9 October 2016 01:31 pm Views - 3441
Addressing the 67th Session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Saturday, he said the root causes of forced migrations should be addressed as well as meeting the immediate humanitarian needs of those who have been forced to migrate.
The unprecedented scale of large movements of refugees and migrants in recent times has often resulted in tragic stories of despair of the people forced to be on the move for safety and protection.
“The numbers which include migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced have now surpassed 65 million. Forced displacement of such magnitude is a matter of deep concern. Sri Lanka recognizes the important role performed by the UNHCR in striving to provide protection, assistance and durable solutions to these vulnerable populations,” he said.
He said it was a collective responsibility of the countries to prevent human trafficking and related illegal activities that arise as a result of forced migration.
“A single country or region is not in a position to overcome such crises successfully without the mutual assistance and cooperation of others. Solutions to address root causes need the continuous support and collaboration of the international community,” he said.
He said, during the last 30 years, due to the internal armed conflict in Sri Lanka and other social, economic and political reasons, many of the people left the country.
“The Government, under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken steps, since January 2015, to create safe, secure and conducive conditions for their return.
As of September, 582 Sri Lankan refugees (231 families) have returned to the country during this year, 2016, under UNHCR’s facilitated Voluntary Repatriation Programme. The Government of Sri Lanka works closely with the UNHCR in this process, and is pleased that there is an increased interest in Sri Lankan refugees to return to the country, and the rate of return is higher than that of 2015,” he said.
He said Sri Lanka is also a country of destination for people who have been displaced in neighboring countries.
Aryasinha said the issue of Statelessness has been comprehensively addressed by Sri Lanka through progressive legal and policy initiatives of successive governments.
“Several amendments introduced to the Citizenship Act of Sri Lanka has addressed the statelessness among the community of Tamils of Indian Origin and as a result, the UNHCR has identified Sri Lanka as a case of good practice, stating that ‘Sri Lanka presents one of the best examples of how legal and policy reform, combined with a citizenship campaign, can resolve a long-standing situation of statelessness in a short time,’ he said.