Tag: UN

In 2014, more than 200,000 people rescued and more than 3,000 people died in illegal sea passages United Nations agencies are meeting in London on Wednesday, 4 March to discuss concerted ways to address the high numbers of lives being lost at sea in unsafe craft, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea, where hundreds of people are reported to have died in recent weeks alone on dangerous and unregulated sea passages.The High-Level Meeting to Address Unsafe Mixed Migration by Sea is being hosted at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters in London and aims to facilitate dialogue and promote enhanced cooperation and harmonization between United Nations agencies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, Governments and the shipping industry.It has been agreed that a mechanism will be established, to enhance inter-agency communication with respect to the maritime aspects of mixed migration. The meeting is also discussing joint projects, for example, the establishment of joint databases to share and collate information and statistics on irregular movements and suspect vessels; quantifying the effects of irregular and unsafe crossings on the shipping industry; and improving maritime situational awareness.IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu said that the issue of mixed migration by sea, including irregular migration, had, in recent years, ...

The SRSG for Somalia welcomes the release of four remaining crewmen of the FV Prantalay 12 vessel

Merchant ships rescued around 40,000 people during 2014, according to UNHCR The humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea is spiralling out of control. EU Member States must act urgently to prevent the loss of thousands more lives, as hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees seek to escape to Europe in boats that are unfit for purpose and which are largely operated by people smugglers.This is the key message which the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the principal global trade association for ship operators, will deliver to a high-level United Nations inter-agency meeting on the crisis, being hosted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London on 4 March.Merchant ships rescued around 40,000 people during 2014, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). But this number is predicted to increase dramatically during 2015 if the political situation in Africa and the Middle East further deteriorates.ICS says that the burden of responsibility placed on ships and their crews to rescue migrants in distress has been further increased by the replacement of Italy's humanitarian Mare Nostrum' operation with the EU funded Triton' operation, whose primary mandate is border protection and which operates with very limited resources."The response to the ...

UN officials welcome release by Somali pirates of longest-held hostages

UN says up to 300 dead in migration tragedy

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark met IMO Secretary-General Sekimizu at IMO Headquarters (20 January). The two highlighted their common commitment to sustainable development and discussed the important role of maritime transportation in building the economies of developing countries. They noted the two highly successful multi-million dollar Partnerships Projects, executed by IMO in partnership with the UNDP, to address the threat of invasive species in ships’ ballast water. The first project was initiated in 2000 and this evolved into a second project – GloBallast Partnerships. The aims of the projects are to assist developing countries and their maritime industries in implementing international regulations on ballast water management and preventing risks arising from the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms in ships’ ballast water. Both projects have mobilized some US$13 million in financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and leveraged many times this in cash and in-kind co-finance. IMO is currently working with UNDP and the GEF on developing new comprehensive global partnerships on energy efficiency in the maritime transport sector and marine biodiversity protection. ​​​​​​​​ Source and Image Credit: IMOIn the start, I was frank with you propecia before and after has changed my life. It has become ...

A guide to principles and practice as applied to refugees and migrants The updated and revised Rescue at Sea: A guide to principles and practice as applied to refugees and migrants is now available.It has been prepared jointly by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It provides guidance on relevant legal provisions, on practical procedures to ensure the prompt disembarkation of rescued persons, and on measures to meet their specific needs, particularly in the case of refugees and asylum-seekers. You can read the revised guide by clicking on the image below:You can also read the following related articles:ICS issues guidelines for Large Scale Rescue Operations at SeaRescue of migrants at sea is an obligation ICS saysIOM Investigates Reports of Deliberate Drowning of 500 Migrants in MediterraneanGuide to principles and practice as applied to migrants and refugeesRecommendations for encountering distressed persons at sea in MediterraneanIMO, UN in joint statement on protection at sea in the 21st centurySource and Image Credit: IMO

EU calls for more effort to loss of life at sea

The 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.

ICS called on governments to address the growing refugee and migrant crisis in the Mediterranean