The UK is helping migrants return home rather than risk their lives
continuing perilous journeys to Europe, and protecting men, women
and children, in danger of trafficking and sexual violence, Prime
Minister Theresa Mayannounced today.
Speaking at the Valletta summit in Malta,
which is focused on tackling the migration crisis, the Prime
Minister announced a new package of more than £30 million in UK
aid to provide desperately needed assistance to refugees and
migrants across Greece, the Balkans, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia,
Morocco, Algeria and Sudan.
This will include life-saving supplies for
refugees facing freezing conditions across eastern Europe and
Greece, such as warm clothing, shelter and medical care. The UK
has also set up a special protection fund that will provide care
and support to women and girl refugees in the Mediterranean who
may be cut off from family and friends, vulnerable and at risk
from trafficking, violence and exploitation.
International Development Secretary
said:
“Global Britain is stepping up its support
for the most vulnerable refugees who are at risk and need our
help. Conflict, drought and political upheaval have fuelled
protracted crises and driven mass migration. We cannot ignore
these challenges.
“This latest support from the UK will help
those who decide they want to return home to do so safely,
protect men, women and children from exploitation, and ensure
that those caught in freezing conditions get the basic help they
need to survive.”
The support announced today will be
delivered by trusted humanitarian partners such as the UN’s
refugee agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) and the Start NGO network. It will:
- provide 22,400 life-saving relief items including tents,
blankets, winter clothes such as hats and gloves and hygiene
kits including mother and baby products;
- protect more than 60,000 vulnerable refugees and migrants
from physical or mental suffering. This includes emergency
medical care including for those rescued at sea, visits to people
in detention centres, provision of legal support, and training of
frontline workers to better identify, protect and prevent
violence and trafficking of women and girls in camps and in
transit;
- allow up to 22,000 people to reunite with family members they
have become separated from during their journey; to access legal
processes such as registering as refugees; or to return home
voluntarily where possible, including with advice, facilitating
travel and helping with reintegration on their return;
- help countries that might be able to resettle refugees put
the infrastructure and systems in place to do so, potentially
including countries in Asia and Latin America, as well as
providing advice and support to help governments in countries
such as Greece, Egypt and the Balkans better integrate refugees
into local communities;
- provide more than 1,500 refugees in Egypt, including those
fleeing Syria and other conflicts, with urgent health assistance
including medical care for those suffering from malnutrition,
exposure, dehydration and other life-threatening conditions as a
result of their travel, as well as providing 1,000 educational
grants to migrant students making it easier for them to cover the
costs of getting back in to school and so encouraging them to
settle in Egypt;
- monitor standards and conditions for migrants in detention,
including support to the Greek government to improve living
conditions in closed camps and conducting visits to 14 detention
centres and 5 sea ports in Libya to improve sanitation and
hygiene conditions, benefitting 10,000 people;
- fund the running of a newly-established migrant centre in
Sudan, replicating a successful model in Niger to provide
emergency assistance to migrants in transit and enable voluntary
returns home when safe.
In addition to renewed efforts to address
the migration of people through Libya, the UK is providing new
humanitarian support to people inside the country affected by the
conflict. This includes trauma kits and training for frontline
medical personnel in medical centres; blankets, mattresses and
emergency food aid to those who have been forced to flee their
homes by the fighting; as well as supporting the UN to improve
the efficiency and co-ordination of its response in Libya by
seconding expert staff to support this work.
Notes to
editors
- In addition to this new package of £30.3 million, the UK has
set up an £8 million special protection fund to keep women and
girl refugees in the Mediterranean region safe from trafficking,
violence and exploitation. The humanitarian response inside Libya
is a further £2 million, and includes support for the work of the
UNHCR and other UN agencies.
- Overall this brings total UK humanitarian support in response
to the Mediterranean migration crisis to more than £100 million
since October 2015.
- In addition to the UK’s funding for the migration response in
European and North African countries, we have pledged £2.3
billion for the Syria crisis, our largest ever humanitarian
response. By focusing support on meeting basic humanitarian needs
in the region as well as providing jobs and education, we are
helping Syrians stay in the region and close to their homes.
