H.E. the PUIC Secretary General participated in the proceedings of the 11th Session of Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) which was held in Porto, Portugal 23-24 February, 2017.  His Excellency delivered a speech on the topics addressed by the committees of the Conference in political and economic aspects as well as dialogue of civilizations and human rights.

During the speech His Excellency stated: “Population migrations in terms of asylum, displacement and human trafficking have become a security worry of unprecedented proportions in our modern history. All of these gave rise to cases some of which have surpassed prevailing international laws and conventions in such a way that it necessitated quite often addressing each case according to its circumstances, causes and receiving body. The question remains whether alternative laws will be formulated in lieu of the laws of asylum of 1951 and subsequent protocols, for example. And what about coercive displacement and migration? What about the modality of international and regional cooperation to curb human trafficking, and transporting people on death voyages across borders and seas? All of this requires bigger international cooperation that takes into consideration the harsh humanitarian circumstances that face all these categories as well as their right to decent living.”