Comments by "Wundurra" (@wundurra24) on "Migrant crisis | GB News exclusive report shows 'smugglers are getting more brazen': Kevin Saunders" video.
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The key document in international refugee protection is the 1951 Refugee Convention, which the UK played an important part in drafting. The Convention does not require refugees to claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, or make it illegal to seek asylum if a claimant has passed through another safe country. While asylum-seekers do not have an unlimited right to choose their country of asylum, some might have very legitimate reasons to seek protection in a specific country, including where they might have family links. They may not have had a reasonable opportunity to claim asylum in other countries that might appear at first glance to be “safe.”
There are about 21 million refugees globally (over 26 million counting Palestinian refugees in the Middle East). About 86% live in lower or middle income countries, and 73% are hosted by States neighbouring countries of origin. As to Europe, last year, France had 95,600 asylum applications, Germany 122,170, Spain 88,530, Greece 40,560 and the UK 29,456 – a drop of 18% year on year.
Far more asylum-seekers remain in France than come to the UK. France had more than three times the asylum applications of the UK last year. Due to COVID (and the closure of many transport links), more asylum-seekers trying to enter the UK came via small boats crossing the Channel. We understand the concerns - these sea journeys are dangerous, putting at risk those on board - but overall numbers of asylum-seekers entering the UK are down year on year and compared to a decade ago.
If all refugees were obliged to remain in the first safe country they encountered, the whole system would probably collapse. The countries closer to zones of conflict and displacement would be totally overwhelmed, while countries further removed would share little or none of the responsibility. This would hardly be fair, or workable, and runs against the spirit of the Convention.
The Refugee Convention was written decades ago and the world has changed. Nonetheless the Convention and its 1967 Protocol remain cornerstones of refugee protection, and their provisions are as relevant now as when they were drafted. This year, the Convention turns 70 years old and has withstood the test of time. It is important that all countries cooperate and share the responsibility for global displacement, which currently falls overwhelmingly on lower- and middle-income countries. What is needed are concerted regional and global responses to forced displacement, not standalone national initiatives.
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