Migration and Peace-building in the Mediterranean

Migration and Peace-building in
the Mediterranean
H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca | President of the Republic of Malta
Wednesday 2nd March 2016

Migration and Peace-building in the Mediterranean
H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca
President of the Republic of Malta
“My message
shall focus on
the need for
peace, and
how this must
shape our
action if we are
committed to
the fulfilment
of sustainable
and meaningful
wellbeing.”
2 Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

“My message concerns…”
3
• The most vulnerable
• Whose struggle, in the form of contemporary processes of
migration, must come to inform our concerns
Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

“by rising to meet our
responsibilities…”
4
we shall discover, how each one of us, in our roles as students,
educators, policy-makers and active citizens, can unite together to
transform this unfolding situation for the better.

“As President of a nation in the centre of the
Mediterranean, and as a woman of that region…”
• Imbued with its character and
multilayered interconnections of
identity
• reaching across diverse cultures
and people
• proposing challenges and
source of sustenance and
renewal
5

“As President of a nation in the centre of the
Mediterranean, and as a woman of that region…”
• We each bring something of ourselves and our identity to the
issues at hand
• This inclusive sense of who we are (and our collective potential)
must inform our discussions
6

“The long history of interaction between the
peoples surrounding the Mediterranean Sea…”
• Contributed to building the complex cultures of the region:
• Social Culture
• Political Culture
• Religious Culture
• Ancient and contemporary realities of the Mediterranean have had direct and powerful
influence over all parts of the world.
• The Roman Empire, the Islamic Golden Age, the Middle Ages, Modernity and today’s
narratives of mass movement, are all testament to underlying histories that cannot
be understood without engaging in an honest encounter with the Mediterranean
7

“We should not forget that the very nature of the university itself,
which gives us the opportunity to interact in an empowering forum
for the free exchange of ideas, is intrinsically linked to the history of
the Mediterranean.”
8

President of the Republic of Malta9
25Universities founded in the
Mediterranean Basin, out of
the 44 oldest universities in
the world
8of the top ten oldest
universities of the world, are
in the Mediterranean Area

The Mediterranean Sea
• Not a “problem” to be solved, or a “crisis” to be undone.
• A centre for some of the most sustained and vibrant expressions of
human life that this planet has known
• Its wellbeing is of primary concern, and an exploration of this wellbeing
must rely both on our past collective memories but also on what
connects us all, regardless of our geographical position, today.
10

“The movement of refugees is a global challenge
that no nation is equipped to deal with alone”
• Refugees and migrants themselves must be part of our
conversations
• If we are to hope for a sustainable strategy that can deal with all
facets of this pressing reality
• Travel through the central Mediterranean remains the principal access
for migrants coming from various parts of the African continent
11

–Martin Schulz
President of the European Parliament
(Valletta Summit on Migration, 2015)
“The Mediterranean is the most dangerous route.”
12

“The Mediterranean is the most dangerous route”
• Route is also responsible for the largest number of reported fatalities,
numbering in the thousands.
13

“The Mediterranean is the most dangerous route”
• We are duty bound to find ways of enhancing search and rescue
operations in the Mediterranean.
15

“Impeding the activities of smugglers
and traffickers is crucial, if we are to become active agents in saving lives”
• Traffickers exploiting refugees in the Mediterranean amassed over €5
billion in 2015 alone (EUROPOL)
• Efforts to counter this criminal activity must come as part of a larger
process
• Should include the creation of improved safety in border crossing
• through the consensus of states not solely preoccupied with
jurisdictional concerns.
16

“Security in many countries of departure remains
fragile”
• Sahel Regional Action Plan for 2015-2020
• EU has placed itself in a position to better address the deteriorating
political, humanitarian and human rights situation in that region
• There are other pressing questions which we must address.
17

“How are we to
boost local
economies
through trade, for
example though
partnership
agreements and
'aid for trade'
programmes, in
such a way as to
avoid old patterns
of exploitation and
oppression?”

“How are we to account for the massive damage already
done, as individuals and their families lose all sense of the
future to make their desperate journeys across the
Mediterranean Sea?”

“In what way can we make our individual contributions
towards ensuring that people do not have to abandon
their livelihood because of drought or famine, as a
direct result of climate change?”
20
Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

UNHCR reports…
21
110,000
over
people have already crossed the Mediterranean this year

Over 110,000 people have already crossed the
Mediterranean this year
22
85%come from the world’s top ten
refugee-producing countries
400 reported dead or missing so far
in 2016

“political reactions around Europe
have been very different…”
• Some Europeans have accepted the direction proposed by the
European Union and the European Commission
• sharing should proceed on grounds that include population, GDP
and unemployment
• Proximity is not, and cannot, be construed as the sole indicator of
responsibility.
23

“We must work together
to define new policies”
• Time to consider the viability of:
• humanitarian visas
• family reunion visas
• short-term visas
24

“What, then, are we to say to those who argue that
borders and fences are the only way to deal with the
growing numbers of people desperate to escape
persecution and the most untenable conditions?”

