By Dolapo Aina
On Tuesday, 5th of December 2023, there was a signing of a joint treaty by Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vincent Biruta and the United Kingdom’s Home Secretary James Cleverly in Rwanda. The signing of the joint treaty aims at strengthening the United Kingdom and Rwanda’s Migration and Economic Development Partnership.
In an official statement, Rwanda reaffirmed her commitment to making the Migration and Economic Development Partnership work. Whilst the United Kingdom via the Home Office stated that: “The agreement is part of the government’s plan to ensure that illegal migrants can be lawfully relocated to Rwanda under the government’s ambition to stop the boats ensuring that people know that if they come to the UK illegally, they cannot stay here (UK).”
Rwanda stated that the new treaty will re-emphasise, in a binding manner, already existing commitments that address concerns raised in the legal process about the protection of asylum seekers. It will also see the introduction of a new appeals tribunal, to be established under Rwandan law and overseen by two co-presidents, one Rwandan and one drawn from another Commonwealth country, and a panel of judges from various nationalities, who will hear appeals in the event an applicant’s asylum claim is turned down.
The Home Office’s statement reiterated that: “The treaty also enhances the functions of the independent monitoring committee to ensure compliance with the obligations in the treaty, such as reception conditions, processing of asylum claims, and treatment and support for individuals including up to 5 years after they have received final determination of their status. The committee is made up of 8 independent members. The monitoring committee will also develop a system which will enable relocated individuals and legal representatives to lodge confidential complaints directly to them. It will have the power to set its own priority areas for monitoring, and have unfettered access for the purposes of completing assessments and reports. It may publish reports as it sees fit on its findings. To further bolster assurances that relocated individuals will not be returned, under the treaty, Rwanda’s asylum system will be strengthened through a new appeal body. The appeal body will consist of a Rwandan and other Commonwealth national co-president, and be composed of judges from a mixture of nationalities with asylum and humanitarian protection expertise (appointed by the co-presidents) to hear individual appeals.”
In his remarks, Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vincent Biruta stated: “This partnership with the UK reflects Rwanda’s commitment to protecting vulnerable people, and builds on our track record of welcoming and hosting refugees and migrants from around the world. Rwanda and the UK both understand that there’s a critical need to find innovative solutions to address the suffering of migrants making dangerous, desperate journeys, under the exploitation of criminal human smugglers. The people relocated to Rwanda will be welcomed, and they will be provided with both the safety and support they need to build new lives. Today’s treaty signing, negotiated by the new Home Secretary, sits alongside work with the Rwandans to strengthen their asylum processes.”
United Kingdom’s Home Secretary James Cleverly stated: “This is a crucial step forward in our commitment to stopping the boats and saving lives. Rwanda is a safe country that cares deeply about supporting refugees. It has a strong history of providing protection to those that need it, hosting over 135,000 asylum seekers who have found sanctuary there. I am grateful to our Rwandan partners for their willingness, dedication and commitment to strengthening this partnership further. The Supreme Court recognised that changes may be delivered which would address their conclusions and this treaty responds directly to that. We remain steadfast in doing everything we can to stop to illegal migration, and our wider, ongoing work operationally and internationally has led to crossings coming down by a third compared to last year (2022).
