Tuesday, 7 March 2017

IOM Media Briefing

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07 March 2017

Arefa and her children reunite with her husband in Germany. Photo: IOMIOM Turkey Helps Over 15,000 Syrians to Apply for Family Reunification in Germany 
Posted on Tue. March 7, 2017
Turkey – Since July 2016, IOM Turkey has helped over 15,000 Syrians to access Germany’s Family Assistance Programme (FAP).  The programme helps vulnerable migrants to apply for German family reunification visas and avoid dangerous irregular migration by sea across the Mediterranean.
Over half a million Syrians and Iraqis have registered for asylum in Germany since 2015 and approximately 320,000 have been granted refugee status, according to the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
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Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 19,384, Deaths: 521 
Posted on Tue. March 7, 2017
Switzerland – IOM reports that 19,384 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through 5 March, over 80 percent arriving in Italy and the rest in Spain and Greece. This compares with 138,524 through the first 65 days of 2016.
IOM Rome spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo reports that, according to Italian Ministry of Interior figures, in 2017 15,844 migrants arrived in Italy by sea as of 6 March. On March 5th, some 1,442 migrants were brought ashore by the Italian Coast Guard and the NGOs SOS Mediterranée and ProActiva Open Arms.
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Migration in the News

  • Thomson Reuters Foundation and The Philippine Daily Inquirer ran an Op-Ed by IOM’s Dr. Nenette Motus marking International Women’s Day 2017 and calling for the empowerment of migrant women in “the changing world of work.”
  • UN News reported that as a severe drought deepens in Somalia, the risk of famine is looming, with about half the population in need of some form of assistance, according to the UN.
  • DPA and AFP reported that Iraqi forces are edging closer to IS-occupied central parts of western Mosul, where over 45,000 people  have been displaced by fighting.
  • Al Jazeera reported that US-backed Iraqi forces captured Mosul’s al-Hurriya bridge that leads to the IS-held city centre from the south.
  • Espresso and Diário de Notícias reported that a first group of six Yazidi refugee families have arrived in Portugal under the EU’s agreement to relocate refugees from Greece.
  • Libya Observer reported that IOM helped 163 stranded Malian migrants return home from Libya.
  • Guatemala’s AGN reported that the government has launched a strategy to prevent child migration and to provide care and education for children and adolescents repatriated from the United States.
  • Bangladesh’s The Independent reported that 13 to 40 million people living in Bangladesh’s coastal areas could be forced to migrate by the end of the century due to rising sea level, tidal surges, cyclones and increasing salinity.

Trending on the Internet

  • Food Wine Travel reviewed Liz Posmyk’s The Barber From Budapest & Other Stories, a “memoir with recipes”that looks at the migrant’s role in Australia’s history, culture and culinary growth. The author’s family travelled to Australia from Hungary as refugees with IOM.

Media Contacts

UNICEF South Asia launches Parliamentarian Platform for Children

NEW DELHI, 6 March 2017 – Over 25 parliamentarians, the Secretary General of SAARC and UNICEF South Asia officials met in Kathmandu last week to launch the first South Asia Parliamentarian Platform  for Children, in collaboration with the House of Parliament of  Nepal.

During the two day meet, representatives from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan brainstormed on ways to prioritize children and shape the development agenda in the region.

South Asia has recorded massive economic growth over the last decade, which is also reflected in the overall improvement of child rights. It is home to 1.7 billion people of which 621 million are children below 18 years[1]. Yet, massive disparities still exist preventing children from living with dignity and reaching their full potential.

The Kathmandu meeting was an opportunity for Members of Parliament (MP) to share their experiences and learnings, build networks and galvanize support.
Indian MPs, Ms. Vandana Chavan, Mr. Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Mr. Harish Chandra Meena and Mr. Rahul Kaswan discussed critical issues for children such as preventing Open Defecation, ending child marriage and ways to stop stunting.

“Such platforms will enable us to work together for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for children.  Our work as legislators is to make sure that all children have access to basic services and that no child is left behind,” said Ms. Vandana Chavan, MP, NCP, Rajya Sabha.

Rahul Kaswan, MP, BJP underlined the importance of educating the girl child for breaking cycles of poverty.  Stressing on the importance of keeping children’s issues at the forefront of policies, Mr. Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, MP, TRS, Lok Sabha emphasized, “We need to realize that children are our first citizens and their issues deserve priority in policies, programmes and funding. This network offers an excellent opportunity to focus on the excluded and marginalized groups.”

Concluding the meeting, Jean Gough, UNICEF South Asia Regional Director said, “When parliaments speak on behalf of children their voices resonate. They have the power to create lasting changes for children.” She also informed that the next chapter of the South Asia Parliamentarian Platform for Children will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, next year.

This regional meeting is a milestone in bringing together lawmakers to prioritize, promote, and safeguard children’s rights

Wear this your true colours Holi

Wear this your true colours Holi with Kalyan Jewellers Rang collection
Precious and radiant gemstone jewellery
New Delhi, March 7, 2017: Kalyan Jewellers, India’s most trusted and leading jewellery brand has launched Rang, a colourful new line of precious stones jewellery. The bright and vibrant Rang collection is crafted in gold and embellished with red rubies and glorious green emeralds.
This kaleidoscopic collection offers wonderful choices in the form of elegant haathphools, statement rings, bold pendants, flirty earrings, stunning raani haars, magnificent bangles and enviable necklaces.Set in contemporary and conventional designs, the eclectic collection offers the Indian woman the stone of her penchant and personifies her effervescence. Like the name suggests, Rang is bold and unapologetically original, much like the woman who adorns it. The Rang bridal set adds colour to the bride to be and makes for a perfect match to her trousseau.
Commenting on the new collection, Mr T.S. Kalyanaraman, Chairman and Managing Director of Kalyan Jewellers said, “Rang is an ode to the woman who likes to experiment and chart her own path. Cast in 22K yellow gold and etched with rubies & emeralds the multihued Rang is enchanting and striking. The Rang collection also comes with a 75% buy-back guarantee for exchange or resale on all stones, and a 100% guarantee on service and repairs.”
The collection will be available at Kalyan Jewellers showrooms across India and Middle East.

Playback singer Chinmayi has received death threats

Sagar Media Inc

Donetsk, Lugansk Republics announce ceasefire in E. Ukraine

The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republic’s in eastern Ukraine have announced a ceasefire in Donbas effective from 08:00 GMT on Sunday, Eduard Basurin, Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) Deputy Defense Minister has said. “We proposed to stop shelling via representatives in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination [JCCC],” he said. The truce has so far been respected, with the rest depending on Kiev and how it “would manage to control the radicals,” Basurin said. The conflict in eastern Ukraine has been raging since 2014, despite an ‘agreement’ to fully cease hostilities as outlined in the Minsk peace deal signed two years ago.

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