WARSAW, 17 December 2021 – As the world nears the end of a second year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, we see clearly that its impact has hit the most vulnerable hardest, with many migrants who were already facing challenges to access their basic rights now having greater difficulty in accessing employment, education, housing, and even the right to international protection, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on the eve of International Migrants Day.

“While countries have needed to make difficult choices in order to protect people from infection, we see that the pandemic is having a disproportionately negative effect on groups who were already vulnerable,” said ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci. “It is particularly important at this difficult time that safeguarding the rights of migrants and refugees is not forgotten or – still worse – ignored.”

Although there have been many positive practices around the OSCE region to provide migrants with access to healthcare or show more flexibility with some administrative requirements, global refugee protection has come under strain as the number of forcibly displaced people has grown to unprecedented levels. But having access to international protection and ensuring that no individual is sent back to a country in which they would face persecution is a key element of international law. It is also a cornerstone of the international human rights system.

At the same time, over the past year we have seen civil society organisations that monitor and support the rights of migrants come under attack. All OSCE countries have recognised the essential role of civil society in maintaining security and peace in the area of migration, and need to make every effort to protect civil society activists at risk of persecution including by offering international protection and visa facilitation as appropriate.

The racism, xenophobia, and intolerance we are witnessing in many places against migrants, refugees, and other minorities not only have a negative impact on their well-being and current and future opportunities, but also undermine the social bricks and mortar that keep any society together. ODIHR’s ongoing efforts to support migrant integration and respect for the rights of migrants and refugees is complemented by its work to monitor and address hate crimes across the OSCE region. More information about ODIHR’s work and resources on migration is available here.