Managing Movements of Refugees & Migrants in Libyas Armed Conflict: An Inspiration for Greater Global Solidarity?

Keynote Address by Honourable Sergio Marchi Adjunct Professor, Webster University Special Advisor, Pace Global Advantage The 17th Annual Webster University International Humanitarian Conference Refugees in Armed Conflict Geneva, Switzerland March 1, 2012

Introduction
It is a real pleasure to participate in Websters 17th Annual International Humanitarian Conference. This represents an impressive track record for our University; and one that continues to grow in depth and reach. I would like to therefore congratulate Alexandre, and the Webster faculty and student team, for carrying on this proud tradition. I would also like to thank them for their kind invitation to speak this morning. By way of context, the second half of the 20th century has witnessed a shockingly high number of armed conflicts. The International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences (ISISC), in Italy, recently established that between 1945 and 2008, some 313 conflicts took place, claiming between 92 and101 million deaths. This is a huge human toll, by any measurement; indeed, twice the number of victims in World War I and II combined! Moreover, one can only imagine the horrors associated with those that were injured, traumatized, and displaced; people who lost entire families; individuals that were scarred deeply, emotionally and physically. As we try to visualize this sad human portrait, I am sure our thoughts also drift to the question of how we --- as an enlightened society --- could have intervened to lessen the pain, the suffering and the number of deaths. It is in this larger context, that Alexandre asked me to focus; namely, to touch on the theme of global governance, as it relates to refugees and migration more broadly. I have been interested and involved in the advocacy for a change in governance for the last several years. And one thing is very clear: it is critical for our political leaders and international policy makers to now begin the work of providing global migration, the global governance it needs and deserves, on an incremental, step-by-step basis. We really must shift gears in how we approach and manage migration realities, in all of their different forms. Increased human mobility is but a reflection of our globalized times. The number of international migrants has doubled since 1980 alone, reaching some 215 million people. Added to this, we have some 15 million refugees, about 15 million internally displaced people, and approximately 30 to 40 million undocumented migrants. As well, we must also take stock of the some 740 million people who are internal migrants, the vast majority of them moving from rural to urban centers.
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Thats more than 1 billion people on the move. And this trend will only intensify. Moreover, this human movement touches all lands. The old notion that the world is divided into two categories of sending and receiving countries is just that --- old, and outdated. The modern day reality has refugees and migrants leaving from, transiting through, and entering all nations, big and small, rich and poor. Migration has truly gone global.

Governance Stuck on Local Gear

Yet, for the most part, the scope of government responses is restricted to national actions. Our governance gearbox is stuck on local. This makes migration the general exception to the rule, because cross border issues tend to be the shared concerns of many or all governments. They are also the focus of single roof multilateral institutions, whose mandate it is to bring management and policy direction to bear on these international issues. International trade, labor, health, human rights, intellectual property, and the environment are all such examples. In short, these trans-border policy issues all enjoy the benefit of differing degrees of international governance. Governments jointly own the opportunities and the burdens, in an effort to develop more effective public policies, and advance the common good. Yet, migration continues to swim against this global current. Not only is it parceled out across 4 different international agencies but, at the end of the day, the political buck continues to stop with national governments. Such a trajectory is simply unsustainable. I fully appreciate that all politics are still local, and that elected representatives need to move with the times. But, there is also an onus on governments to govern for the times. And our times are global.
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Issues of migration are global. The level of collaboration and coherence that is required must also be on a global scale. We simply cannot continue to address new, global realities with old, local responses. Therefore, beyond embracing domestic priorities, our political leaders must also exercise responsible, global political leadership. So, what to do? And where do we turn to for inspiration? Well, in the context of this Humanitarian Conference, I will limit myself to two thoughts.

