UN Secretary General pleads for protection of migrants

STRASBOURG, June 24 (NsNewsWire) — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pleaded here on Tuesday the protection of the rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, in particular those crossed the Mediterranean and the sea of Andaman, as well as the Gulf of Bengal, reports Xinhua.

“Globall, nearly 60 million people are forcibly displaced. This is an all-time high that needs a record response,” declared Ban before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) gathered for its plenary session.

“We have a common responsibility to act before more lives are lost,” he warned.

Ban welcomed the implementation of “legal means” in Europe, such as resettlement, family reunification, and work and study visas which ensure safe migration.

Beside the issue of migration, the Secretary General asked the Council of Europe (CoE) to take part in the “global action” to confront restrictions imposed on civil society, the increase of violent extremism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, and the challenges posed by climate change.

“In order to reach a new agreement on climate change, here in France, in December, we need to find a politically credible solution in order to mobilize 100 billion dollars every year until 2020,” insisted the Secretary General.

“In order for the Paris Conference to be a success, it will be necessary to elaborate a global system of development financing,” he affirmed. Toward that goal, Ban pleaded for governments to put in place policies, regulations and measures to encourage the private sector to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions.