Yemen News Agency
Monday, December 27, 2010
The meeting, attended by representatives from many ministries, provinces and civil society organizations concerned with the refugees' affairs, aimed to raise awareness of difficulties facing refugees and create a link between their protection and the maritime rescue.
At the opening of the meeting, Head of the Coastguard Authority Ali Rase'a said that the African displacement to Yemen is a serious problem for the national economy under the limited economic resources, which requires understanding of the UNHCR to this situation.
This situation requires increasing the financial allocations of the UNHCR's office in Yemen to meet the burdens of growing influx of refugees to Yemen, Rase'a pointed out.
He added that despite the lack of equipment and supplies, particularly qualified boats, the Yemen coastguards run naval patrols in the areas of jurisdiction and intends to run coastal patrols, especially after the government has completed the financing and completion of the coastal road that extends from Midi port, north Yemen, to the neighboring countries, which would contribute to serving the refugees.
The increasing number of Somali refugees is not the sole problem that Yemen suffers, but also there is growing in the illegal immigration over the past years from some African countries, particularly Ethiopia and Eritrea, Rase'a indicated.
He expected increasing in the Somali displacement to Yemen, and in the acts of piracy as a result of the absence of the state in Somalia, poverty and famine.
Rase'a noted to the good cooperation between the Coastguard Authority and the UNHCR's office in Yemen, looking forward to enhancing this cooperation in the future to face the refugees' increasing number.
For her part, the UNHCR's Representative in Yemen Claire Bourgeois stressed the importance of collective action to secure and provide appropriate solutions to the problem of refugees and support the capacities of States in the field of protection.
Bourgeois expressed her thanks to the Yemeni government for its great efforts in receiving and protecting refugees.
The two-day meeting discusses a number of topics, topped by principles of refugees' protection, maritime rescue, international and regional efforts in combating piracy, refugees' rights, and other issues related to combating smuggling problem.
Source: Yemen News Agency