President of the Government of Spain meets with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

This support can be seen in the fact that Spain, which views solidarity as a responsibility incumbent on everyone, once again formed part of the Group of Main Donors of the UNHCR in 2020, an institution that is considered to be a priority partner on humanitarian issues related to refugees.

Spain is one of the main recipients of asylum-seekers in the European Union (EU). With 88,762 applicants in 2020, mainly Venezuelans, Colombians and Hondurans, it stands in third position. Furthermore, over the last year, Spain has resolved 116,567 international protection cases, almost double the figure for 2019, and nine times more than in 2018.

Spain, together with Italy, Greece and Malta, issued a non-paper in 2020 on its position regarding the European Commission's new Pact on Migration and Asylum. The document states that the Pact is a constructive starting point, which advocates greater balance between solidarity and the distribution of responsibilities. It also addresses the need to find safe channels to coordinate migration and asylum that reduce illegal flows and contribute to orderly management, with a positive impact on both the countries of destination, and on the countries of origin and transit.

At their meeting, they particularly focused on the humanitarian situation of displaced person in Latin America. Filippo Grandi thanked Pedro Sánchez for our country's important role in the International Donors Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in the context of COVID-19, jointly promoted by Spain and the European Union. The aim of this initiative, which collected more than 2.5 billion euros in donations and loans, was to attend to the needs of Venezuelan migrants, and strengthen the capacities of those countries that take them in, in their fight against COVID-19. Spain also announced a 50-million euro contribution in aid for countries in the region that take in Venezuelan migrants and refugees, particularly Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Brazil.

Pedro Sánchez remarked to Filippo Grandi that Spain, which currently holds the Presidency of the Assembly of the Sahel Alliance, wishes to mobilise the international community to help the region, and particularly tackle the situation of forcibly displaced persons. In this regard, the President of the Government stressed the need to act simultaneously to address security, development and humanitarian aid and cooperation on migration.

During the meeting, the President of the Government expressed to Filippo Grandi the firm humanitarian commitment of the government and the important role that Spain plays to ensure that the EU maintains a policy aligned with the standards of protection advocated by the High Commissioner. In this regard, Pedro Sánchez underlined that Spain is currently working on a National Action Plan to Implement the Global Compact on Refugees.

Pedro Sánchez reiterated our country's firm commitment to universal access to the vaccine against COVID-19. In fact, Spain is one of the co-leaders of the ACT-Accelerator - a key instrument organised through COVAX - which seeks to ensure that vaccines reach developing countries. To this end, the Council of Ministers approved the Solidarity Plan for Vaccination on 19 January to contribute to guarantee fair, affordable and universal access to the vaccine.

Spain and the UNCHR - a priority partner in the humanitarian context of refugees - are working closely together. Accordingly, Pedro Sánchez expressed our country's interest in jointly organising the event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Convention, including strong participation from civil society.

In recognition of the government's commitment, the High Commissioner will have a busy work programme on Friday, including meetings with the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

Non official translation