Needless to say, the current Covid-19 crisis is a recurrent topic in this newsletter, as it has also had an undeniable impact on migration. As an immediate response, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić provided member states with a coronavirus toolkit for dealing with the unprecedented and massive sanitary crisis in a way that respects the fundamental values of democracy, rule of law and human rights. A webpage was recently published gathering all the different actions taken by the organisation in this respect. It is updated regularly. In addition to the Covid-19 pandemic response, this Newsletter highlights more in detail the different visits, reports, publications, statements and a call for grants related to migration, as well as scheduled activities, which are now taking place online or have been postponed.

On 27 March 2020, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees of the Council of Europe, together with the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published a note on the main fundamental rights safeguards applicable at their member states’ external borders. The note aims to support EU and Council of Europe member states in their duties when taking protective measures, including to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, and addressing questions related to public order, public health, or national security challenges. The note focuses on the duties member states have when protecting their external borders, the remedies put in place in case of excessive use of force at the borders, and rules when people cross borders unlawfully. It also answers questions such as: Can access to asylum be suspended, how to respect the principle of non-refoulement and what can be done to help the most vulnerable, in particular unaccompanied children?

On 16 April 2020, the Special Representative participated in a webinar on “Ending immigration detention of children and seeking adequate reception and care for them”, organised by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Felipe González Morales. The webinar was organised to explore ways and means towards ending immigration detention of children and seeking adequate reception and care for them ahead of the Special Rapporteur´s forthcoming report to be  presented at the 75th session of the General Assembly. The Special Representative, Drahoslav Štefánek, presented the Council of Europe´s contribution to the forthcoming report of the UN Special Rapporteur. Topics of discussion included: legislation or policies that prohibit or restrict the use of immigration detention of children and their families, existing non-custodial alternatives to immigration detention of children, good practices or measures taken to protect the human rights of migrant children and their families while their migration status is being resolved and challenges and/or obstacles in the development and/or implementation of non-custodial alternatives to immigration detention of children and their families.

On 28 April 2020, the Special Representative participated as a member of the jury in the e-meeting of UEFA Football & Refugee Grant 2020. The jury evaluated projects from 16 countries, and 6 of them will be awarded the grants, 50 000 euros each, for the integration of refugees through football.

In addition, the Special Representative is currently in the process of following up on the first meeting of the Network of focal points on migration to further refine together with the appointed representatives the objectives and the longer-term strategy of the Network, as well as its working methods. So far, 35 member states have appointed their representatives from relevant ministries, with the latest contribution coming from Bulgaria. The aim of the Network is to discuss human rights challenges in the field of migration, to exchange good practices and enhance co-operation between the different stakeholders, including facilitating the sharing of information on relevant Council of Europe activities in the context of migration.