Arab League: Solving forced migration, refugees crisis “important”

Finding viable solutions to the issue of forced migration and the refugees crisis are tremendously important and will lead to progress in the humanitarian and development domains, said Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmad Abul-Gheit on Wednesday. This came in a speech from Abul-Gheit at the second regional conference reviewing the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in the Context of the Arab Region. A number of prominent officials attended the event including the IOM's Director General Amy Pope. Abul-Gheit said that the migration from and into the Arab region was an integral part of the global migration movement and it has some serious social and economic impact. He noted that the region hosts around 41.4 million immigrants and refugee and also is the launch pad for the migration of 32.8 million migrants and refugees from the region. He indicated that the various challenges in the region increased problems on several levels with m any countries carrying the burden of providing to the migrants and refugees, which put an extra load on their economies and infrastructures. Abul-Gheit added that climate change was another factor leading to forced migration, stressing that natural disasters and increased temperatures played a very real factor in forcing people to leave their homes and lands. Arab countries were aware of the impact climate change on movement of people; therefore, several initiatives and plans, in accordance with UN regulations, were devised to counter such problem, he stressed. He went on to say that wars play a grim factor in forcing people to move, noting that the Arab region had witnessed several of them. On the issue of Palestine and relating it to force immigration, the top Arab League official asserted the right of the Palestinian people whether in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip or elsewhere to return to their land and homes. He deemed what the Israeli occupation was doing to Palestinian as war crimes especially the ones in the Gaza Strip, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war torn region at once. The two-day conference will host a number of discussions focusing on organized migration and force movement of people from their lands due to several factors. The human rights of migrants and refugees would also be discussed. Several Arab, regional, and international organizations shared the organizing duties of the event. Kuwait's Permanent Representative at the Arab League Abdulaziz Al-Ajmi is partaking in the conference. Source: Kuwait News Agency