India has said the international community's collective approach in dealing with migration and refugee issues should retain a "balanced" and "differentiated" perspective since the two are distinct concepts and differ in their causes and impacts.
"Migration and movement of refugees across borders are distinct concepts and differ in fundamental way in their causes, motivations and impacts... It is important therefore that our collective approach in dealing with these issues retains a balanced, differentiated and a longer term perspective," India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Tanmaya Lal said here yesterday.
He said cross-border movements of both refugees and migrants have existed for generations and human mobility has fundamentally shaped and influenced the current community of nations as well as the international system.
"It is therefore particularly important that we collectively take a longer term view and consider broad approaches to these two issues," Lal said at an informal meeting of the UN General Assembly on the report of the Secretary General on refugees and migrants.
The report notes that the estimated number of people on the move globally is close to 250 million, of which the number of refugees stands at nearly 15 million. About 75 per cent of the refugees come from just 11 countries and seven countries host more than half of all refugees, the report said.
"Even more tellingly, it is important to recognise that 86 per cent of all refugees are hosted in developing countries," Lal said.
The report groups refugees and migrants into three distinct pillars of ensuring safety and dignity of all migrants and refugees; a global compact on refugees; and a global compact on migration.
Lal said the issue of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) is "very distinct" from the issues of refugees and migrants.
"Since through the current deliberations, we are examining possible ways of international cooperation to address cross- border large movements of refugees and migrants, it would be advisable to exercise caution before expanding this discussion to include IDPs," he added.
