migration and peace-building in the mediterranean

Migration and Peace-building in the Mediterranean

H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca | President of the Republic of Malta

Wednesday 2nd March 2016

Migration and Peace-building in the Mediterranean H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca President of the Republic of Malta

“My message shall focus on the need for peace, and how this must shape our action if we are committed to the fulfilment of sustainable and meaningful wellbeing.”

2 Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi


“My message concerns…”

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• The most vulnerable • Whose struggle, in the form of contemporary processes of

migration, must come to inform our concernsPhoto: Darrin Zammit Lupi


“by rising to meet our responsibilities…”

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we shall discover, how each one of us, in our roles as students, educators, policy-makers and active citizens, can unite together to

transform this unfolding situation for the better.


“As President of a nation in the centre of the Mediterranean, and as a woman of that region…”

• Imbued with its character and multilayered interconnections of identity

• reaching across diverse cultures and people

• proposing challenges and source of sustenance and renewal

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“As President of a nation in the centre of the Mediterranean, and as a woman of that region…”

• We each bring something of ourselves and our identity to the issues at hand

• This inclusive sense of who we are (and our collective potential) must inform our discussions

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“The long history of interaction between the peoples surrounding the Mediterranean Sea…”

• Contributed to building the complex cultures of the region:

• Social Culture

• Political Culture

• Religious Culture

• Ancient and contemporary realities of the Mediterranean have had direct and powerful influence over all parts of the world.

• The Roman Empire, the Islamic Golden Age, the Middle Ages, Modernity and today’s narratives of mass movement, are all testament to underlying histories that cannot be understood without engaging in an honest encounter with the Mediterranean

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“We should not forget that the very nature of the university itself, which gives us the opportunity to interact in an empowering forum for the free exchange of ideas, is intrinsically linked to the history of

the Mediterranean.”

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Migration and Peace-building in the Mediterranean H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca President of the Republic of Malta9

25Universities founded in the Mediterranean Basin, out of the 44 oldest universities in

the world

8of the top ten oldest

universities of the world, are in the Mediterranean Area


The Mediterranean Sea

• Not a “problem” to be solved, or a “crisis” to be undone.

• A centre for some of the most sustained and vibrant expressions of human life that this planet has known

• Its wellbeing is of primary concern, and an exploration of this wellbeing must rely both on our past collective memories but also on what connects us all, regardless of our geographical position, today.

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“The movement of refugees is a global challenge that no nation is equipped to deal with alone”

• Refugees and migrants themselves must be part of our conversations

• If we are to hope for a sustainable strategy that can deal with all facets of this pressing reality

• Travel through the central Mediterranean remains the principal access for migrants coming from various parts of the African continent

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–Martin Schulz President of the European Parliament (Valletta Summit on Migration, 2015)

“The Mediterranean is the most dangerous route.”

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“The Mediterranean is the most dangerous route”

• Route is also responsible for the largest number of reported fatalities, numbering in the thousands.

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“The Mediterranean is the most dangerous route”

• We are duty bound to find ways of enhancing search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean.

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“Impeding the activities of smugglers and traffickers is crucial, if we are to become active agents in saving lives”

• Traffickers exploiting refugees in the Mediterranean amassed over €5 billion in 2015 alone (EUROPOL)

• Efforts to counter this criminal activity must come as part of a larger process

• Should include the creation of improved safety in border crossing

• through the consensus of states not solely preoccupied with jurisdictional concerns.

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“Security in many countries of departure remains fragile”

• Sahel Regional Action Plan for 2015-2020

• EU has placed itself in a position to better address the deteriorating political, humanitarian and human rights situation in that region

• There are other pressing questions which we must address.

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“How are we to boost local economies through trade, for example though partnership agreements and 'aid for trade' programmes, in such a way as to avoid old patterns of exploitation and oppression?”



“How are we to account for the massive damage already done, as individuals and their families lose all sense of the

future to make their desperate journeys across the Mediterranean Sea?”



“In what way can we make our individual contributions towards ensuring that people do not have to abandon

their livelihood because of drought or famine, as a direct result of climate change?”

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Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi


UNHCR reports…

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110,000over

people have already crossed the Mediterranean this year


Over 110,000 people have already crossed the Mediterranean this year

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85% come from the world’s top ten refugee-producing countries

400 reported dead or missing so farin 2016


“political reactions around Europe have been very different…”

• Some Europeans have accepted the direction proposed by the European Union and the European Commission

• sharing should proceed on grounds that include population, GDP and unemployment

• Proximity is not, and cannot, be construed as the sole indicator of responsibility.

