EU calls for more effort to loss of life at sea
EU calls for more effort to loss of life at sea
Read moreEU calls for more effort to loss of life at sea
Read moreThe UN refugee agency last week warned that the international community was losing its focus on saving lives amid confusion among coastal nations and regional blocs over how to respond to the growing number of people making risky sea journeys in search of asylum or migration.
Read moreICS called on governments to address the growing refugee and migrant crisis in the Mediterranean
Read moreAddress the problem of serious human rights violations affecting migrants Large Scale Rescue(Image CreditTORM A/S)The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has joined with other UN agencies in calling for concerted action from the international community to address the deeply concerning problem of the loss of life, injury, trauma and serious human rights violations affecting migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees traveling by sea. In a joint statement, IMO, along with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that closer cooperation between States of origin, transit and destination, and other relevant actors, was critical to reducing loss of life at sea, addressing the drivers of dangerous sea journeys, as well as ensuring that responses by States upon arrival and disembarkation uphold human rights and dignity, and address specific needs for protection of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees. Such cooperation is also critical to identifying, prosecuting and punishing the criminal gangs who are responsible for human rights abuses and for arranging sea transportation in breach of all safety regulations, the statement said, noting that while the ...
Read moreIMO, UN in joint statement on protection at sea in the 21st century
Read moreThe challenges involved in rescuing large numbers of people ICS Guidance on Large Scale Rescue Operations at Sea cover(Image Credit: ICS)In response to the continuing crisis in the Mediterranean, necessitating commercial ships to rescue tens of thousands of migrants and refugees during 2014, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published new free of charge "Guidance on Large Scale Rescue Operations at Sea".ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe explained: The shipping industry fully accepts its humanitarian obligation to assist anyone at sea whose vessel is in distress. But the scale of the crisis involving thousands of people attempting to get to Europe in craft that are neither fit for purpose nor seaworthy has raised real concerns about the safety and health of ships crews that may be involved in rescuing as many as 200 people at a time.The challenges involved in rescuing large numbers of people and then accommodating them on board ship prior to disembarkation are enormous compared to conventional rescue operations.Large Scale Rescue 1(Image Credit TORM A/S)The ICS Guidelines are therefore intended to help shipping companies prepare for this eventuality, whilst taking full of account of the safety and security of the ship should such large scale rescues be ...
Read moreSRI concerns about reports of reduced resources for SAR in the Mediterranean Sea
Read moreRecommendations for encountering distressed persons at sea in Mediterranean
Read moreInvestigators from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have obtained eyewitness testimony of a tragic incident in which as many as 500 migrants were drowned when their vessel was deliberately sunk in the Mediterranean.
Read moreThe UN refugee agency on Tuesday said it was deeply saddened at a rising death toll from boat accidents in the Mediterranean Sea this year as increasing numbers of asylum-seekers and refugees make the journey on unseaworthy boats, often at the hands of ruthless smugglers.
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