“What motivates changes in policy?”
26

“What causes a transformation in people’s
consciousness, and elicits a turn towards peace?”

We are becoming so accustomed to news reports of the
dead and dying, that we are rendered immune to suffering.
This cannot go on.
28

Peace-building in the Mediterranean must take
into consideration the identities of communities  
on both sides of the Mediterranean
• Engage all stakeholders in a dialogue that maintains an awareness of
the things that have for too long denied the dignity of so many:
• Various layers of oppression, hardship and exclusion
• This engagement is the work which is envisioned for the
Institute of Peace and Wellbeing currently being developed by
the Presidency and The President’s Foundation for the
Wellbeing of Society
29

Institute of Peace and Wellbeing
• Dedicated to fostering processes of peace and wellbeing within the
Mediterranean and beyond
• Tremendous interest shown by a number of partners:
• ISESCO, UNESCO, University of Columbia, University of Cambridge,
and Vandana Shiva, to name but a few
• “We invite you to join us in this endeavour”
30

• We must finds ways to move away from the stereotypes and prejudices
that have come to define our discourses on migration.
• The importance of wellbeing, as a guide to conceptual and practical
approaches in these areas should be prioritised
• We must resist those who would label migrants as intruders or burdens
on society
• We must bring to light the reality of added values and opportunities
that migrants bring to our communities.
31

“we can hope to achieve a realistic change…”
• By fostering appropriate policy and legal frameworks
• capable of protecting the interests of all, especially the most
vulnerable
• Frameworks must be accompanied by:
• a concurrent shift in social attitudes
• a reorientation that embraces the centrality of human rights and the
twin values of peace and wellbeing.
32

“It is only within an inclusive
and rights-based paradigm…”
• Our attitude towards migration may cease to be a source of fear,
embedded with language of hate
• and instead reflect a larger truth of common care, spoken in the
language of friendship, rooted in our common humanity
33

“How else are we to ensure that the 2030 Sustainable
Development Agenda, and its Sustainable
Development Goals, shall become a reality? ”
34

“How else is our work to bear fruit, in endeavours
which offer such an opportunity for mutual enrichment
and such a challenge to those who would abuse their
power?”
35

“How else are we to stand firm in our commitment to
secure the wellbeing of all, especially the vulnerable?”
36

• Wealth of practical guidance on how these struggles must be addressed
• Precise information on the indicators that will be used to measure our
success
• These are the targets that we must endorse and pursue (regardless of
the opposition that appears to be growing everyday), if we are to stand
any chance of successfully reaching our goals on a global scale.
• Political elites must rise above political, ethnic and religious divides, and
make concerted efforts to consolidate peace.
37

“We must work together to take concrete and comprehensive
action, anchored in a rights-based approach that can address
economic, social, cultural, political and environmental
considerations. Academics, practitioners, members of civil society,
and political actors, must come together to ensure that equality and
intersectionally sensitive non-discrimination are entrenched in law,
illuminated by the framework of fundamental human rights and
implemented through policy.”
38

Economic Migration
• Commonly used terminology, never far from the lips of political actors
across Europe and other parts of the Global North.
• Often used as a weapon
• a means of fostering division
• a means of declaring some individuals and their families unworthy of
the fullness of their dignity
39

Why are people escaping?
• Many people who are not escaping overt persecution, but are escaping for theirs
lives for other reasons:
• Starving
• Undergoing the most dreadful conditions of economic catastrophe
• They may be enduring agricultural collapse due to the environmental change
• Many stay in the vicinity of their homes, because they hope to be able to soon return
• Yet, more and more people are undertaking even longer, more arduous, more
expensive journeys
40

“Refugees travel for weeks, months, sometimes even years. On their
journeys, they are exposed to unscrupulous exploitation and the
constant risk of abuse. They risk their lives crossing the
Mediterranean in unsafe ships or unseaworthy dinghies, supplied with
life jackets only at an additional cost. Many are profoundly traumatised
and disturbed by their experiences, for which they receive little or no
care.”

