On 9 January 2019, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, said that she was relieved to hear that the situation of people on board Sea Watch 3 and Sea Eye was finally resolved. She urged states to address structural issues to prevent further human suffering and hardship by:

• Closing any gaps in states´ responsibilities for search and rescue operations and disembarkation
• Preventing migrants from being returned to places where they are at risk of torture, inhumane or degrading treatment
• Cooperating with NGOs assisting migrants, including by allowing them to access ports
• Giving disembarked migrants who seek protection access to effective asylum procedure