The Global Refugee Crisis
Three months ago I attended a meeting in Stellenbosch, South Africa, called by the Secretary General of the United Nations to examine the issue of human migration across the world. The SG had concluded, well before the present situation unfolding in Europe, that human migration was an issue confronting all countries and that he needed a report that emanated from each of the major regional groupings to try and understand the issue and to work out what to do.
We were presented with a substantial background paper on the subject which estimated that 128 million people were on the move worldwide. The main problem confronting the UN was the fact that once a migrant was classified by a UN agency as a “refugee” it was their responsibility to provide the essential needs of food, shelter and medical services. Our challenge, we learned, was to try and define what a refugee was in real terms and how to limit the demand on UN services and funding.
In the late 80’s of last century I was in Denmark on business and had an opportunity to speak to a group of several hundred University students. I spoke about the inequality of the world we all lived in and the increasing opportunities for cross border migration. Towards the end I asked them what they thought about simply dropping all restraints and allowing free movement of people. There was a sudden hush and then a rush of comments basically saying “no way, we (Danes) could never allow that, we would be swamped”. I was surprised as I thought that Denmark was the most liberal of States in Europe.
I watched the most recent episode in this comic opera in the form of the meeting in the Mediterranean area of nearly 60 European and African leaders followed by an announcement that they had created a Trust Fund with $1,8 billion in funding to encourage African migrants to stay at home. What a joke!
Up to 1980 when we gained our Independence, migration from this country (Zimbabwe) had been relatively modest – perhaps 250 000 people had left the country for political reasons – either to join the guerilla war then raging or to go into some form of asylum – most to attend Universities and to take advantage of generous grants to secure an overseas education. Thousands went to special institutions in the Soviet bloc or to Cuba to get an education and skills and then to return home and play a role in our newly independent country.