On 26 October 2020, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Drahoslav Štefánek, held a virtual meeting with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. It was an opportunity to exchange views on human rights aspects of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and address the situation of the most vulnerable at European borders, such as children, unaccompanied minors and women. They also discussed ways to join efforts in shaping narratives to combat xenophobia and populism.
On 7 October 2020, the Special Representative, Ambassador Štefánek, represented the Council of Europe at the 71st session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme in Geneva. In his address to the session, he emphasised the Council of Europe´s engagement in all efforts aiming at strengthening the protection of human rights and ensuring the effective enjoyment of basic rights of the most vulnerable. He also highlighted the importance of the European Court of Human Rights and its jurisprudence. He referred to the principle of non-refoulement which is a cornerstone of not only international refugee and human rights law, but also at the heart of the European Convention of Human Rights.
During his visit to Geneva, he also had a series of meetings, including with IOM Director General António Vitorino. Mr Vitorino announced that the UN Secretary General will publish his first report on the implementation of the Global Compact on migration. He also invited the Council of Europe to participate in the virtual meeting on the regional review for Europe of the Global Compact on Migration in November.
In Geneva, the Special Representative also met with UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs. They expressed desire for continued engagement and co-operation in the field of human rights and topics of common interest of the two organisations, including access to asylum, non-refoulement and the role of Frontex, where Ambassador Štefánek is a member of the Consultative Forum.
On 30 September 2020, in Athens, the Special Representative participated in the Athens Democracy Forum and a panel on Migration and Human Rights. In the panel discussion, he highlighted the importance of integration and inclusion and that good examples were needed. As an example, for showing concrete results on the field of education, he mentioned the Council of Europe´s European Qualifications Passports for Refugees project.
The Office of the Special Representative has received financial contributions from two member states, Andorra and Czech Republic, to support Council of Europe actions aimed at protecting refugee and migrant children. A new action plan is currently under preparation, with a focus on helping vulnerable groups, such as children, refugee women, pregnant women, victims of human trafficking, victims of violence including sexual violence, and elderly persons.