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“We must work together to define new policies”

• Time to consider the viability of:

• humanitarian visas

• family reunion visas

• short-term visas

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“What, then, are we to say to those who argue that borders and fences are the only way to deal with the

growing numbers of people desperate to escape persecution and the most untenable conditions?”



“What motivates changes in policy?”

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“What causes a transformation in people’s consciousness, and elicits a turn towards peace?”



We are becoming so accustomed to news reports of the dead and dying, that we are rendered immune to suffering.

This cannot go on.

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Peace-building in the Mediterranean must take into consideration the identities of communities

on both sides of the Mediterranean

• Engage all stakeholders in a dialogue that maintains an awareness of the things that have for too long denied the dignity of so many:

• Various layers of oppression, hardship and exclusion

• This engagement is the work which is envisioned for the Institute of Peace and Wellbeing currently being developed by the Presidency and The President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society

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Institute of Peace and Wellbeing• Dedicated to fostering processes of peace and wellbeing within the

Mediterranean and beyond

• Tremendous interest shown by a number of partners:

• ISESCO, UNESCO, University of Columbia, University of Cambridge, and Vandana Shiva, to name but a few

• “We invite you to join us in this endeavour”

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• We must finds ways to move away from the stereotypes and prejudices that have come to define our discourses on migration.

• The importance of wellbeing, as a guide to conceptual and practical approaches in these areas should be prioritised

• We must resist those who would label migrants as intruders or burdens on society

• We must bring to light the reality of added values and opportunities that migrants bring to our communities.

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“we can hope to achieve a realistic change…”• By fostering appropriate policy and legal frameworks

• capable of protecting the interests of all, especially the most vulnerable

• Frameworks must be accompanied by:

• a concurrent shift in social attitudes

• a reorientation that embraces the centrality of human rights and the twin values of peace and wellbeing.

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“It is only within an inclusive and rights-based paradigm…”

• Our attitude towards migration may cease to be a source of fear, embedded with language of hate

• and instead reflect a larger truth of common care, spoken in the language of friendship, rooted in our common humanity

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“How else are we to ensure that the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and its Sustainable

Development Goals, shall become a reality? ”

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“How else is our work to bear fruit, in endeavours which offer such an opportunity for mutual enrichment and such a challenge to those who would abuse their

power?”

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“How else are we to stand firm in our commitment to secure the wellbeing of all, especially the vulnerable?”

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• Wealth of practical guidance on how these struggles must be addressed

• Precise information on the indicators that will be used to measure our success

• These are the targets that we must endorse and pursue (regardless of the opposition that appears to be growing everyday), if we are to stand any chance of successfully reaching our goals on a global scale.

• Political elites must rise above political, ethnic and religious divides, and make concerted efforts to consolidate peace.

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“We must work together to take concrete and comprehensive action, anchored in a rights-based approach that can address

economic, social, cultural, political and environmental considerations. Academics, practitioners, members of civil society, and political actors, must come together to ensure that equality and intersectionally sensitive non-discrimination are entrenched in law,

illuminated by the framework of fundamental human rights and implemented through policy.”

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Economic Migration• Commonly used terminology, never far from the lips of political actors

across Europe and other parts of the Global North.

• Often used as a weapon

• a means of fostering division

• a means of declaring some individuals and their families unworthy of the fullness of their dignity

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Why are people escaping?• Many people who are not escaping overt persecution, but are escaping for theirs

lives for other reasons:

• Starving

• Undergoing the most dreadful conditions of economic catastrophe

• They may be enduring agricultural collapse due to the environmental change

• Many stay in the vicinity of their homes, because they hope to be able to soon return

• Yet, more and more people are undertaking even longer, more arduous, more expensive journeys

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“Refugees travel for weeks, months, sometimes even years. On their journeys, they are exposed to unscrupulous exploitation and the constant risk of abuse. They risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean in unsafe ships or unseaworthy dinghies, supplied with life jackets only at an additional cost. Many are profoundly traumatised and disturbed by their experiences, for which they receive little or no care.”



• Appropriate action is necessary

• to protect refugees and migrants from discrimination and harm

• to provide access to mental healthcare

• Essential safeguards must be put in place to counteract threats of violence and unfair economic and financial exploitation

• It is our duty to undertake measures that may support individuals and groups whose capabilities have been diminished or constrained by exclusionary policies

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• States are to enact macroeconomic policies that create appropriate employment opportunities

• States must guarantee basic services, including education, healthcare and access to healthy food

• States must find ways of facilitating free and quality access to information and knowledge, fostering a spirit of active participation.

