Proposals of an expert commission convened by the German federal government are now on the table. Whether the new Bundestag and the new federal government will implement them is not certain. That also depends on us, whether we create the political will in society to do so. To this end, we can also use the Bundestag election campaign and ask the candidates whether they want to work for the elimination of the causes of flight and what they think of the proposals of the expert commission. We from the Black and White Initiative and the International PeaceFactory want to stay tuned and invite interested people to do it together with us. Migrants and refugees who know the causes of flight from their own experience can also contribute their knowledge to the election campaign.
At the suggestion of civil society, the coalition parties had decided in their government agreement to set up a commission to develop concrete proposals on how to eliminate the causes of flight for the Bundestag and the federal government. After a long delay, the government has set up the commission. Its report with concrete recommendations is now available and could be implemented after the election of the Bundestag and the Federal Government. From the Black and White Initiative and the International Peace Factory Wanfried, we want to contribute to action being taken now. This will only work with many who demand it, in German civil society, from party members, from forces in the countries of refuge and migrants. It would be great if you, if you helped to tackle this. Maybe also together with us. On this page you can get an idea of what the Commission has achieved.
Europe closes its borders to asylum seekers: How did the Commission come to be established: A section of society that stands for the idea of global human rights saw this as the wrong response or a very inadequate one
In Germany and Europe, most people do not notice hunger and starvation and war suffering in their everyday lives. Since 1945, war has shifted to the countries of the global South. Especially in the past decades, there have been wars in previously emerging states with the direct involvement of European states and the USA: they have forced many people to flee. Europe was not prepared for this at first: Many people, especially from war and crisis zones, were able to take advantage of this to find safety in Europe. That is their human right.
In 2015, the German government decided to comply with international law: It allowed those standing at European borders to enter so that they could exercise their right to apply for asylum. This was met with much criticism in the country, as well as in other European states and the EU. It gave a boost to nationalist parties in Europe. They are supported above all by those sections of the population who are themselves in a difficult social situation, know little about life in the refugees' countries of origin and ask: Why do you support those who are not even compatriots instead of us?
A minority of Germans and Europeans welcomed the acceptance of refugees: out of compassion and/or because they share the cosmopolitan values of the Basic Law and the Universal Declaration: We are one human family on earth, in which everything has the same right to a dignified life. However, the national-egoist current soon reasserts itself in Germany after 2015: The European states and also Germany have now largely closed the borders and are breaking international law: almost no one - even if she or he is fleeing from war zones or torture - can come to Europe and find protection any more. A minority in Germany and Europe is protesting against this decision. The majorities of the population and, above all, nationalist parties that are gaining strength again support this isolation or do not oppose it. One reason for this is also a growing social insecurity for part of the European population.
A part of the minority that is against the closure is trying to protect refugees from drowning in the Mediterranean. Another part supports refugees and migrants who are in Germany directly or by campaigning for their rights and also for the reception of more asylum seekers.
For many years, politicians have deflected attention from the violation of the law by no longer granting asylum by saying that the causes of flight must be eliminated: The causes of flight must be eliminated.
Now this could become a serious effort: So far, only a small minority of the German population has been concerned with the causes of flight, and also only a small minority of migrants are committed to overcoming the causes of flight.
Before the last one, 150 recipients of the Federal Cross of Merit had addressed all parties with the proposal not to fight more refugees, but the causes of flight. Among them were also very influential personalities such as Klaus Töpfer, former Federal Minister for the Environment and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. The Grand Coalition, which is still in power, took up the issue and set up a commission of independent experts in 2019. It was to investigate the causes of flight and draw up proposals for policy on how to reduce the causes of flight.
The report was published in May. However, it is hardly reported on and many politically engaged people do not know anything about it either.
We at the Black and White Initiative and the International Peace Factory Wanfried will work to make the report known and to implement the proposals in order to reduce refugee suffering and the suffering in the refugees' countries of origin.
Who wants to look into this for themselves? Via this link you can find a short and long version of the report and also videos in which members of the author group present the report.
Short-Report in English
new: full report:
15 recommendations to chart the course for the future: Commission on the Root Causes of Displacemet puts forward proposals
Rapport en français:
This is the homepage of the commission in English:
Members of the Commission:
These are some of the introduction videos:
Rapport en français:
We are setting up a workshop on Reducing the Causes of Flight on this homepage for all those who want to contribute with us to reducing the causes of flight.
The report states that the causes of flight are different in each country and that special measures are needed to reduce the causes of flight in each country.
We are looking for people and initiatives in Germany, the countries of origin and especially also migrants as bridge builders who want to get involved with individual countries or with the causes of flight that are rooted in Germany's policies.
We first form two teams: one that deals with ensuring that the recommendations are implemented in Germany.
One team that deals with the causes of flight in the countries of origin, with proposals discussed there to reduce the causes of flight and builds up cooperation with people and initiatives in these countries. Teams for individual countries can then also emerge from this team and be coordinated through it.
Contact us if you would like to work with and help build such teams:
info@initiative-blackandwhite.org
Here you find the page and the links in German: https://www.internationale-friedensfabrik-wanfried.org/post/was-tun-um-fluchtursachen-zu-beseitigen-jetzt-gibt-es-konkrete-vorschl%C3%A4ge-einer-fachkommission