Malta among top in Europe for humanitarian protection

Malta has one of the lowest refugee acceptance rates in Europe but among the highest rates of sanctions for humanitarian protection, according to a report released yesterday by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Just 28 individuals were given refugee status in Malta in 2006 but no less than 522 immigrants were given humanitarian protection. The applications of the rest - 637 - were turned down.

The number of refugees in the world went up in 2006 for the first time since the beginning of the decade. And Iraq is largely to blame, according to the UNHCR.

According to the yearly 2006 Global Trends report, the total number of refugees the agency is looking after rose by more than 14 per cent to almost 10 million people.

Malta had an estimated 2,400 refugees at the end of 2006, a relatively high per capita figure in comparison to small countries like Cyprus, which had 924. In light of the constant arrival of irregular immigrants, Malta has been calling on its fellow EU states to shoulder some of the burden by taking in some of the recognised refugees. With the exception of countries like the Netherlands and Germany, there was little solidarity shown.

Per capita, the Netherlands is the biggest recipient of refugees, with over 100,000. The biggest recipients in absolute numbers are three of the biggest EU states - Germany (605,000) UK (302,000) and France (146,000).

When contacted, Neil Falzon, head of the UNHCR office in Malta, said that the origin of asylum seekers from troubled countries like Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan was leading to the relatively high rate of humanitarian protection in Malta.

"We work well with the Refugee Commissioner and at first glance there is a good procedure but I believe the appeals procedure could be strengthened," Dr Falzon said.

The number of internally displaced people - those uprooted by conflict but who have not crossed an international border - also increased last year with the UNHCR now responsible for almost 13 million people.

The High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said: "As the number of those uprooted by persecution, intolerance and violence around the world increases, we must face the challenges and demands of a changing world, while remaining faithful to our mandate of defending the rights of refugees and other people we care for."