On 3 April 2017, the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Silvia FernĂĄndez de Gurmendi, concluded an official visit to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese government. During her visit, President FernĂĄndez met with Prime Minister ShinzĆ Abe and thanked him for Japanâs commitment to the rule of law and its strong support of the International Criminal Court.
President Fernåndez also met with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Nobuo Kishi, Vice Minister of Justice Hiromu Kurokawa and Prosecutor General Katsuyuki Nishikawa, and gave a lecture at the University of Tokyo, where she engaged in dialogue with experts on international law.
During her meetings with government officials, the ICC President reiterated the Courtâs gratitude for Japanâs political and financial support as well as its contribution to the judicial and institutional development of the ICC. The President noted the high number of non-States Parties remaining in the Asia-Pacific region, and thanked Japan for its commitment to enhance awareness in the region of the ICCâs work, and to encourage ratification of the Rome Statute.
After this visit, the President will travel to the Republic of Korea to participate in the ICCâs eighth high-level regional Seminar on cooperation on the theme âThe ICC and Asia: the joint quest for justice, accountability and preventionâ, aimed at enhancing dialogue and cooperation as well as encouraging greater participation of Asian States in the ICC.
Japan deposited its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 17 July 2007. Out of the 124 States Parties to the Rome Statute, 19 are Asia-Pacific States.
Getting to know the Dutch perspective on international relations in an exciting environmentA lot is happening in our globalising world: Trump has been elected, as we speak Brexit is being negotiated, refugees are fleeing towards Europe and the climate is changing. The Clingendael Institute researches these current events, analyses trends and trains international professionals. Clingendael Academy, the training facility of the institute, empowers professionals from all over the world with skills and knowledge on current international affairs.
Currently the Academy is preparing a course on international politics enabling participants to better understand current international events. This course offers a wonderful opportunity to become acquainted with the background and causes of our daily news in a brief time frame.
It will take place on Monday afternoons (and one Tuesday because of Pentecost) between 24 April and 12 June. The course coordinators are taking into account the preferences of the group: they aim to tailor the courses to the needs of the participants in order for them to grasp current developments. The courses, open for registration, are focussed on obtaining skills such as effective influencing and lobbying, negotiation and intercultural communication.
Mr. Willem Post. Photography by Frank Jansen
The course international politics will cater skills in combination with knowledge such as discussions on Trumpâs foreign policy with Willem Post (Clingendael Senior Visiting Fellow and US expert) and other experts on international security, the EU and energy issues. The mixed group of participants consists of Dutch and international professionals who range from recent graduates to retirees, coming from both public and private sector.
Moreover, the Clingendael Institute is located in the beautiful Clingendael park, in a historical building. This unique combination leads to an exciting learning environment for understanding the Dutch view on international relations. This makes the courses popular among expats in The Hague. Responsible for training approximately 650 diplomats and an additional 2,500 professionals every year, the Clingendael Institute is a world-renowned independent think tank and diplomatic academy.
Clingendael empowers professionals to take effective action in international and politically sensitive environments. Participants develop the professional skills they need to grow and thrive â both now and in the future. The team is enthusiastic to share its knowledge and insights in current developments in international relations. Clingendael Academy offers open registration courses, varying from generic introductory courses to more specialised seminars or master classes, and a wide spectrum of international skills training. Clingendael Academy also offers tailor-made courses.
For more information and registration look at the website: www.clingendael.nl/academy, send an e-mail to academy@clingendael.nl or call 070-324 53 84.
In 1969, being recently appointed as a judge, one morning climbing the staircase of the Mexico City Court where he served, Edgar Elias Azar promised to himself that one day he would become its President. Since that moment, he prepared academically and professionally in order to achieve his goal, which was to change the Court of one of the largest cities of the world so to assure a better administration of justice for its nearly half a million users.
