Presenting the first interim report on the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025) to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, the Special Representative of Secretary General (SRSG) on Migration and Refugees, Leyla Kayacik, underlined that protecting and upholding the human rights of persons in vulnerable situations in the context of migration and asylum remains is a challenge which must be adequately addressed.
The SRSG noted that the implementation of the Action Plan was impacted by the Russian Federation‘s aggression against Ukraine, which forced millions of people to leave the country, adding that the Council of Europe needed to adapt its working methods and provide concrete and coherent responses to challenges faced by member states in protecting the human rights of the most vulnerable.
She further highlighted progress achieved in developing standards related to protection of persons in a vulnerable situation, along with co-operation activities aimed at building migration, asylum and reception systems in the long term, supporting access to healthcare, including mental health, strengthening the capacity of legal professionals in the field of migration and asylum as well as supporting education, and linguistic and intercultural inclusion within the host communities.
The co-ordination both within the Council of Europe and with member states as well as with other international organisations dealing with migrants and refugees, have been strengthened, SRSG Kayacik stated.
Noting that more than two years remain for the implementation of the Action Plan, the SRSG announced that during this period the focus will be placed on:
- Protecting women and children from abuse, exploitation and human trafficking
- Providing access to healthcare and building capacity of providers of psychological support
- Reinforcing access to education, linguistic integration and qualifications recognition
- Strenghtening the capacity of legal professionals in the field of migration and asylum
- Reinforcing resilience of local and regional authorities
The first interim report provides an overview of the work carried out by the Council of Europe in the field of migration and asylum for the period from May 2021 to December 2022.
In a report, based on her fact-finding mission to Romania in December last year, the SRSG found that the authorities reacted promptly and efficiently to an unprecedented influx of people, providing assistance to those leaving Ukraine as well as by mobilising resources for the protection and inclusion of more than 100,000 persons who have decided to remain in the country, overwhelming majority of whom are women and children.
The report praised the government for swiftly putting in place a comprehensive coordination mechanism involving central and local authorities, international organisations and NGOs.
The SRSG further identified areas where the Council of Europe can provide support in dealing with ongoing challenges, in line with its standards and tools, as outlined in the Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025).
The SRSG carried out a fact-finding mission to Hungary from 20 to 23 March 2023, which focused on the situation of persons in vulnerable situations who continue to flee Ukraine and explored possibilities for the Council of Europe of providing support and expertise to the authorities, including at local level, in the framework of the Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025).
The mission included the meetings with the relevant state authorities, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary, the representatives of international organisations and NGOs as well as a visit to the Beregsurány border crossing with Ukraine.
During her visit to Chisinau on 7 February, the SRSG took part in the launch of the Council of Europe project: “Strengthening the human rights protection of refugees and migrants in the Republic of Moldova.” National partners, UN Agencies working in the field of migration and asylum and civil society representatives also participated in the launch.
In her opening remarks, she praised Moldova’s extraordinary hospitality to Ukrainian refugees, highlighting the need for continuous and steadfast international support to the country. “This project is a follow up to the findings contained in the report on my visit to the country in June last year as well as of in-depth consultations with state authorities, international organisations and civil society,” said the SRSG, adding that it draws on the Council of Europe’s judicial expertise and the substantial case-law of the European Court of Human Rights in the field of asylum and migration.
Developed within the framework of the Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025) and funded under the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2021-2024, the project is implemented in co-operation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education and Research, the National Institute of Justice and the People’s Advocate Office.
The SRSG also visited a Refugee Accommodation Centre in Chisinau. She was moved by testimonies of women, children and elderly who found refuge in the Republic of Moldova.
Further strengthening the protection, in the Czech Republic, of people fleeing Ukraine, especially of women and children who are in a vulnerable situation, was the main take of a roundtable discussion co-organised by the Special Representative of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees (SRSG) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) offices in Prague and Strasbourg on 26 January.
The online roundtable, which gathered more than 50 participants, was a follow-up to the report of the fact-finding visit to the Czech Republic carried out by SRSG Leyla Kayacik in May 2022.
In her opening speech, the SRSG praised the solidarity shown by the Czech authorities, civil society and individuals to people fleeing Ukraine. She underlined that the roundtable offered a good opportunity to follow-up on the findings and recommendations of her report, to have an overview of the current situation and explore avenues to further support the efforts by the authorities.
The European Court of Human Rights case-law and the Council of Europe standards on protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls were presented, in particular their protection from violence and human trafficking. As part of the discussion on the national approach to child protection, the Council of Europe presented a Handbook on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in crisis and emergency situations (also available in Czech language).
On 7 March, SRSG Kayacik took part in the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), as one of the panellists in a side-event, entitiled: Responding to Regional and Global Challenges: Protecting the Rights of Migrant, Refugee and Asylum-seeking Women and Girls, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The debate highlighted the challenges and specific needs of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls, including those fleeing Ukraine. It offered an opportunity to exchange experience and practical solutions for improving the situation of women and girls on the ground, whether in their country of origin, during the journey, or upon arrival.
The side-event was co-organised by the Council of Europe and the Permanent Mission of Iceland to the United Nations under the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The SRSG's visit to New York also included meetings with the UN SRSG on Violence against Children, Naajat Maalla M’jid and with Virginia Gamba, UN SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict.
On 2 and 3 February, the SRSG met representatives of the European Union and the United Nations in Brussels to discuss the latest developments of the migration and refugee situation in Europe. She had a series of meetings with high-level EU officials as well as with representatives of the United Nations agencies in Brussels - OHCHR, UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM, UN Women and UN DCO.
Finally, on 31 March, the Council of Europe Co-ordination Group on Migration held its first meeting since the adoption of the Interim Report on the implementation of the Action Plan, reaffirming that close co-ordination is key to protecting the human rights of migrants and refugees.