28/07/2021 (Agence Europe) – “Thanks to the Convention, millions of lives have been saved. 70 years after it was drafted, it is crucial that the international community stands up for its principles,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, on Wednesday 28 July, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention. In a statement, Grandi said that he was, “alarmed by recent attempts by some governments to ignore or circumvent the principles of the Convention, whether through the expulsion and pushback of refugees and asylum seekers at land and sea borders, or through proposals to forcibly transfer the processing of applications to third states”. “The language of the Convention is clear on the rights of refugees, and remains applicable in the context of contemporary challenges and emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic”, added Grandi. (SP)