He was born in Acapulco, Guerrero, on 1946, and an obtained his Law degree at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1970. Those were difficult times; times of social struggle all around the world, including Mexico. During those years, Elias Azar became very aware that Mexico needed a change; a change that had to be sufficiently big as to modify the bases of government and politics and to become closer to the people; it had to become more democratic, open and efficient.
During the years in between his first judicial appointment and his presidency, Elias Azar served his country in many different offices: as a judge, as a politician and as a public administrator. In 1987, he was appointed Minister of Finance at his own home State where he served for 5 years and then went back to the judiciary.
Nearly 35 years had passed between his first appointment as a judge and the achievement of his dream. In November 2007, he was elected, by a great majority of his peers, President of MexicoÂŽs City Supreme Court of Justice.
In 2013, he also became the President of the Local Supreme Courts National Assembly, where he actively promoted political and legal reforms, which helped to modernize the judicial procedures in the country, broadening the protection of women rights, as well as the fundamental rights of all individuals.
Since the very beginning of his career he has been a convinced liberal. The defense of rights, democracy and freedom constructed an ideological and political tendency that has lasted all his life. This same ideological framework was the one that later would become the flag of justice; the one that served as a base in Mexico redesign the judicial system and assure its transparency through the development of a robust system of indicators approved by the designed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office.
During his presidency at the Court, Elias Azar improved all judicial procedures, proposed more than 50 substantial legislative amendments to secondary law and to the Constitution concerne with making justice closer to people as well as more efficient and effective.
His administration was guided by three main principles: a robust defense of judicial autonomy, the preservation of the judicial independence and the democratization of justice.
To protect and secure the autonomy of all judges was a hard task. Protecting them from any external influence – political, media or economical – so they can really decide according to the law and to their conscience.
Under this perspective, Elias Azar changed the whole procedural system, making it more democratic, respectful of human rights and transparent. He implemented oral procedures in all the judicial areas.
The independence of the judicial power was assured in two ways: by achieving to maintain other Powers away from the judicial decisions and by assuring that the judicial budget was not subject of political decisions.
Regarding the democratization of the judiciary, Elias Azar focused on tackling three issues: Assuring that judges view people take them as humans and not as files; promoting legal culture among citizens and combatting âprocedural violenceâ: difficult procedures, legal procedures which are hard to understand, and the lack of resources to pay for a legal representation, are some of the difficulties that people face when they want access to justice.
The Mexican judicial situation started changing in the 2008, when the Constitution received several amendments. Most of them were directed to change the essence, the structure and the perspective of justice in Mexico. For instance, the Constitution explicitly binds the judiciary with the protection of human rights. Definitely, this does not mean that before judges were not obliged to protect and respect them, but this obligation is now strongly stressed in our Constitution and judges are not only obliged to protect all the rights stipulated in our constitutional text, but they are also obliged to protect all the human rights contained in the various international treaties and conventions.
These amendments, no doubt, change the role of the judges as those who are in charge of taking care of the validity of legal norms and the protection of democracy. The adjudication of the law was improved drastically, and the Country keeps on seeing the benefits of these legal modifications.
In 2017, the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, named Elias Azar as Ambassador of Mexico to the Netherlands and as permanent representative to the OPCW. With this new assignment, Elias Azar has the opportunity to spread out his vision about the law, about human rights and democracy in an international level.
By H.E. Mrs. Sabine Nölke, Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
This is an exciting time to be a Canadian Ambassador in Europe! In February, the European Parliament voted to ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada â an important milestone in efforts to move forward on the next chapter in our relationship, particularly our trading relationship. Canadaâs ratification is imminent, and will result in an immediate entry into force of almost 90% of CETAâs provisions.
Some might argue that CETA runs against certain currents in international relations and traditionally open societies, at a time when retrenchment seems to be on the rise; I am, after all, writing this on the day the United Kingdom triggered its exit from the European Union. But we Canadians are optimistic that we are on the right path, and we know that our Dutch and European partners agree.
