Germany's foreign minister took aim at the EU's approach to refugees, saying nothing has been solved since the 2015 migrant crisis. He also called again for a scheme to distribute asylum-seekers across the EU.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Büttner
Advertisement
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has accused European Union member states of not doing enough to solve the continent's migrant dilemma.
Speaking at an online conference hosted by re:publica and the Media Convention Berlin, Maas said the manner with which European states approach refugees and migrants is "the greatest sign of inadequacy for the EU."
He added that the bloc still had not solved Europe's migrant issue since 2015, when millions of asylum-seekers poured into the continent fleeing poverty and conflict in northern Africa and the Middle East.
Maas said Europe needed a distribution mechanism for asylum-seekers among states willing to take people in. Countries that do not accept migrants for political reasons, like Hungary, must take responsibility in other areas — for instance, helping with the conflicts in Africa that leads to mass migration towards Europe.
Migration policy in Europe has been a divisive issue in recent months after Turkey decided in February to stop preventing migrants from entering the European Union, going against a refugee pact it made with the bloc in 2016. The decision prompted thousands of migrants in Turkey to head towards the border with Greece, which has struggled to deal with a large influx of migrants in recent years.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted in March that the EU is committed to its refugee deal with Turkey, one in which the bloc provided funds to Turkey in exchange for it taking back refugees who cross into the EU illegally.
Coronavirus: How refugee camps and slums are dealing with hygiene
Soap and water are a simple way to disinfect – if you've got them. DW looks at how the coronavirus pandemic has sent NGOs and countries scrambling to keep refugee camps and slums safe and clean.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Pilick
Yemen
Yemen is home to roughly 3.6 million internally displaced people. With much of their health and sanitation system destroyed by war, these IDPs are highly vulnerable to coronavirus while living in cramped conditions. Volunteers trained by UNICEF are raising awareness on how to keep the disease from spreading.
Image: UNICEF/UNI324899/AlGhabri
Syria
Syria faces a similar problem as it enters its tenth year of the war. Millions of Syrians live in refugee camps such as Akrabat camp, near the border with Turkey. To explain to families about the risks of coronavirus, UN workers visit the camps and use handmade puppets to explain the dangers of COVID-19.
Image: UNICEF/UNI326167/Albam
The Philippines
The long-term effects of natural disasters are also a factor. In the Philippines, public toilets, like those seen here at an evacuation center in Tacloban City, have become a breeding ground for the virus to spread. Sanitation has become even more crucial. The region has been suffering from the after-effects of Typhoon Haiyan for years.
Image: UNICEF/UNI154811/Maitem
Zambia
Some people can’t get access to clean drinking water for weeks in many water-scarce parts of the world. The Gwembe Valley has been deeply affected by the drought for the past two years. UNICEF is currently supporting rehabilitation and drilling of 60 boreholes to enforce hand washing at distribution points during the coronavirus pandemic.
Image: UNICEF/UNI308267/Karin Schermbrucker
Kenya
Various water stations have been installed across Kenya's public places to provide access to clean water. In Nairobi, a young boy follows instructions as he is shown how to wash hands properly at a water station in Kibera to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Image: UNICEF/UNI322682/Ilako
Jordan
Kafa, a 13 year old girl, returns to her family’s caravan carrying a large plastic container filled with water that she has just collected from a community water point. Refugee women in Jordan’s largest refugee camp are now making locally produced soap using natural materials and giving them away to families in need.
Image: UNICEF/UNI156134/Noorani
India
Vulnerable countries are thinking beyond soap and water to other hygienic measures. In India, people are encouraged to stitch masks from home. This also brings in money especially for women living in rural areas. This woman is making face masks at the Bihar center of Goonj, an NGO situated across several states of India undertaking disaster relief, humanitarian aid, and community development.
Image: Goonj
Bangladesh
Volunteers from many physically disabled groups are also becoming actively involved in helping to distribute disinfectants across the city of Dhaka. Roman Hossain distributes disinfectants and informs other members of his community about the importance of washing your hands regularly.
Image: CDD
Guatemala
There is an urgent need to reduce the impacts of COVID-19 crisis in Huehuetenango, Guatemala in addition to the already existing food crisis caused by the 2019 drought. Indigenous communities wait every day to collect their food and basic hygiene kits where they also get information and recommendations to prevent COVID-19 in local languages.
