answer text |
<p>The UK remains deeply concerned by the conditions faced by migrants and refugees
in Libyan detention centres. We continue to urge the Libyan authorities to pursue
alternatives to detention and implement a better functioning migration system that
respects human rights. The UK supports the UN's call for detention centres across
Libya to be closed, and for the migrants and refugees within them to be evacuated
to safety.</p><p>We have repeatedly called for urgent humanitarian access for the
UN and international humanitarian actors, and for all parties to adhere to International
Humanitarian Law. The UK provided £1 million to the 2019 UN Flash Appeal, and was
the first country to respond to the appeal. In April 2019, the UN released $2 million
from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide life-saving
assistance to civilians caught up in the escalating fighting in Libya, including vulnerable
migrants and refugees. The UK was the biggest donor to the Central Emergency Response
Fund (CERF) in 2018, providing £<del class="ministerial">114.3</del> <ins class="ministerial">89
</ins>million. As part of our current £75 million migration programme along the Central
Mediterranean Route, we have allocated up to £5 million to humanitarian assistance
and protection for migrants and refugees in Libya, including targeted healthcare provision.</p><p>These
efforts form part of the UK's comprehensive, 'whole-of-route' approach to protecting
migrants and refugees who are travelling along the Central Mediterranean Route. This
includes humanitarian assistance and protection for migrants and refugees, cracking
down on people smuggling, supporting assisted voluntary returns and working intensively
to end the conflict in Libya. To this end, the Prime Minister attended the Berlin
Conference on 19 January, where attendees agreed to support the current ceasefire
and UN-led political talks, and pledged to respect the UN arms embargo. The UK is
clear that the human rights situation in Libya can only be improved under the stability
of a united and representative government, facilitated by the UN-led political process.</p>
|
|