CETA will usher in a new standard for doing trade, and could serve as a model for reinvigorated and renewed trading relationship the world over. At the heart of its progressive approach is the acknowledgement that trading relationships and rules that not only stimulate economic growth, but put people first, protect the environment and strengthen labour standards, are more sustainable and better for everyone â for business, consumers and workers.
We listened closely to concerns â and acted on them. As a result, CETA expressly protects statesâ legitimate policy objectives and ability to regulate in the areas of public health, safety, environment, public morals and the promotion and protection of cultural diversity. The Agreement also recognizes a basic truth, namely that it is inappropriate to encourage trade or investment by weakening or reducing the levels of protection afforded in labour laws and standards.
This modern, forward-looking agreement reflects a truly progressive trade agenda, one that protects the ability of societies to promote the public good. That said, it also helps business â particularly small and medium-sized enterprises â grow and create jobs, on both sides of the Atlantic.
Immediately upon entry into force, CETA will guarantee duty-free access for almost all originating goods traded between Canada and the EU. The elimination of tariffs will benefit exporters, importers, and ultimately consumers, who will enjoy more choices and lower costs for a variety of products and services â including such delicacies as Canadian beef (absolutely hormone-free), salmon and lobster. Canadians, in turn, will get to enjoy, among other things, greater availability of Dutch cheeses (Gouda and Edam have their geographical indication protected!) and flowers.
Canadians and the Dutch are natural partners in the areas of green technology, clean energy and innovation; our young entrepreneurs will find the doors open to joint endeavours and the development of new ideas.
But as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted during his remarks to the European Parliament, Canadaâs partnership with the EU isnât just about trade, imports and exports, dollars in and Euros out. Itâs about making peopleâs lives better, in concert with like-minded partners. Canada and the Netherlands, in particular, have a long history of working together to advance a shared vision of a more equal, just and open society. Our partnership is founded on a common history and common values, mutual trust and commitment to fundamental democratic principles â all of which form the context for our desire to expand the trading relationship.
For those reasons, CETA goes hand in hand with a new Canada-EU Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), which reaffirms a shared commitment to the principles and values of open economies and societies. The SPA lays out the strategic direction for stronger future collaboration in important areas such as energy; environment and climate change; migration and peaceful pluralism; counter-terrorism; international peace and security; and effective multilateralism.
We cannot pretend that we can reverse the tide of globalisation, as some would have it; history moves forward, not backwards. But together, we can shape globalisation in the interest of our people into a positive, progressive force for the benefit of all.
Commission recalls Europe’s achievements and leads discussion on the future at 27
EU leaders will come together in Rome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which were signed on 25 March in 1957.
Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, will participate in the Rome Summit, where a number of events are being organised to mark the occasion and to reflect on Europe’s common future.
The Treaties of Rome â signed by the six founding Member States â paved the way for the European Union that we know today: a reunited continent of peace, founded on the values of solidarity, democracy and the rule of law. Its Single Market ensures freedom of choice and movement, economic growth and prosperity for 500 million citizens. It is the largest trading bloc in the world and the biggest donor of development and humanitarian aid. This anniversary is a moment to look back on our collective achievements and to discuss the future of the EU at 27. Following the presentation of the Commission’s White Paper on the Future of Europe, EU leaders are expected to adopt the Rome Declaration, which will feature the Union’s past achievements, present challenges and pledge to work for unity at 27 and strengthen common action in key policy areas, to the benefit of citizens.
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “Our parents and grandparents founded this Union with one common vision: never again war. It was their strong conviction that breaking down barriers, working together â and not against each other â makes us all stronger. History has proven them right. For 60 years, the values on which this Union is built have not changed: peace, freedom, tolerance, solidarity and the rule of law bind and unite us. They must not be taken for granted and we must fight for them every day. Our democracy, our diversity and our independent and free press are the pillars of Europe’s strength â no individual or institution is above the law. The European Union has changed our lives for the better. We must ensure it continues to do so for those that will follow us. For now, all roads lead to Rome. After Rome and however it is paved, there is only one way forward: European unity.”
