The United Nations Office at Geneva

Multimedia Newsroom

Edited News Press Conferences Statements Images B-roll Conferences Upcoming All Stories
Register Login
UK - Rwanda asylum law: OHCHR - UNHCR
/
2:43
/
MP4
/
199.4 MB
Download Expired

Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR

UK - Rwanda asylum law: OHCHR - UNHCR

ENG FRA
UK-Rwanda asylum law likely to have harmful consequences, say UN High Commissioners
As the United Kingdom passed a controversial bill to send asylum seekers to Rwanda late on Monday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, and Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, jointly objected to the law's likely negative effects on global responsibility-sharing, human rights, and refugee protection.
“Filippo Grandi and Volker Türk are calling on the UK government to reconsider its plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda, and instead to take practical measures to address irregular flows of refugees and migrants based on international cooperation and respect for international human rights law,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at a news briefing on Tuesday at the United Nations in Geneva.
The UK government has signed an agreement with Rwanda that would allow it to send asylum-seekers to the African country to have their cases decided.
“This new legislation seriously hinders the rule of law in the UK, and it sets a perilous precedent globally,” stressed Ms. Shamdasani. “It is critical to the protection of the human rights and dignity of refugees and migrants seeking protection that all removals from the UK are carried out after assessing their specific individual circumstances in strict compliance with international human rights and refugee law.”
The passing of this landmark legislation presents a fundamental change in the global equation on migration.
“Under the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership, asylum seekers in the UK will be transferred to Rwanda before their claims for asylum can be heard in the UK,” said Matthew Saltmarsh, UNHCR’s spokesperson. “We think that that is being inconsistent with global solidarity and responsibility sharing and is also in breach of the 1951 Refugee Convention, to which the UK is, of course, a signatory."
The measure will drastically limit the ability for UK asylum-seekers to challenge or appeal removal decisions, with decision-makers and judges required to conclusively treat Rwanda as a “safe” country in terms of protecting asylum-seekers – regardless of any evidence to the contrary, now or in the future. The new legislation expressly authorizes the UK Government to disregard any protective interim remedies from the European Court of Human Rights.
“The UK continues to receive relatively modest numbers of asylum seekers. We know that those go up and down, and we know that the increases, particularly in the arrivals of small boats, do create important challenges for the country,” stressed Mr. Saltmarsh. “But it's also important to remember that those numbers are relatively modest when compared to their European peers, but also, of course, when compared to major refugee hosts in regions like Africa.”
Acknowledging the challenges presented by the irregular movement of refugees and migrants, often in dangerous circumstances, the UN humanitarians nonetheless expressed grave concern that the legislation would facilitate transfers under the UK-Rwanda asylum partnership, with only limited consideration of their individual circumstances or any protection risks.
“There is a very important difference in what we're doing and what is being proposed by the UK,” stressed UNHCR’s spokesperson. “UNHCR does have an emergency transit mechanism, but this program is, as the name suggests, an emergency mechanism. It's temporary and it's voluntary, and it serves a very specific, limited purpose. It's a facility for receiving refugees, whose human rights and in some cases, lives, are at immediate risk.”
The new legislation is the third in a series of progressively restrictive UK laws that have eroded access to refugee protection in the UK since 2022, including through a ban on access to asylum or other forms of permission to stay in the UK for those arriving irregularly via a third country. If enforced, the law would facilitate the swift transfer of asylum-seekers, including families with children, to Rwanda to present their asylum applications, with no opportunity for repatriation to the UK.
-ends-

STORY: UK-Rwanda asylum law – OHCHR, UNHCR

TRT: 2:43”

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 23 April 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Med shot: UN flag alley

2. Wide shot: speakers at the podium

3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Filippo Grandi and Volker Turk are calling on the UK government to reconsider its plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda, and instead to take practical measures to address irregular flows of refugees and migrants based on international cooperation and respect for international human rights law.”

4. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium with journalists in press room

5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “This new legislation seriously hinders the rule of law in the UK, and it sets a perilous precedent globally. It is critical to the protection of the human rights and dignity of refugees and migrants seeking protection that all removals from the UK are carried out after assessing their specific individual circumstances in strict compliance with international human rights and refugee law.”

6. Wide shot, press briefing room with speakers at the podium and journalists

7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “Under the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership, asylum seekers in the UK will be transferred to Rwanda before their claims for asylum can be heard in the UK. And we think that that is being inconsistent with global solidarity and responsibility sharing and is also in breach of the 1951 Refugee Convention, to which the UK is, of course, a signatory. “

8. Med shot: Journalists in press room

9. SOUNDBITE (English) - Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “The UK continues to receive relatively modest numbers of asylum seekers. We know that those go up and down, and we know that the increases, particularly in the arrivals of small boats do create important challenges for the country. But it's also important to remember that those numbers are relatively modest when compared to their European peers, but also, of course, when compared to major refugee hosts in regions like Africa.”