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“There is an alarming tendency for those suffering inequalities to be underrepresented in those processes

that could potentially address and alleviate their oppression. Sometimes they are not represented at all. As a result, their concerns are not given the importance they deserve and may even go unnoticed as a concern

worthy of action.”

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• We must maintain the centrality of accountability

• We must be mindful of the ways in which policy makers and governments are held to account for the design, monitoring, and implementation of their policies

• Ensure that adequate action is taken by those who have a duty to implement frameworks capable of protecting and defending the rights of all

• Special consideration must also be given to those countries where governance has been weakened

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“Ultimately, this is a global responsibility”

• Proximity does not, in and of itself, define responsibility

• we must recognise that each of us shares in the duty to care for the precariousness of refugees and migrants

• Part of our response must include peace-building measures that seriously address the roots of conflict and deprivation

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“let us also recognise that every conflict carries its own unique character…”

• Solutions cannot simply be transposed from one context to another

• We must work to secure the dignity and protection of the vulnerable in all instances

• Creating structures that promote sustainable peace

• which address the underlying roots of violent conflict

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“It is imperative that we focus our work, at its beginning, on conflict prevention”

• When the international community fails to act in a timely fashion, it opens the door to corruption and abuse

• We are aware of systematic failures in at-risk nations and of the horrors that are being committed in areas where power means little more than violence and coercion

• Where is the political will to take action?

• We cannot claim the comfort of ignorance

• We cannot pretend that we did not know conflict was growing into direct confrontation

• We cannot absolve ourselves of the responsibility to muster the political will to act early and decisively

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“Early action can prevent enormous suffering”

• Our failure to prevent conflict has contributed significantly to unnecessary anguish, but also to wasteful expenditure in terms of humanitarian aid programmes and peacekeeping budgets

• If violence remains a critical impediment, no conflict-affected state can hope to achieve the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

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“War is fundamentally opposed to sustainable development”

• It is only through the international community’s commitment to eradicate poverty that we can hope to successfully reduce all forms of violent conflict.

• We must find ways of building relationships between governments and communities, exploring sustainable solutions to conflict and insecurity.

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“This is why Goal 16 of the SDGs is so critical”

• All of our approaches must be guided by the promotion of just, peaceful, and inclusive societies; the strengthening of the rule of law; and the promotion of human rights.

• It is by engaging governments andcommunities in the work of wellbeing, in the cessation of violence, in the cause of peace, that we shall secure the firmest foundation.

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“We must strive towards full participation of all members of society”

• The involvement of women and gender minorities is critical, both within our own nations and in our communication with others

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“no shortcuts to building durable institutions within nations”

• Processes of positive change in key institutions can take between one or two decades, at a minimum (The World Bank)

• Long term and consistent support is crucial if we are to effect a sustainable transformation.

• Our economic and political commitments must align with the dictates of our consciences.

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Aylan/Alan KurdiA powerful photograph provokes something within us, but what name can we give to such a

difficult movement of conscience? Is it sadness? Pity? Shame? 54


“Is there still space within the Mediterranean, within our discourse, for hope?”

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“Is there still space within the Mediterranean, within our discourse, for hope?”

• We cannot ignore the plight of individuals and families as they migrate in search of a better life.

• We cannot continue to push already marginalised groups further away.

• We cannot succumb to the poisonous rhetoric that would see us divided, rather than acknowledge the fullness of our shared humanity.

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“Let us share a vision of the future…”

• Capable of true inclusion

• A vision that restores hope

• A vision that offers the promise of wellbeing and its attainment

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“I encourage you to be active in supporting this vision, and to join the efforts of your civil society in urging policy-makers to adopt approaches that safeguard

human dignity and encourage mutual respect”

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”Even though peace seems unattainable, it is important to strive towards it. That is the importance of peace.

The Importance of peace is in our striving”

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Thank you for your attention.

Migration and Peace-building in the MediterraneanH.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca President of the Republic of Malta Wednesday 2nd March 2016

w: president.gov.mt | f: Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca | t: @presidentmt | Instagram: @president.mt

H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca would like to thank:Mr. Herman GrechMs. Valeria Brigida

Mr. Mario PoetaMr. Darrin Zammit Lupi

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