7/16/2020
Migration News Embassies Proactive Role Stressed for Protecting Migrants at Destinations
Center for Refugees and Migrants (CCRM) jointly hosted the
webinar on "The Role of Diplomatic Missions in Assisting
Migrants During and Beyond COVID-19."
Indian career diplomat Dr. Dnyaneshwar M Mulay, also
incumbent member of the National Human Rights Commission
of India, moderated the webinar which was attended by over
350 distinguished participants from across the continents.
In his welcome remarks, MFA’ regional coordinator William
Gois said that the diplomatic missions were playing important
roles in protecting the migrants at the destination countries.
During the COVID-19 pandemics, the role of embassies had
been more important dealing with the migration issues at the
destination, he said.
William pointed out lack of monetary and human resources as
problems for many Asian missions, and he suggested the
government to look into urgently especially in countries that
host large numbers of migrants.
To address the post COVID migration issues, he emphasized
on ‘balance responsibility’ of the both governments of the origin
and the destination countries.
Speaking as panelist, Malaysian lawyer Sumitha Shaanthinni
Kishna, also the director of ‘Our Journey’ said that the role of
the missions became amplified during the COVID because it
was a period of uncertainty especially when foreign nationals
were forced to stay in a foreign country separated from their
families back home.
‘So it was inevitable for foreign nationals to turn to their
missions for assistance,’ she mentioned.
Sumitha said that many migrant sending country missions in
Malaysia provided the necessary assistance to their nationals.
‘Eg when the Malaysia government didn’t provide food aid to
foreign nationals during the lockdown, there were missions
who took on that responsibility and also worked with civil
society organisation, mine included, to provide food aid.’
This was not something that missions usually do but they
learnt fast and did well.
Secondly, she said that the missions also provided the
necessary information on their websites and facebook pages to
their nationals on updates on travels, visa/passport renewals,
translation of host government circulars.
Thirdly, she said that the missions coordinated the flights to for
their nationals to fly back to their home countries although
some of the charges were exorbitant, a cost which many
migrants struggled to pay.
The consular assistance was also provided in a systematic
manner eg for those who needed to renew their passports after
the lockdowns were lifted,’ she said.
In her concluding remarks, Sumitha said that missions must
have dialogues and work together with all stakeholders
including CSOs, migrant communities and the Diaspora group
in host countries on how to move forward post COVID to
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