On 1 March, ahead of the Rome Summit, the Commission launched a pan-European debate with the White Paper on the Future of Europe, which will enable citizens and leaders to shape the vision of the EU at 27. The White Paper sets out possible scenarios for the future of Europe. Following the informal meeting of the 27 Heads of State or Government on 10 March in Brussels, the Rome Summit is the next opportunity for EU leaders to take this discussion forward. In Rome, leaders will sign the Rome declaration, prepared jointly by Presidents Donald Tusk and Juncker and Prime Ministers Muscat and Gentiloni.
The Rome declaration marks the beginning of a process. After the Rome Summit, the Commission will present a series of reflection papers on key issues for Europe: (1) developing the social dimension of Europe; (2) deepening the Economic and Monetary Union; (3) harnessing globalisation; (4) the future of Europe’s defence and (5) the future of EU finances. President Juncker’s State of the Union speech in September 2017 will take these ideas forward before first conclusions can be drawn at the December 2017 European Council. This will help to decide on a course of action to be rolled out in time for the European Parliament elections in June 2019.
The Commission will also be organising in the months ahead public debates with the European Parliament and Member States, as well as online consultations, so that Europe’s citizens have their say and are able to share their views on the future of Europe via the Commission Representations and a dedicated website, which will be launched on 25 March. These are some of the milestones in the White Paper process.
Commission events in Rome
In cooperation with the Italian authorities, the Commission is organising several high-level events in Rome to mark the anniversary and discuss Europe’s past, present and future.
Digital Day (23/03), Palazzo Doria Pamphilj: Vice-President Andrus Ansip and Commissioner GĂŒnther Oettinger bring together EU ministers and industry leaders to foster cooperation and better prepare our societies and the economy to reap the full potential of Europe’s digital transformation. Member States are expected to make commitments on High-Performance Computing, connected mobility, digitising industry and digital jobs.
Jean Monnet Seminar “The future of Europe: a commitment for You(th)” (23/03-24/03), Hotel Quirinale: More than 100 Jean Monnet professors, policy makers, journalists, civil society, youth association representatives and students will debate the future of the EU and the need to further involve young generations in the construction of the European project.
Citizens’ Dialogue (24/03), Acquario di Roma: High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini and Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council, will hold a Citizens’ Dialogue with several hundred young Europeans, including Erasmus students currently studying in Rome.
Meeting with the Social Partners (24/03), Palazzo Chigi: President Juncker, Vice-President Dombrovskis and Commissioner Thyssen, alongside the Presidents of the European Council and European Parliament will meet with trade unions and business associations at an event hosted by the Italian Prime Minister.
Forum and concert (24/03), University La Sapienza: “Happy birthday Europe â Changing course to Europe”.
Concert of the EU Youth Orchestra (25/03), Villa Medici:”The Sound of a Dream”.
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Photography by EU
By Barend ter Haar.
As is the tradition in the Netherlands, the elections for the House of Representatives that took place on 15 March 2017 do not only lead to a new parliament, but also to a new government. The new parliament has been installed, but the installation of a new executive will probably not take place before the summer, because the question which parties will be allowed to form a new council of ministers, the so-called Kabinet, will be the subject of intense negotiations during the coming months.
The objective is to form a government that has sufficient support in Parliament, in any case in the House of Representatives (the âSecond Chamberâ), but preferably also in the Senate. Since a system of proportional representation system was introduced in 1918, no party has ever had a majority of seats. A Dutch government is therefore always based on an agreement between two or more parties. After the recent elections at least four parties are needed to attain a majority in the House of Representatives.
Negotiations have therefore started between four of the six biggest parties: VVD (conservative-liberal; 33 seats), CDA (conservative; 19 seats), D66 (centre; 19 seats) and GroenLinks (leftish-green; 14 seats). Although the parties at the extreme right (the populist PVV with 20 seats) and the extreme left (the Socialist Party with 14 seats) do not participate in these negotiations, the differences are large.
