Priti Patel and Rwandan Minister Dr Vincent Biruta have visited Geneva to brief key figures in the international migration field on the new UK-Rwanda partnership
Home Secretary Priti Patel and Rwandan Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Dr. Vincent Biruta, today (Thursday, 19 May) carried out a series of joint engagements in Geneva.
Five weeks after the signing of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) in Kigali and following their meeting in London yesterday, the ministers travelled to Geneva to brief key figures working in the field of international migration.
The Home Secretary and Minister Biruta met with UN Permanent Representatives from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Both ministers set out how the partnership of equals agreed between their two countries was facing up to a shared, global challenge and seeking to save lives. They emphasised their belief that further collective engagement was necessary to tackle the global migration crisis.
During the afternoon the Home Secretary and Dr. Biruta then had further engagements, including with Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Nada Al-Nashif, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights.
At both meetings, the Home Secretary and Dr Biruta sought to highlight the UK and Rwanda’s leadership on the international stage in addressing the issue of illegal migration while reinforcing their commitment to working in collaboration with UN agencies in this sphere.
They noted that the UK government’s assessment found Rwanda to be a fundamentally safe and secure country with a proud track record of supporting asylum seekers, including working with the UN Refugee Agency which itself has said the country has a safe and protective environment for refugees.
Furthermore, they emphasised that under our partnership Rwanda will process claims in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention and national and international human rights laws.
They recommitted to maintaining a positive ongoing dialogue with international partners and underlined how the ground-breaking partnership between the two countries will directly address the challenge of illegal migration while saving lives.
Rwandan Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Dr. Vincent Biruta, said:
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: