COVID-19 and The Migration Crisis

 Hello delegates!


While doing research for topic two, it is important to think about the ways in which COVID-19 has affected the migration policies within your country.


Migrants within the Americas have faced unprecedented challenges due to the border closures and lack of available services during the pandemic. Border closures, which often occurred with little warning, forced many migrants out of their country of refuge. Additionally, the withdrawal of NGOs has led to a sharp decline in the amount of humanitarian aid assisting migrant populations. With fewer and fewer resources available, migrants have become even more vulnerable to the dangers of human trafficking, sexual abuse, and extreme poverty. As detailed in the New York Times’ expose on rising inequality in Latin America during the pandemic, many Venezuelan refugees in Colombia had no choice but “returning to a nation where they were almost certain that disaster awaited.” A joint UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) and IOM (International Organization for Migration) press release argues that $1.44 billion USD is necessary to provide relief to Venezuelan migrants. Direct aid is undoubtedly a vital piece towards solving this immediate humanitarian crisis. Yet, throwing money at the problem will not provide long term protections for these vulnerable populations. In committee, it is important to take both the short term and long term effects of the pandemic into consideration when discussing solutions to the migration crisis. 


Here are some questions to consider when thinking about how to craft solutions to the migration crisis within the context of COVID-19:

  1. Are the international regulations regarding migration robust enough to provide adequate migrant protections in the context of a global pandemic? How can they be improved to account for future pandemics?

  2. How did your country treat migrants during COVID-19? How did border closers affect migrants living within your country or attempting to migrate to your country?

  3. Are there tradeoffs between stopping the spread of the pandemic and living up to international commitments towards refugees?

  4. Have any international laws towards the treatment of refugees been violated during the pandemic? If so, what enforcement mechanism can be put in place to prevent the situation from happening again.


I look forward to hearing your thoughts in committee.


-Claire

Sources: 


https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/news/press/2020/12/5fd1e4c14/us144-billion-needed-support-refugees-migrants-venezuela-amid-covid-19.html


https://cdn.walkfree.org/content/uploads/2020/10/06154059/Walk-Free-Foundation-COVID-19-Report.pdf


https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/11/world/americas/coronavirus-latin-america-inequality.html

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