UN migration chief wants new solutions to Mediterranean migrant deaths
Amy Pope says evidence shows migration benefits economies
02 October 2023 - 15:27
byEmma Farge and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
A migrant gestures at the Geo Barents migrant rescue ship operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres as it makes its way to Italy after the rescue of 61 migrants on a wooden boat in international waters off the coast of Libya in the central Mediterranean Sea. Picture: DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI
Geneva — The new head of the UN migration agency on Monday voiced concern that the deaths of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean were being “normalised” and vowed to work with governments to provide options for economic migration to address the crisis.
US former White House adviser Amy Pope started as head of the International Organisation for Migration on October 1 at a time of record forced displacement around the world and political tensions over irregular immigration.
In recent days, an Italian minister and billionaire Elon Musk have criticised Germany for backing charities helping distressed migrants on the world’s most dangerous route, the Mediterranean, where 22,000 people have died or gone missing since 2014. Germany’s foreign ministry defended its policies.
Asked to comment on the debate, Pope said: “Our biggest concern is that the deaths in the Mediterranean have been normalised and that people take for granted that this is just a cost of human movement. If we’re really going to stop people crossing the Mediterranean on rickety boats and dying as they do so, we need to approach the situation far more comprehensively,” she said.
She declined to comment directly on Musk’s remarks.
Pope, who wants to build partnerships with private companies to better manage migration, won a tense election in May against her then-boss, becoming the first female head of the UN agency since it was created in 1951. The International Organisation for Migration seeks to ensure humane and orderly migration and intervenes where needed.
In her first press conference, Pope vowed to work with countries that want to renew their labour forces like Spain.
“The evidence is fairly overwhelming that migration actually benefits economies,” she said, saying this was especially true in wealthy countries with ageing populations and low birth rates.
Pope said her first trip will be to east Africa to meet the AU Commission in Ethiopia and then to Brussels where she will meet senior European officials as they search for a deal on handling irregular migration.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
UN migration chief wants new solutions to Mediterranean migrant deaths
Amy Pope says evidence shows migration benefits economies
Geneva — The new head of the UN migration agency on Monday voiced concern that the deaths of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean were being “normalised” and vowed to work with governments to provide options for economic migration to address the crisis.
US former White House adviser Amy Pope started as head of the International Organisation for Migration on October 1 at a time of record forced displacement around the world and political tensions over irregular immigration.
In recent days, an Italian minister and billionaire Elon Musk have criticised Germany for backing charities helping distressed migrants on the world’s most dangerous route, the Mediterranean, where 22,000 people have died or gone missing since 2014. Germany’s foreign ministry defended its policies.
Asked to comment on the debate, Pope said: “Our biggest concern is that the deaths in the Mediterranean have been normalised and that people take for granted that this is just a cost of human movement. If we’re really going to stop people crossing the Mediterranean on rickety boats and dying as they do so, we need to approach the situation far more comprehensively,” she said.
She declined to comment directly on Musk’s remarks.
Pope, who wants to build partnerships with private companies to better manage migration, won a tense election in May against her then-boss, becoming the first female head of the UN agency since it was created in 1951. The International Organisation for Migration seeks to ensure humane and orderly migration and intervenes where needed.
In her first press conference, Pope vowed to work with countries that want to renew their labour forces like Spain.
“The evidence is fairly overwhelming that migration actually benefits economies,” she said, saying this was especially true in wealthy countries with ageing populations and low birth rates.
Pope said her first trip will be to east Africa to meet the AU Commission in Ethiopia and then to Brussels where she will meet senior European officials as they search for a deal on handling irregular migration.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Related Articles
Migrants raped at Mexico border awaiting US entry
GOP rivals spar in Trump’s shadow; no clear standout
Anti-migrant rhetoric in Turkey worries Syrians
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.