BALI PROCESS UNDERLINES CONCRETE ACTIONS TO ADDRESS IRREGULAR MIGRATION PROBLEMS by Fardah

Nusa Dua, Bali, March 23, 2016 (Antara) - Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi of Indonesia and Julie Bishop of Australia here Wednesday closed the sixth Bali Process that yielded a 14-point Bali Declaration on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons, and Related Transnational Crime.

        "...we are committed to have a mechanism of the Bali Process to facilitate timely and proactive consultation to respond to emergency situations. We underline the need to translate political commitments into concrete actions," the Declaration said.

        Minister Marsudi cited the influx of Rohingya refugees in May 2015 as an emergency situation.

        During the emergency situation, the Bali Process failed to offer either a concrete solution or cooperation in addressing the problem, she said at a press conference held after the closing of the meeting.

         Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand have been impacted by the influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

         "This must not happen again. Indonesia believes, in this case, that the humanitarian aspect must prevail. It was for this reason that Indonesia went the extra mile in accepting irregular migrants last year. But the task at hand is much bigger than one country can handle by itself. Therefore, we need to establish a special mechanism that would allow us to address this collectively," the minister stated earlier in her opening remarks.

         Therefore, the Bali Process must be able to deal with emergency situations, strengthen its law enforcement mechanisms, answer humanitarian question, and contribute in addressing the root causes to achieve durable solutions to irregular migration, she emphasized.

         She also urged cooperation to expedite the processing of asylum seekers and refugees.

         "The role of relevant international organizations, such as the UNHCR and the IOM, and civil society must also be included in the process," she said.

         Principle of burden sharing between origin, transit, and destination countries must be translated into concrete actions, she noted.

        Furthermore, the Bali Declaration expressed particular concern over the tragic loss of life at sea, and by the abuse and exploitation of migrants and refugees at the hands of people smugglers and human traffickers.

        "We also acknowledge that irregular migration poses social, economic, and security concerns for affected countries, with implications on regional and global stability," the member countries said in the Bali Declaration.

        The Declaration reaffirmed commitment to their respective international legal obligations and encouraged members to identify and provide safety and protection to migrants, victims of human trafficking, smuggled persons, asylum seekers and refugees, whilst addressing the needs of vulnerable groups including women and children.

        The member countries also underlined the need to address the root causes of irregular movement of persons and forced displacement, and the frequent linkage between the breakdown of good governance and the ease of people smuggling and irregular migrant ventures.

        "We acknowledge the need for adequate access to irregular migrants wherever they are, by humanitarian providers especially the UNHCR and the IOM, as appropriate. We encourage member states to explore alternatives to detention for vulnerable groups," it stated.

        The Conference agreed that Australia and Indonesia, as Bali Process co-chairs, can now convene regional meetings on urgent irregular migration issues to ensure more agile and timely responses, Julie Bishop, said in a joint press release with Australian Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton, who led the Australian delegation to the Bali meeting.

         "To improve our preparedness for any future large influxes of irregular migrants, it was also agreed to review the region's response to the tragic Andaman Sea event in May 2015," the joint statement said.

        The Declaration complements Australia's new International Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking and Slavery, launched by Minister Bishop in Bali, she noted.

         The strategy outlines the Australian government's agenda to strengthen the country's role as a regional leader in combating trafficking and slavery.

        A summary document of the sixth Bali Process conference will be conveyed to a UNHCR conference on refugee to be held in Geneva in late March, and the next United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September this year. 
   The Bali Process Conference was attended by 45 member countries, 17 observer countries, and several UN bodies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

         On the sidelines of the Bali meeting, Minister Retno Marsudi received a courtesy call from Assistant to the UNHCR High Commissioner for Protection Volker Turkeld.

         The Indonesian government sought the support of the UNHCR to help accelerate the handling of refugees and asylum seekers that are currently residing in Indonesia.

         "As a transit country, Indonesia lauds the role and support of UNHCR in handling the refugees," noted the foreign minister.

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(T.SYS/A/BESSR/) 23-03-2016 22:03:00