Tunisia emphasized the necessity of ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate, non-derogable rights, especially their right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent sovereign state over all their occupied land with Jerusalem as its capital.

Tunisia firmly rejects the “covert resettlement” of irregular migrants and condemns any irresponsible political and media exploitation of the suffering of the victims of this phenomenon.

In a statement delivered today, Wednesday, by the Tunisian delegation participating in the 76th session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) held in Geneva from October 6 to 10, Tunisia called on all donor parties to exert more efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of refugees to their homelands and to expedite their resettlement procedures in developed countries with economic capacities and social fabrics that can easily absorb them.

It stressed the necessity of defusing crises and wars and finding peaceful settlements to conflicts worldwide, recalling Tunisia’s efforts in this field during its membership in the African Union Peace and Security Council from 2022 to 2024 and the United Nations Security Council from 2020 to 2021, according to the statement.

The statement affirmed the need to uphold the principle of solidarity among states and burden-sharing to alleviate suffering and provide international assistance and protection to refugees by reaching effective and sustainable solutions to provide the necessary means and sufficient resources.

It highlighted the importance of establishing clear mechanisms to reduce pressure on host countries and their communities while preserving the dignity of refugees, especially since the vast majority of these countries themselves face major and urgent economic and social challenges.

The statement recalled Tunisia’s commitment to the universal principles of refugee protection, adherence to international treaties and conventions in the field of human rights and international humanitarian law, and providing suitable conditions for the temporary reception of incoming refugees within a comprehensive approach to the phenomenon of asylum and addressing its deep causes and triggers.

It also mentioned Tunisia’s position calling for a ceasefire in the occupied Palestinian territories, urgent entry of humanitarian aid, and lifting the unjust siege on the Palestinian people.

Tunisia called on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities by intervening swiftly to stop the genocide and holding the occupying power accountable for crimes committed against defenseless civilians, including humanitarian workers.

It reaffirmed the necessity of ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate, non-derogable rights, especially their right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent sovereign state over all their occupied land with Jerusalem as its capital.