Citizens for Justice and Peace
Livin’ on a Prayer A look at the migrant crisis on International Migrants Day
18-Dec-2017
Today, on International Migrants Day (December 18), CJP believes that it is vital to recognise the plight of both refugees and migrants, who often face similar struggles, though their legal definitions differ. According to the United Nations (UN), “Refugees are persons who are outside their country of origin for reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized…
40 Rohingya villages burned since October: HRW
18-Dec-2017
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said that analysis of satellite images has found that Rohingya villages have been further destroyed in Myanmar’s Rakhine state during October and November. HRW said it has pinpointed 40 villages “with building destruction,” making the number of villages “that have been partially or completely destroyed” 354 since August 25, 2017.…
UN official says 8.4 million in Yemen “a step away from famine”
13-Dec-2017
Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, recently issued a statement calling for “sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access” to the country, saying that “the lives of millions of people, including 8.4 million Yemenis who are a step away from famine, hinge on our ability to continue our operations and to provide health, safe…
UN migration body urges Facebook to curb People Smugglers
13-Dec-2017
The United Nations’ migration agency, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), has urged social media firms, including Facebook, to up their efforts in curbing people smugglers using their platforms, The Independent reported. IOM spokesman Leonard Doyle has said people smugglers frequently use Facebook for unlawful deals to take migrants to Libya, where they could potentially…
High Commissioner’s 10th Dialogue on Protection Challenges
13-Dec-2017
The High Commissioner’s 10th Dialogue on Protection Challenges, which is aimed at discussing the proposed Global Compact on Refugees is taking place on December 12-13 in Geneva, Switzerland. In his speech opening the dialogue, Filippo Grandi, the United nations High Commissioner for Refugees cautioned that forced displacement has deepened a year after the New York…
Humanitarian groups warn of dire conditions at Greek asylum centres
06-Dec-2017
Greek officials have indicated that the number have asylum seekers coming from Turkey to the Greek islands of Chios, Kos, Leros, Lesbos and Samos has quadrupled, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has said that the situation in the camps is “beyond desperate,” The Guardian reported. MSF’s project coordinator on Lesbos, Aria Danika, said “entire families…are…
UN official calls for “realistic” approach to migration
05-Dec-2017
Louise Arbour, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for International Migration, spoke at the stocktaking meeting on migration being held in Mexico. Arbour said the Global Compact for migration, which will be an intergovernmentally negotiated agreement, presents “an opportunity to reorient the often-toxic narrative against migrants towards a more accurate narrative on migration that…
Mexico to host Intergovernmental Conference on Migration
04-Dec-2017
From December 4 to 6, Mexico will host a meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference to adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which will take place in Puerto Vallarta, El Universal reported. The meeting is a key step in the process to formulate the Global Compact for Migration, an intergovernmental agreement that will…
1,300 Myanmar tribals take shelter in Mizoram
29-Nov-2017
Mizoram’s government has taken in 1,300 tribals, most of whom are Buddhist or Christian, who fled violence in Myanmar’s Arakan state and are in southern Mizoram, The New Indian Express reported. The district’s police chief told IANS that “the Myanmarese fled their homes after the Army clashed with the outlawed ‘Arakan Army’ militant outfit cadres…