Rwanda Bill 'externalizes' UK's asylum obligations, breaches Refugee Convention: UN refugee agency

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UK's controversial migrant deportation plan, known as the Rwanda Bill, "externalizes" the country's obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention, a UN spokesman told Anadolu on Wednesday, calling the scheme "inconsistent" with global solidarity.

The UNHCR, "has consistently conveyed deep concern about the 'externalization' of asylum obligations and the serious risks it poses for refugees," said Matthew Saltmarsh, the refugee agency's spokesperson.

"We find the UK-Rwanda scheme to be inconsistent with global solidarity and responsibility-sharing and in breach of the 1951 Refugee Convention," Saltmarsh said.

He noted that while the bill explicitly proposes asylum processing in Rwanda for people arriving to the UK irregularly, those transferred, even if granted refugee or humanitarian status, would remain in Rwanda.

"Therefore, the scheme externalizes and shifts the UK's asylum responsibilities to another state, in contrast to the responsibility-sharing foreseen by the Refugee Convention, to which the UK is a signatory," he lamented.

Asked whether the bill would lead to similar initiatives in Europe or other countries, he said he preferred not to comment on a possible chain effect or political trends in Europe and beyond.

He underlined that the UNHCR would have "exactly the same view" if other countries proposed similar schemes.

In an initial reaction to the bill's approval in British Parliament, the spokesperson had said Tuesday that the UK continues to receive "relatively modest numbers" of asylum seekers.

"We know that those (numbers) go up and down, and we know that the increases particularly in the arrivals of small boats do create important challenges for the country," he said. "But it's also important to remember that those numbers are relatively modest when compared to the European peers but also, of course, when compared to major refugee hosts in regions like Africa."

"The UK should be supporting Rwanda — not the other way around," he said.

The Safety of Rwanda Bill passed through the British Parliament late Monday, paving the way for it to become law despite growing concern.

The bill aims to address the concerns of the UK Supreme Court, which ruled that the government's original plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful.

It also compels judges to regard Rwanda as a safe country and gives ministers the power to disregard parts of the Human Rights Act.

The Rwanda plan has been one of the most controversial schemes in the government's migration policy as it sparked international criticism and mass protests across the UK.

In January 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said tackling small boat crossings by irregular migrants across the English Channel was among five priorities of his government as more than 45,000 migrants arrived in the UK that way in 2022.