Stand and Solidarity with Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Displaced Peoples At All Times

IMA Statement for the Global Refugee Forum

Prepared by the IMA Refugee Working Group

14 December 2023

Greetings and Solidarity!

In the midst of a heightened crisis of force displacement that drives people out of their homes and home countries especially due to political, economic and social conflict, persecution, and climate-induced displacement, we would like to draw attention to the forced displacement map worldwide.

Tremendous scale of the displaced people worldwide is in our midst. Many still within their country borders, and many more who have been forced to seek refuge in the neighbouring states or crossing further distance for their life. UNHCR records up to mid of 2023 indicated that 110 million people worldwide are displaced due to conflict, persecution, and human rights violation. Among those numbers, 62.5 million are internally displaced people who are still within their country borders; 36.4 million are refugees, 6.1 million are asylum seekers, and 5.1 million are people who need international protection.

We shall not forget that displacement due to interstate invasion, conflict, persecution, human rights violation, and disaster including climate-induced disaster have been committed and happening across the globe. The size of the displaced population in the recent record of November 2023 should inflict enough empathy and sense that this problem is ours. Stretching from Latin America and Caribbean region to North America, Africa, Middle East, Mediterranean region; to Eastern Europe; to Asia Pacific.

People of the world must not forget that everyone who has been forcefully displaced are worthy of our attention, be they in Gaza, Congo, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Myanmar, Colombia and Thai Border, Refugee Camps in Bangladesh, and scattered in between country borders, or seeking refuge in neighbouring countries and faraway lands, and still drifting in the middle of the sea, being hosted unwillingly and even rejected and pushed back to the sea. Recent crisis that happened should not erase our memory of past crises and shape our reality of the displaced population.

We must not lose sight that behind many faces of displacement are colonialism, expansion of power and influence that transformed itself into fascism ideology, capitalism, entangled with militaristic weaponization on one side, occupation and exploitation of land and natural resources beneath and the activities of organised crime linked to drug trafficking. The powerful states exploit and weaken the weak states and apparatus and suppress democracy and the dissidents.

We acknowledge that all people who have been displaced carry with them the difficulties, struggle, the lack of justice and the long term and short term impacts of displacement wherever they land. At the same time, they also carry their culture, potential, ability, leadership and potential to contribute to progress for the host society.

We call for real solidarity of the people and the States to refugees, asylum seekers and displaced peoples.

We call on all States to uphold and protect the rights and welfare of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people. Regardless of their being signatory to the International Refugee Convention and Protocol or not, States have a moral obligation to do good to all asylum seekers, refugees and displaced peoples, by allowing them to legally stay and access legal employment, extending access for them to education, health and other services, and protecting them from any and all forms of racism, discrimination and violence. The displaced population are not an idle population that depend only on humanitarian assistance but can participate and contribute to the development of their society.

IMA calls for community organisations, civil society, any states, regional, and international body to express strong stand, solidarity with refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people and against countries, governments and any parties who commit oppression, persecute their own population, minorities, and other dissidents.