AKEL on World Refugee Day

Statement by AKEL’s Migration Policy and Against Racism Bureau

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 20 June 2019, Nicosia

According to the latest figures released by UNHCR, in 2018 70.8 million people around the world have been forced to abandon their home. Of these, about 25.9 million are refugees, half of whom are under the age of 18. Compared to 2017, they rose by 2.3 million. Almost one person is displaced violently every 2 seconds as a result of conflict or persecution.

In a world where this situation prevails, World Refugee Day cannot but be a day that forces humanity to face up the stark terrible reality. To recognize the deadlocks that are being created by the inhuman policies imposed by the imperialist powers of the world and to at long last respond dynamically to reverse this situation.

AKEL, on this occasion of this Day, sends a militant greeting both to the refugees of Cyprus who for years have been struggling to solve the Cyprus problem, reunify our country and return to their homes, but also to all the refugees all over the world who are the victims of ongoing wars, poverty, destitution and persecution.

AKEL will continue to struggle and assert first and foremost from the EU the implementation of measures to eradicate the root causes of wars, the uprooting of the peoples and migration. In addition, AKEL calls for measures to provide support to refugees in host countries through a human-centered approach based on solidarity.

At the same time at a national level, AKEL supports the promotion of policies that respond to all aspects of the immigration and refugee issues, based on human rights and international and European law.