read more: Nobel winner Maria Ressa, news outlet cleared of tax evasion
"I urge the government to abolish criminal libel, which has no place in a democracy," she said.
The special rapporteur has been in touch with the Pilipino government on this matter for several years.
Special rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.
Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world.
Special Procedures' experts work voluntarily; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
Read more: Journalist Maria Ressa reflects on Nobel Peace Prize win
Irene was appointed UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression on July 17, 2020. She is the first woman to hold this position since the establishment of the mandate in 1993.
New US border enforcement actions pose risk to fundamental human rights: Türk
New border enforcement measures recently announced by the US administration risk undermining the basic foundations of international human rights and refugee law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Wednesday.
“The right to seek asylum is a human right, no matter a person’s origin, immigration status, nor how they arrived at an international border,” said Türk.
“These measures appear to be at variance with the prohibition of collective expulsion and the principle of non-refoulement,” the UN human rights chief said.
The announced changes include increased use of expedited removals and expansion of the use of the Title 42 public health order to permit the fast-track expulsion to Mexico of some 30,000 Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans each month.
Read more: US border cities strained ahead of expected migrant surge
Title 42 has already been used by US immigration officials some 2.5 million times at the southern border to expel people to Mexico or their home country without an individualised assessment of all their protection needs accompanied by due process and procedural safeguards.
At the same time, a “humanitarian parole” programme, which was previously extended to Venezuelans, would be expanded to include nationals of Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua, allowing some 30,000 individuals per month from these four countries to come to the US for a limited period of two years with strict conditions for eligibility.
“While I welcome measures to create and expand safe and regular pathways, such initiatives should not come at the expense of fundamental human rights, including the right to seek asylum and the right to an individual assessment of protection needs. Limited access to humanitarian parole for some cannot be a replacement for upholding the rights of all to seek the protection of their human rights,” Türk said.
The high commissioner also said those most in need of asylum and those in vulnerable situations are unlikely to meet the restrictive requirements to be granted humanitarian parole, including having a financial sponsor in the US.
“We hear a great deal of talk about migration crises, but in reality, it is those migrating who often are the ones truly in crisis. Rather than vilifying them and stripping them of long-recognised rights, we should be seeking to govern migration humanely and safely with full respect for the human rights of every individual,” he added.
Read more: Illegal border crossings to US from Mexico reach annual high