The UN Refugee Agency on Wednesday called for an expansion of rescue efforts for people on major migration routes to Europe facing “unimaginable horrors.”

UNHCR special envoy Vincent Cochetel has urged for increased cooperation with local authorities and called for additional funding from donor countries.

“This includes better access to legal pathways to safety and improving protection services for victims, as well as those at risk of becoming victims along the routes,” Mr Cochetel said in Geneva.

According to a new UNHCR report, each year, hundreds of thousands of people risk their lives to migrate from sub-Saharan countries in Africa as well as from Asia and the Middle East.

UNHCR said that many of those on the move underestimate the journey’s risks and dangers, with many dying while crossing the desert or near borders, while others suffer serious human rights violations.

Mr Cochetel said, “Many don’t go to capital cities where humanitarian actors are based and well represented. They embark on secondary routes, reaching smaller cities in hard-to-reach areas,” are including in the Sahara Desert. This is where services should be located.”

The UNHCR said three-quarters of the more than 108 million forcibly displaced people worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries.

According to figures by the UN migration agency IOM, more than 280 million people or 3.6 per cent of the global population, are international migrants. 

(dpa/NAN)