UNHCR alarms about violations of the Refugee Convention

Thanks to the Geneva Refugee Convention, persecuted people have been entitled to protection in other countries for 70 years.

From the perspective of the United Nations, however, not all countries take their obligations as seriously as necessary.

Geneva - The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, is alarmed by violations of the Geneva Refugee Convention.

European and other countries tried in part to evade their commitments, Grandi said on the 70th anniversary of the signing of the convention.

He called on all countries to defend the principles of the convention.

German Development Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) called for more commitment in the fight against the causes of flight.

"The convention is as relevant today as it was in 1951," Grandi told the German press agency.

You have saved the lives of millions of people.

"The greatest challenge to refugee protection is to ensure that states in all regions of the world put them into practice."

Cornerstone of humanitarian cooperation

The Geneva Refugee Convention is a cornerstone of international humanitarian cooperation. It was passed on July 28, 1951. It guarantees protection and acceptance for people who are persecuted in their country because of their religion or political convictions. Receiving countries are not allowed to send people back to where their life or freedom is threatened. Because of the high number of migrants and refugees, the convention has been criticized many times recently. However, it only refers to the persecuted, not to people who, frustrated by the conditions in their home country, are looking for a better life elsewhere. More than half of the people who apply for protection are generally turned down.

Grandi did not mention any country by name. As a violation of the convention, he criticized the practice of the Greek coast guard to push refugee boats back towards Turkey, or the actions of Chile, which expelled Venezuelans without individually examining their right to asylum. He also criticized plans such as those in Great Britain or Denmark to take asylum seekers to third countries to check their applications there. Grandi's authority, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), monitors compliance with the convention and looks after refugees worldwide.

"It is a core element of the convention that people must not be turned back to countries where they are not safe," says the chairwoman of the Expert Council for Integration and Migration, Petra Bendel, of the dpa.

“It must not be that EU countries violate it.” The accommodation of people in camps with inhumane conditions, such as on the Greek island of Lesbos, is also a violation.

Fight the causes of flight more intensely

Development Minister Müller called for the EU to do more to combat the causes of displacement and displacement. "Otherwise we will be confronted even more in Europe with the dramatic consequences of the global refugee crisis," he told the editorial network in Germany. The 70th anniversary of the Geneva Refugee Convention should be a warning not to let up "in humanitarian engagement". The EU has cut its funding for development policy for the coming years, that is short-sighted.

The President of the German Red Cross (DRK), Gerda Hasselfeldt, recalled that the Refugee Convention does not protect many people in need. This includes people who have been displaced as a result of conflicts in their own country or those who can no longer live where they were born due to climate change. "We have to pay more attention to the situation of these people," she demanded. Long-term prospects for life must be created for those affected. dpa