Finding the Means and Best Practices for Shifting Gears Incrementally
First, as mentioned earlier, we need to incrementally shift the gears of governance. I dont underestimate, for one moment, the formidable task that this represents. Change is never easy, and a shift in mindsets will not be a quick fix. The situation calls for prudence; a measured undertaking that recognizes that any new international building blocks will be part of a process of graduation. And as one concrete source of inspiration, we should look to the 1951 Refugee Convention; the ground-breaking legal instrument through which the international community addresses and responds to the plight of refugees worldwide. While imperfect, it represents a major achievement. Millions upon millions of persecuted people have found an outstretched hand of protection, and the opportunity of a future with dignity and respect. The Convention also represents a significant framework for global commitment and governance. Furthermore, we should draw strength and motivation from our recent experiences in managing and assisting refugees and forced or stranded migrants, caught in the middle of armed conflict.

Libya was such a case. With all the tragedy and pain that marked this fresh conflict, there is nonetheless a silver lining; a glimmer of hope that emerges, in the way that refugees and stranded migrants were helped. Last year, as a consequence of the armed conflict, local citizens were besieged, and entire communities of people, refugees, and labor migrants became victims and hostages of the armed violence. In response, the UNHCR and IOM established a joint Human Evacuation Cell. They provided shared leadership, and galvanized the assistance and efforts of other agencies, NGOs and governments. It was a rather formidable operation. In a way, it built on the 1992 experience in Bosnia, with the airlift to and from Sarajevo. In the Libyan campaign; y Some 1.2 million people left the country at the outbreak of violence and armed conflict y Of these, some 40 per cent were third country nationals, as there were about 2.5 million migrant workers in Libya before the crisis y The UNHCR/IOM Cell directly helped over 210,000 people move to safety, via air, land, and water, and created vital protection space for thousands of others. Thats quite the volume of people movements, when one considers managing and accomplishing these logistics in a theatre of war. It is also an impressive number relatively speaking. For instance, the figure represents the total number of immigrants that Canada accepts annually. y In all, the UNHCR and IOM received official requests from 32 different countries to assist their stranded nationals. y The Cell also organized and distributed medical assistance, water, food, soap, blankets, tents, mattresses, and provided special humanitarian assistance for
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pregnant women, the injured, people who lost everything and were asset less, individuals who required psychological and mental health support, and children who were left without parents y The IOM and UNHCR worked with other UN Agencies such as the WHO, and UNICEF, as well as with the ICRC, the Red Crescent Societies, and Save the Children y They collaborated with Embassies, neighboring countries, far away nations, and with local, regional and international NGOs y They seconded doctors, nurses and other professionals y The UNHCR and IOM utilized their respective offices around the world in an effort to move people and find them temporary and long term shelter; they reunited families; and they found homes for over 500 refugees in third countries y And they fundraised over 105 Million US dollars, from over 20 different countries, in order to support the campaign

Im not saying that this was a perfect story. Nor am I suggesting that it necessarily represents the perfect ending to a troubling conflict. But what I am saying is that this is an uplifting and hopeful story. One that is anchored in the belief and power of trying to achieve a measure of public good, in the midst of public chaos and danger. It is also a story about leadership. Two of the leading migration organizations stepped up to the plate. Compliments are especially in order for the High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres. He did not stop at the border of his mandate and legal texts. He did not choose to split hairs and draw fine distinctions between a refugee, and a forced or stranded migrant. Instead, he used his office and his instincts, and at some considerable risk, joined IOM in managing the
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movement of people to safety; back to their countries of origin, and for refugees, into new adopted nations. The bottom line was that their actions, and those of their many partners, saved lives. Tens of thousands of individuals and families were granted a second lease on life, as a result. Its all about improving that human portrait that I alluded to at the start of my remarks. Finally, this is also a story about a global endeavor, and a measure of international solidarity. There was a broad collaboration between countries, institutions, and civil society, and their net efforts made an enormous difference for people in need; and by doing so, these stakeholders altered profoundly the human outcome of this armed conflict for the better. We need to capture and learn from all these experiences and best practices, and build on them. For example; y could we not strengthen and build this Cell into a template that can be applied to the next human crisis arising from armed conflict, and to do so with even greater efficiency and speed? y could we not expand this platform of cooperation by inviting the participation of additional countries and institutions, as needed? y could we not contemplate taking this one step further, and using this experience to transform existing mechanisms, or build new international instruments, that can help to manage migration more broadly? After all, if different institutions, NGOs, and governments could work together to help refugees, forced migrants, and displaced people under war torn conditions and all the complications that this entails --- flying bullets, bomb explosions, landmines, raging fires, destroyed infrastructure, and families ravaged by death and destruction --- could we not see our way through better managing human mobility, during so-called regular conditions? Or, is it a case of our better angels only appearing during moments of adversity?
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I hope not!