Nevertheless, it seems possible to find compromises on most issues, for example by exchanging concessions or by splitting the difference. However, there is one subject that should not become the victim of half-hearted compromises and that is climate change.
Climate change has not been a central theme in the election contest, but it will be a major item on the agenda of the new Dutch government. All the four parties involved in the formation of a new government support the Paris Agreement on climate change. However, the Agreement leaves implementation to the discretion of the Parties, although it is clear that a minimalist interpretation will not suffice to prevent global temperatures rising more than 2 degrees Celsius. The main fear of D66 and GroenLinks is therefore that the Netherlands is doing too little, but the impression VVD and CDA have been giving, possibly in order to please their voters, is that their main worry is that the Netherlands would be doing too much.
This is not something that can be solved by a half-baked compromise. It is crucial that all four parties agree that preventing climate disasters, first in Africa and elsewhere, later in the Netherlands, is not a matter of party politics, but a common responsibility that requires extra efforts both domestically and internationally.
By H.E. Mr. Vusi Bruce Koloane Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Human Rights Day is a national day that is commemorated annually on 21 March to remind South Africans about the sacrifices that accompanied the struggle for the attainment of democracy in South Africa.
This yearâs commemoration took place under the theme: âThe Year of OR Tambo: Unity in action in advancing Human Rightsâ. President Jacob Zuma gave a key note address at the Human Rights Day celebrations which was held in Victoria Sports Ground, King Williams Town, Eastern Cape.
Why Human Rights Day?
The historical basis of Human Rights Day is attributed to the Sharpeville Massacre that took place on 21 March 1960 as residents of Sharpeville and citizens across the country, embarked on protest marches against pass laws (required Africans to carry pass books (Dompas) and produce them to law enforcement officials on request).The apartheid police shot and killed 69 of the protesters at Sharpeville and many other people were killed in other parts of the country. The tragedy came to be known as the Sharpeville Massacre and it exposed the apartheid governmentâs deliberate violation of human rights to the world. These events mobilized the international community into action against the apartheid government. The United Nations (UN) subsequently declared 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The democratic government of South African declared 21 March as Human Rights Day in which the country celebrates South Africaâs transition to a democratic system that honours and respects human rights, and the Human Rights Month of March is used to promote the countryâs Constitution which, among other things, enshrines human rights in a Bill of Rights. South Africans shall be perpetually indebted to all the anti-apartheid organisations, movements and Governments that contributed both material and political support to the struggle against the worst form of human degradation of the then Apartheid Government. We have a moral obligation to both the South Africans, the former anti-apartheid movement, Africa and the international community , to uphold the values of humanity and all that it represents.
As South Africans we use this National day each year not only to remind our people of the tragic past, but also most importantly, to highlight the need to ensure that we promote and consolidate our human rights culture and democracy as entrenched in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
These rights include:
Equality â everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.
Human dignity â everyone has inherent dignity and have their dignity respected and protected.
Freedom of movement and residence â everyone has a right to freedom of movement and to reside anywhere in the country.
Language and culture â everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice.
Life – everyone has the right to life.
As indicated above the theme of Human Rights this year is âThe year of OR Tambo: Unity in Action in Advancing Human Rightsâ. This year South Africa is celebrating the life of a liberator, teacher, intellectual, internationalist and a unifier who kept the liberation movement together and in focus during the during the most difficult moments in our struggle.
Mr OR Tambo strove for unity at all times and this inspires all democracy and human right respecting citizens to work together to achieve a vision of a truly united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa. Our Constitution enshrines the socio-economic rights such as health, education, food, water and social security. It thus becomes of paramount importance that we continue advancing the National Development Plan that seeks to eliminate the ugly head of unemployment and poverty whilst ushering in economic emancipation to ensure no future treat of these highly upheld human rights values. We have made great strides in these areas and yet more still needs to be done. Together with our international partners we have proved that nothing is impossible by destroying apartheid, and we again make a call to the international community to partner with South Africa and Africa as we go through this journey.