10. Wide shot, press briefing room with journalists

11. SOUNDBITE (English) - Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “There is a very important difference in what we're doing and what is being proposed by the UK. UNHCR does have an emergency transit mechanism, but this program is, as the name suggests, an emergency mechanism. It's temporary and it's voluntary, and it serves a very specific, limited purpose. It's a facility for receiving refugees, whose human rights and in some cases, lives, are at immediate risk.”

12. Med shot, press briefing room with journalists

13. Close up: Journalist listening

14. Wide shot: Zoom operators behind the windows with camerawoman in front of it

Videos 1
UK - Rwanda asylum law: OHCHR - UNHCR
2:43
/
MP4
/
199.4 MB
/
EDITED STORY
Audio Files 1
Download UK - Rwanda asylum law: OHCHR - UNHCR (Edited Story)
Download Expired

Similar Stories

Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel

2

6

1

2

Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | HRC

Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel ENG FRA

At UN, war crimes probe pledges to continue to work for all impacted by Hamas-Israel conflict

As President Trump launched the international Board of Peace plan for Gaza on Thursday, top independent rights experts tasked by the UN Human Rights Council with investigating grave abuses linked to the Hamas-Israel war pledged to continue their work seeking justice and accountability for all.

 

OHCHR – attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

OHCHR – attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Tuesday UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk was outraged by the repeated large-scale attacks by the Russian Federation on energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

OHCHR: Sudan update after the visit of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

OHCHR: Sudan update after the visit of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ENG FRA

UN warns against repeating abuses in South Kordofan that occurred in El Fasher.

Mozambique floods OCHA - UNICEF

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF

Mozambique floods OCHA - UNICEF ENG FRA

Mozambique floods heighten disease, malnutrition risks – UN agencies

Catastrophic flooding in Mozambique is causing massive disruption to lives and livelihoods across the country, increasing the risk of disease and exposing urban areas to crocodiles, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.

UN Resident Coordinator in Yemen - Press Conference 19 January 2025

2

1

2

Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA

UN Resident Coordinator in Yemen - Press Conference 19 January 2025 ENG FRA

Yemen: Children are dying and it’s going to get worse, aid veteran warns

In Yemen, renewed political instability threatens and economic woes linked to the war to complicate the already difficult task of helping vulnerable people suffering from deepening hunger, illness and displacement, the UN's top aid official there said on Monday. 

Ukraine update - UNICEF, IFRC 16 January 2026

1

1

1

Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC

Ukraine update - UNICEF, IFRC 16 January 2026 ENG FRA

Ukraine: Families in ‘survival mode’ amid Russian strikes and -18°C cold

Families across Ukraine are in “constant survival mode” amid ongoing waves of Russian missile and drone strikes that have left blocks without power for days at a time, while temperatures plunge to a deadly -18°C (-0.4°F), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.

Iran: UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges authorities to end violent repression and calls for accountability

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

Iran: UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges authorities to end violent repression and calls for accountability ENG FRA

At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges Iranian authorities to end violent repression and calls for accountability.

Gaza ceasefire deaths - UNICEF

1

1

1

Edited News | UNICEF

Gaza ceasefire deaths - UNICEF ENG FRA

Gaza: A ceasefire that ‘still buries children’ is not enough, says UNICEF

Airstrikes, drone strikes and hypothermia are among the lethal conditions prevailing in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with more than 100 children killed since early October, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

UN report Repression and impunity impacting right to participation in leadup to elections UN Human Rights Spokesperson Marta Hurtado comments

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN report Repression and impunity impacting right to participation in leadup to elections UN Human Rights Spokesperson Marta Hurtado comments ENG FRA

At the UN bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Marta Hurtado commented on the widespread repression and intimidation against political opposition ahead of the general elections in Uganda.

1,000 days of war in Sudan – OCHA, UNICEF

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF

1,000 days of war in Sudan – OCHA, UNICEF ENG FRA

Aid agencies marked 1,000 days of war in Sudan on Friday with a grim reminder that the conflict has created the world’s biggest hunger crisis and largest displacement emergency. Every day, civilians have been “paying the price for a war they did not choose”, said the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on U.S. intervention in Venezuela

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on U.S. intervention in Venezuela ENG FRA

Ravina Shamdasani, UN Human Rights spokesperson, made the following comments at the bi-weekly press briefing of the United Nations on the United States’ intervention in Venezuela.

Venezuela UN reactions – OHCHR, OCHA 06 January 2026

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR

Venezuela UN reactions – OHCHR, OCHA 06 January 2026 ENG FRA

Venezuela: US military intervention ‘far from victory for human rights’, makes world less safe – UN rights office

The UN rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday expressed concern over the situation in Venezuela following the United States military operation and seizure of President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, insisting that the move runs counter to international law and damages global security.