Antonio Vitorino - Mitigating the Threat of Covid-19 to Refugees and Migrants

In his address to the IIEA, Antonio Vitorino outlines how the IOM has expanded the scope of its COVID-19 Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) to support its vital activities in over 140 countries, assisting both migrants and refugees. The IOM, which is the UN’s Migration Agency, is currently offering support to countries where people are on the move, which need additional resources to prevent further COVID-19 infections or which seek to increase the capacity of their health systems to cope with the pandemic. The loss of employment opportunities and the exclusion of migrants from essential services pose a huge threat to vulnerable groups of internally displaced people and to migrants and refugees in Europe and elsewhere in the world. The IOM Director General discusses the strategic priorities of the SPRP and highlight key measures put in place in some countries to mitigate the plight of migrants and refugees and to provide them with essential humanitarian assistance in the course of the pandemic. About the Speaker: Antonio Vitorino has been Director General of the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Migration Agency, since October 2018. Mr Vitorino was the European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs from 1999 to 2004 and prior to joining the European Commission, António Vitorino served as Deputy Prime Minister of Portugal, from 1995 to 1997. Mr Vitorino is also an experienced lawyer and a renowned academic. He was formerly an Assistant Professor and Professor of Constitutional Law, International Human Rights Law, European Union Law on Justice and Home Affairs at the Lisbon Law School and Lisbon Nova University. Recorded on the 18th of May 2020