Government hosted various activities throughout Human Rights Month to remind all South Africans of the noble need to continue working together to uphold the culture of human rights. Human Rights come with responsibilities and we all have the responsibility to build a society that respects the rule of law. As citizens of South Africa we need to ensure that our human rights record and history are preserved and strengthened for future generations.
As South Africans, we mark Human Rights Day every year for important reasons. South Africa comes from a history where there was a scant regard for fundamental human rights. So it is most fitting that as a country we pause every year and remember the past so as to learn from it and never to repeat the same wrongs. On human rights day we also take stock of progress made in the promotion of human rights. We further recommit ourselves to advance the fundamental human rights and the restoration of human dignity to the black people in particular, who were brutalized and dehumanized by the twin systems of colonialism and apartheid. It is sad that some criminal elements in our country have advanced their criminal activities under the guise of Xenophobia, looting the businesses of fellow Africans and diaspora earning an honest living, an act that Government strongly condemned.
Our Constitution enshrines the socio-economic rights such as health, education, food, water and social security. It thus becomes of paramount importance that we continue advancing the National Development Plan that seeks to eliminate the ugly head of unemployment and poverty whilst ushering in economic emancipation to ensure no future treat of these highly upheld human rights values. We have made great strides in these areas and yet more still needs to be done. Together with our international partners we have proved that nothing is impossible by destroying apartheid, and we again make a call to the international community to partner with South Africa and Africa as we go through this journey.
Government hosted various activities throughout Human Rights Month to remind all South Africans of the noble need to continue working together to uphold the culture of human rights. Human Rights come with responsibilities and we all have the responsibility to build a society that respects the rule of law. As citizens of South Africa we need to ensure that our human rights record and history are preserved and strengthened for future generations.
By Jhr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland LL.M.
In April 2017 The Hague will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague. The OPCWâs aims are monitoring non-proliferation of chemical weapons, collecting evidence of the destruction of chemical weapons, giving assistance and protection to all member states (almost all countries in the world) and promoting international cooperation in peaceful chemistry. The OPCW is a fully independent, autonomous international organization, with a working staff of 500, representing some 70 nationalities and has an official working relationship with the UN.
OPCW has a long history. One can say that it started back in 1899, also in The Hague. In that year the Hague Peace Conference adopted the first international document on chemical arms control banning the diffusion of âasphyxiating and deleterious gasesâ. Unfortunatelly it did not prevent the use of poisonous gasses in both World Wars, nor did it stop governments from producing and stockpiling chemical weapons. But it did set the groundwork for the future OPCW, laying the foundation for a normative and legal opposition to chemical weapons.
In the 1980s, the debate on these weapons was rekindled. In 1993, the Convention on the Prohibition of Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and Their Destruction was adopted to end the continuing use of chemical weapons in conflicts. The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) stipulated the creation of an international organization that would promote and verify the Convention agreements. This lead to a three-way bid for the OPCW between The Hague, Geneva and Vienna. The Netherlands was proud that The Hague had been selected as the official seat of the OPCW.
In April 1997 the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force. That same month the organization committed to carry out the terms of the Convention opened it doors in The Hague. On 20 May 1998, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands officially opened OPCWâs modern building. OPCW became an enormous succes and received the Nobel Peace Prize.
OPCW and The Hague will celebrate this on 26 April 2017 in the Hall of Knights. His Majesty King Willem-Alexander will attend this ceremony. During two weeks also hundreds of festive flags and banners will cheer up The Hague as a tribute to OPCW.
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About the author: Jhr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland LL.M. is Justice (Judge) in the (Dutch) Court of Appeal and honorary Special Advisor International Affairs, appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen of The Hague. Contact: a.beelaerts@planet.nl
By Corneliu Pivariu, CEO INGEPO Consulting, MG (two stars general – ret.)
