GUIDELINE 13: Relocate and evacuate migrants when needed
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During some crises, stakeholders may be able to protect migrants where they are located in the host State. But this may not always be possible, especially in situations where the repercussions of a conflict or natural disaster envelop large geographic areas. Where protection cannot be provided locally, it may be necessary to relocate migrants to other parts of the host State or evacuate them to States of transit or the State of origin. Some migrants may make these journeys on their own. Many may rely on States, their employers, recruiters, or placement agencies, international organizations, civil society, and other migrants for support and assistance.
Evacuation is generally a last resort but absolutely essential if migrants cannot remain safely where they are and cannot be relocated safely to another part of the host State. Where comprehensive contingency plans and standing evacuation and relocation arrangements are not already in place, ad hoc arrangements may be needed to communicate evacuation information, determine eligibility for evacuation, establish modes of evacuation, and negotiate with States of transit and other actors. States, regardless of whether they are party to relevant international instruments, should implement specific safeguards to ensure individuals who face persecution, or, as appropriate, serious harm or other life-threatening situations in their States of origin or other States, including refugees, are protected against refoulement. Stateless persons may need specific assistance to take advantage of evacuation arrangements. Coordination between States and other stakeholders in carrying out evacuations can leverage resources, for example, to transport migrants to States of origin in the same region.
Sample Practices
- Evacuation of migrants to States of transit or States of origin with their informed consent.
- Establishment of criteria for eligibility for evacuation.
- Multi-stakeholder cooperation on evacuation.
- Evacuation for family units who have family members of different nationalities.
- Deploying personnel to consular posts to assist with evacuation.
As the Israel-Lebanon conflict intensified in July 2006, the Government of India asked the Indian Armed Forces to help evacuate its citizens at risk from the conflict zone. Of the over 10,000 Indian nationals in Lebanon, almost 2,000 were at risk.
The European Commission facilitated the repatriation of migrants who fled Libya into Tunisia during the Libyan crisis. The Commission launched a humanitarian air and sea bridge.
At the time of the the Israel-Lebanon conflict in 2006, the Egyptian government estimated the number of Egyptian nationals working and living in Lebanon at around 300,000. The Egyptian embassies in Beirut and Damascus established a hotline and a “crises-management group”.
Operation Ramp is the name given to an Australian Defense Force (ADF) operation to support the evacuation of over 5,300 Australians and over 1,300 foreign nationals from the Lebanese ports of Beirut and Tyre during the 2006 Lebanon War.
Operation Maitri was a rescue and relief operation in Nepal by the government of India and Indian armed forces in the aftermath of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. Operation Maitri was launched within hours of the devastating earthquake.
The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) has been established by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Government of India, in the 43 Indian Missions across the world in countries that have a significant overseas Indian population.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of the Philippine Government jointly adopted a crisis alert system which serves as the basis for emergency repatriation and deployment restrictions.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is instructed by law to maintain, among other programs, an Emergency Repatriation Fund to evacuate OFWs in case of wars, disasters, or epidemics.
During the 2011 Libya crisis, Vietnam established an inter‐ministerial “Steering Committee on the Evacuation of Vietnamese workers in Libya” as well as five working groups which were sent to countries in the surrounding region, namely Egypt, Greece, Malta, Tunisia and Turkey.
IOM’s Migration Emergency Funding Mechanism is a predictable and flexible internal funding mechanism to facilitate quick access to funding in order to provide rapid assistance during emergencies.