NEW YORK, 9 December 2021 – “UNICEF is concerned that reimplementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) at the U.S. southern border with Mexico, as required by court order, could put the safety and wellbeing of asylum-seeking children and their families at risk.
“Following the initial implementation of MPP in January 2019, more than 70,000 asylum seekers were forced to return to Mexico until U.S. immigration courts could resolve their cases. Those subject to MPP, including many children and adolescents, waited for months in shelters and makeshift camps in Mexico without access to appropriate housing, hygiene, nutrition and essential services.
“UNICEF welcomes commitments from the U.S. Government to assist Central American countries in tackling the root causes of migration and provide humanitarian assistance to those in need. UNICEF is also encouraged by the U.S. Government’s continued efforts to end MPP once and for all.
UNICEF has long viewed the private sector as a critical partner in advancing progress for children on a range of global issues - and climate change is no different.
To drive that point home, UNICEF worked to rally business leaders at COP26 to commit to putting child rights at the heart of climate action.
An expression of that commitment was included in a statement issued during a climate summit side event co-hosted by UNICEF and the International Chamber of Commerce. The statement, endorsed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and others, commits signatories to set ambitious emissions reduction targets, shift to renewable energy sources and adopt other environmentally-friendly business practices. It also calls on governments to provide urgent climate action funding and fulfill their commitments under the Paris Agreement with an end goal to reach ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050.