After the 2016 wave of refugees to Europe, the winter of 2017 and the regional geopolitical juncture, the beginning of spring marks another respite for the countries of Europe in what concerns the problem of refugees.
But the winter of 2017/2018, that might make again the number of refugees decrease significantly is still far and, taking into account the evolution of the general situation in Europe and especially in the European Union, as well as the relations with the Russian Federation, but also the way the new US Administration will impact the world geopolitics (which, in our opinion will be better felt only as of 2018), we donât see another more important factor leading to a significant drop in the wave of migrants to Europe.
As the situation and the evolution of the migrants in 2016 have been presented at large by the European media, we will concentrate on analyzing the situation of the migrants from the Middle East where Syria, after six years of civil war, continues to be their main pool and source. The last report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued of late, contains a complex analysis of the migrantsâ situation and stresses the extremely difficult situation they are in. On the average, at the global level 1 of 113 people is a refugee.
The conflicts, persecutions and violences made that the number of refugees/migrants reached – in the first half of last year â 3.2 million people, more than half of them coming from Syria. Among those, 1.7 million are internally displaced while 1.5 million took refuge outside Syriaâs international borders. Most Syrian refugees moved mainly to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. Another important number of refugees left Irak, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Somalia and The Sudan.
Among all countries, Turkey was, according to the abovementioned report, on the first place as number of refugees â 2.8 million, followed by Pakistan (1.6 million), Lebanon (1 million), Iran (978,000), Etiopia (742,700), Jordan (691,800). Germany was ranked the 8th with 478,600 refugees.
As share of refugees among local population, the most difficult situation is witnessed by Lebanon where for each 1,000 citizens there are 173 refugees (Lebanon inherits the old issue of the Palestinian refugees on its territory – around 452,000 in January, 2015). Jordan is on the second place, with 89 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants while in Turkey there are 35 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants.
Stress should be laid on the fact that during the first half of the last year, the most important role in sheltering the refugees was played by countries with lower or mediun income. Besides, the report cites that of the total financial needs for the refugees to five countries of the Middle East (Egypt, Irak, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey), the international community succeeded in securing 65% only of the funds necessary to them and their situation is extremely difficult as far as the main indicators such as food security, health, education and water supply are concerned.
In April 2016 only, the number of school age Syrian children without access to education was 916,000 (65% of the total), an increase by 9% compared to December, 2015. 55% of the Syrian refugees live in Lebanon in conditions not meeting the standard of living, in improvised, over-populated shelters, in poor and insanitary areas. 70% of the refugees in Jordan receive less than the national standard of 100 litres of water/person/day while in Lebanon 50% of the water distribution network is old and needs wide-range rehabilitation. There is no wastewater treatment as there is no network of disposing the solid household waste.
Besides their own problems, the huge majority of these migrants/refugees are a heavy burden for the governments of the countries they are in not only economically but also socially. There is still a great number of refugees not registered officially but even those officially registered put pressure on the local manpower, lead to increasing violences and criminality, affect the general political and social environment of the respective countries which are already facing difficult political and economic problems.
The international community should pay a greater attention to this problem which could worsen with difficult to assess consequences. The sharp polarization of human society due to these causes will aggravate the already (during the last years) exacerbated contradictions generating an increased instability and favouring the actions of those wanting a new redivision of the world.
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About the author: Corneliu Pivariu, former first deputy for military intelligence (two stars general) in the Romanian MoD, retired 2003. Member of IISS – London, alumni of Harvard – Kennedy School Executive Education and others international organizations. Founder of INGEPO Consulting, and bimonthly Bulletin, Geostrategic Pulseâ. Main areas of expertise â geopolitics, intelligence and security.Photography by INGEPO Consulting. Photographer: Ionus Paraschiv.
