Brussels, 24/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 24 April, the secretary general of the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) Group, Patrick Gomes, expressed his great sadness at the tragic disappearance of over 700 migrants in the Mediterranean - including a large number of women and children. He proposed the assistance of the ACP Group in the search for a comprehensive human response to these repeated tragedies.
“This is far from an isolated incident. The increasing frequency and the scale of these tragedies are unacceptable and demand a thorough response to stop the tragedies. This includes putting in place a comprehensive long-term solution to address the root causes - one that is compassionate and humane, taking into account the desperate situations that in many circumstances push people to risk their lives and those of their families on such perilous journeys”, Gomes stated, as the heads of state and government of the 28 EU member states held an emergency meeting in Brussels (see EUROPE 11301).
Gomes called on the EU and the international community to cooperate with the countries concerned in order to update programmes that fully respect international human rights conventions and make them innovative.
The ACP Group believes that it could play a major role in this through avenues such as the ACP-EU dialogue on migration and development, and through the ACP Observatory on migration, in order to deal with issues relating to human trafficking. This research body was created by the ACP Group and European Commission in 2010 and aims to provide reliable data on migratory flows in the ACP states, to improve the management of South-South migrants, and to contribute to the development of policies that are better designed for putting migration at the service of development.
On behalf of the ACP Group, Gomes offered his most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the 19 April shipwreck victims. This shipwreck brought the number of people to 1,600 who have been reportedly found dead since the start of this year by trying to cross the Mediterranean. (Aminata Niang)