The World Council of Churches, in a public statement, is urging the government of the United Kingdom to reconsider the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership.
“Through this partnership, asylum-seekers who are already on UK soil can be transferred to Rwanda, where their asylum claims will be processed,” reads the statement. “Though UK government officials claim that the agreement ‘fully complies with all national and international law, including the UN Refugee Convention and European Convention on Human Rights,’ many reputable human rights organizations as well as senior church leaders in the UK have criticized it.”
The statement notes that critics describe the partnership as an attempt by a wealthy country to outsource migration management to a poorer country in violation of obligations under international refugee law.
“The executive committee calls upon the government of the United Kingdom to reconsider this policy, in light of the additional threat it poses to people already fleeing from conflict and oppression,” the statement concludes.
Statement on UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership
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