Amnesty International has urged the Federal Government to deliver on its recent commitment to strengthening Australia’s partnership with the United Nations on refugee issues by demonstrating more flexibility in accepting people who are at extreme risk in humanitarian crises.

“This week’s visit to Australia by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, provides a real opportunity for our government to reaffirm its commitment to engage productively with the UN”, said Amnesty International Australia Campaign Coordinator Dr Graham Thom.

“It is through our offshore humanitarian program that Australia has an opportunity to take a real leadership role in supporting the UN in responding to grave humanitarian crises”, Graham Thom said.

Amnesty International Australia believes the government can strengthen its partnership with UNHCR in three key ways; by offering additional referral places to UNHCR for people they have identified as being in need of resettlement; by targeting key protracted refugee populations trapped in refugee camps; and by retaining places for emergency situations where lives are at immediate risk.

“It is responding to populations at immediate risk that Australia, as a major resettlement country, must show greater leadership and flexibility,” said Graham Thom.

Australia has recently signalled to UNHCR a shift in policy focus towards multi-year programs that will help the organisation resolve a number of longstanding refugee situations. Supporting UNHCR in this way is important and should be applauded, but a balance in the program must be retained in order to respond to refugees in immediate crisis situations.

This financial year Australia plans to resettle 13,500 individuals under the humanitarian program, 6,000 of whom are directly referred by UNHCR.

Dr Thom will join Claire Mallinson, Director of Amnesty International Australia, at round-table talks with the High Commissioner for Refugees in Melbourne on 24 February. At that meeting, Amnesty International will raise its concerns regarding the situation of Rohingya refugees across the Asia Pacific region. The organisation will also reaffirm its commitment to campaigning for the closure of the Christmas Island refugee detention centre.