• Appropriate action is necessary
• to protect refugees and migrants from discrimination and harm
• to provide access to mental healthcare
• Essential safeguards must be put in place to counteract threats of
violence and unfair economic and financial exploitation
• It is our duty to undertake measures that may support individuals and
groups whose capabilities have been diminished or constrained by
exclusionary policies
42

• States are to enact macroeconomic policies that create appropriate
employment opportunities
• States must guarantee basic services, including education, healthcare
and access to healthy food
• States must find ways of facilitating free and quality access to
information and knowledge, fostering a spirit of active participation.
43

“There is an alarming tendency for those suffering
inequalities to be underrepresented in those processes
that could potentially address and alleviate their
oppression. Sometimes they are not represented at all.
As a result, their concerns are not given the importance
they deserve and may even go unnoticed as a concern
worthy of action.”
44

• We must maintain the centrality of accountability
• We must be mindful of the ways in which policy makers and
governments are held to account for the design, monitoring, and
implementation of their policies
• Ensure that adequate action is taken by those who have a duty to
implement frameworks capable of protecting and defending the
rights of all
• Special consideration must also be given to those countries where
governance has been weakened
45

“Ultimately,
this is a global responsibility”
• Proximity does not, in and of itself, define responsibility
• we must recognise that each of us shares in the duty to care for
the precariousness of refugees and migrants
• Part of our response must include peace-building measures that
seriously address the roots of conflict and deprivation
46

“let us also recognise that every conflict
carries its own unique character…”
• Solutions cannot simply be transposed from one context to another
• We must work to secure the dignity and protection of the vulnerable in
all instances
• Creating structures that promote sustainable peace
• which address the underlying roots of violent conflict
47

“It is imperative that we focus our work, at its
beginning, on conflict prevention”
• When the international community fails to act in a timely fashion, it opens the door to
corruption and abuse
• We are aware of systematic failures in at-risk nations and of the horrors that are being
committed in areas where power means little more than violence and coercion
• Where is the political will to take action?
• We cannot claim the comfort of ignorance
• We cannot pretend that we did not know conflict was growing into direct
confrontation
• We cannot absolve ourselves of the responsibility to muster the political will to act
early and decisively
48

“Early action can prevent
enormous suffering”
• Our failure to prevent conflict has contributed significantly to
unnecessary anguish, but also to wasteful expenditure in terms of
humanitarian aid programmes and peacekeeping budgets
• If violence remains a critical impediment, no conflict-affected state can
hope to achieve the full implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals.
49

“War is fundamentally opposed to sustainable
development”
• It is only through the international community’s commitment to
eradicate poverty that we can hope to successfully reduce all forms of
violent conflict.
• We must find ways of building relationships between governments and
communities, exploring sustainable solutions to conflict and insecurity.
50

“This is why Goal 16
of the SDGs is so critical”
• All of our approaches must be guided by  
the promotion of just, peaceful,  
and inclusive societies;  
the strengthening of the rule of law;  
and the promotion of human rights.
• It is by engaging governments and 
communities in the work of wellbeing, in the  
cessation of violence, in the cause of peace, 
that we shall secure the firmest foundation.
51

“We must strive towards full participation of all
members of society”
• The involvement of women and gender minorities is critical, both within
our own nations and in our communication with others
52

“no shortcuts to building durable institutions
within nations”
• Processes of positive change in key institutions can take between one
or two decades, at a minimum (The World Bank)
• Long term and consistent support is crucial if we are to effect a
sustainable transformation.
• Our economic and political commitments must align with the dictates
of our consciences.
53

Aylan/Alan Kurdi
A powerful photograph provokes something within us, but what name can we give to such a
difficult movement of conscience? Is it sadness? Pity? Shame?
54

“Is there still space within the Mediterranean, within
our discourse, for hope?”
55

“Is there still space within the Mediterranean, within our
discourse, for hope?”
• We cannot ignore the plight of individuals and families as they migrate
in search of a better life.
• We cannot continue to push already marginalised groups further away.
• We cannot succumb to the poisonous rhetoric that would see us
divided, rather than acknowledge the fullness of our shared humanity.
56

“Let us share a vision
of the future…”
• Capable of true inclusion
• A vision that restores hope
• A vision that offers the promise of wellbeing and its attainment
57

“I encourage you to be active in supporting this vision,
and to join the efforts of your civil society in urging
policy-makers to adopt approaches that safeguard
human dignity and encourage mutual respect”
58

”Even though peace seems unattainable,
it is important to strive towards it.
That is the importance of peace.
The Importance of peace is in our striving”
59

Migration and Peace-building
in the Mediterranean
Wednesday 2nd March 2016
w: president.gov.mt | f: Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca | t: @presidentmt | Instagram: @president.mt
H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca would like to thank:
Mr. Herman Grech
Ms. Valeria Brigida
Mr. Mario Poeta
Mr. Darrin Zammit Lupi

Migration and Peace-building in the Mediterranean

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Migration and Peace-building in the Mediterranean

Similar to Migration and Peace-building in the Mediterranean (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Migration and Peace-building in the Mediterranean