The complex issues surrounding unsafe mixed migration by sea are being debated at a two-day symposium (26-27 April) hosted by the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden. Speaking during the opening session, IMO’s Chris Trelawny condemned the illegal people smugglers, the associated profiteers and the misery they cause by loading people onto clearly unsafe vessels, and called for safe, legal, alternative pathways to migration to be developed, including safe, organized migration by sea, if necessary.
In the long term, he challenged the symposium to look at how the maritime sector and others could contribute to alleviating the root causes of unsafe mixed migration by sea, by focusing on creating conditions for increased employment, prosperity and stability through enhancing the maritime sector and sustainable blue economy in developing countries. Symposium presentations available here.