EU must truly stand by the Afghan people

Caritas Europa joins more than 20 CSOs to call for the EU to step up resettlement and complementary safe pathways for Afghan in need of protection, as well as to protect the right to asylum and non-refoulement in Europe.

In addition to scaling up the humanitarian response towards Afghanistan which faces acute humanitarian needs, ensuring pathways to protection for the people of Afghanistan must also be Europe’s priority at the October high level resettlement forum.

We agree with the President of the European Commission saying that ‘we must stand by the Afghan people’, but solidarity must not stop at the EU’s border, as EU leaders focused on preventing arrivals to Europe at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 31 August by portraying asylum seekers as a threat to Europe.

Instead, we call for the EU to show global solidarity and responsibility sharing towards people in need of international protection- like European citizens, cities and civil society have voiced their willingness to host and welcome those in need in recent weeks-, instead of shirking its responsibilities.

To quote the president of the Europe Commission in her 2021 State of the Union Address, ‘We must stand by the Afghan people’. This includes committing ambitious resettlement pledges and other types of safe passages at the High level resettlement forum, as well as protecting the right to asylum and non-refoulement in Europe.

Maria Nyman, Secretary General of Caritas Europa

Our statement calls EU leaders to:

1. Make concrete commitments towards a significantly expanded refugee resettlement scheme at the October upcoming Resettlement Forum.
2. Leverage all available pathways to secure Afghan refugees’ urgent access to protection, in addition to resettlement quotas.
3. Uphold access to fair and efficient asylum procedures, including adequate reception conditions, for Afghan and other nationals in Europe in line with the Refugee Convention and the principle of non-refoulement, while supporting their inclusion, integration, and participation in society.

Update 05/10/2021: In a joint press release ahead of the resettlement forum on 7 October, 25 humanitarian organisations reiterated the call to expand safe and legal pathways from Afghanistan and the surrounding region. Read the full press release here.