Principles of Governance
Secondly, when the international community decides to shift gears, it would then need to establish and agree on a set of core principals, around which an improved model or framework for governance can be built on. In the Libyan campaign, there were some clear principals at the very heart of the operations. These included; y political vision and will y cooperation and coherence across and among government, institutional, and civil society actors y providing people with immediate safety and shelter, and y reuniting families, getting people home, and finding people new homes

In the broader picture, we would need to agree to some other desired and tangible principals. In this regard, a few weeks ago I attended an International Trade Symposium in Lausanne, where the afternoon session was entitled, Principals for Achieving the Imperatives of Global Governance. The participants identified and discussed the merits of competing principles that could serve as pillars for an improved governance framework. As I was preparing my remarks for todays conference, it struck me how those deliberations were so relevant to the task facing our migration policy world.

That particular seminar established a consensus of some ten core principles; the ten commandments of governance, if you will. And we didnt even have to climb the Swiss Alps to get the tablets! They were as follows: i) ii) First, political will, leadership, and vision are required --- as opposed to populism. Second, building trust and confidence among countries and governments.

iii) Third, the need for open minds, and applying fresh innovative thinking to problemsolving. iv) Fourth, establishing an inclusive and representative steering group that would exercise responsibility, and err on the side of action and not just endless talk. v) vi) vii) Fifth, agreeing to modest, focused, and incremental actions and proposals. Sixth, retaining a measure of flexibility. Seventh, any actions or proposals must be fair and factual.

viii) Eighth, any process must be transparent and accountable. ix) Ninth, timeliness and coherence of decisions.

x) And finally, daring to dream. Keeping hope alive, in an effort build a better and kinder society. Naturally, one can add to, or subtract from, this list. But I thought these provided valuable insights for discussing and ultimately building the foundation that would support an improved and coordinated agenda of actions on the global migration front.

In Closing
In closing, I believe that migration remains largely an opportunity --- for refugees, migrants and nations. And that is because migrants and refugees are dreamers and entrepreneurs. They often risk everything --- including their own lives --- for a different and better future. And in turn, the richness of their ideas, experiences, and energies help to build, renew, and re-energize societies. My country Canada is a classic example. But as a deeply emotional reality, migration also packs fears and negative perceptions that create anxieties for citizens of all backgrounds, in all lands. For these reasons and contradictions, by working together, governments can avoid the shortcomings of a go-italone, national migration strategy. Governments need to be courageous where realities and pressures demand that they rethink and rebuild. And political leaders must provide the international vision and leadership that migration demands. For me, the recent Libyan campaign by UNHCR and IOM underscores the impressive humanitarian tradition that we are capable of mobilizing, when confronted with hundreds of thousands of people trying to flee the indiscriminate effects of violence and armed conflict. It also underlines the importance and indispensability of bold political will. The campaign put aside the heated and populist-driven debate that we find in all too many countries; where ideologically, the refugee, the migrant, and the foreigner are cast as the enemy. It took an unambiguous stance against indifference and inaction. It reminded us that we have responsibilities to one another, and that these obligations are global, and that beyond today, they also are aimed for future generations, in the hopes of creating a better world.

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The critical challenge, in the context of a strengthened governance objective, is whether we can take an informal, ad hoc campaign and transform it into a formal, comprehensive policy tool? In other words, can the Libyan campaign inspire us to greater international solidarity? Thank you.

The Honourable Sergio Marchi teaches in the International Relations Department, of Webster University, in Geneva. He is also a Special Advisor to Pace Global Advantage, a Canadian firm specializing in international migration, tax, and business solutions for HNW investors. Formerly, Mr. Marchi served as the Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and as a Commissioner on the UN Global Commission on International Migration. _______________________________________________________________________________ 11