Overview
Working environment
The East Asia and the Pacific subregion continues to face the challenges of mixed flows of migrants and asylum-seekers from Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
In Australia, the Government has responded to a rising number of irregular maritime arrivals (IMAs) by adopting strict new asylum legislation and policies, including the transfer of IMAs to Nauru and Papua New Guinea for processing. These developments have created a complex and challenging protection environment for refugees and asylum-seekers in the country.
Australia and other Pacific States are likely to continue to pursue measures aimed at deterring irregular boat movements. UNHCR will work to ensure that people of concern still benefit from adequate protection and assistance, in line with international humanitarian principles.
In 2014-2015, the Office is calling for an increase in resettlement intakes, and will increase advocacy efforts to help the Australian public to gain a more balanced and informed understanding of asylum and refugee issues, hopefully leading to more support for people of concern.
In New Zealand as well, the focus on refugee issues will be substantially influenced by trends in mixed maritime movements. Although the Government reduced the UNHCR-sponsored component of its annual resettlement quota in 2013, its efforts to improve support for resettled refugees are likely to have positive effects in the longer term.
As parties to the bilateral IMA-transfer arrangements with Australia, Nauru and Papua New Guinea will face considerable challenges in providing an adequate level of support for transferees. They require support to strengthen their legislative frameworks, refugee status determination (RSD) systems and reception arrangements. West Papuan refugees remain in need of durable solutions, with naturalization being the most viable option.
The Pacific Island States, which receive a relatively small number of asylum-seekers compared to other parts of the region, are expected to continue to strengthen their asylum and refugee protection capacities.
In China, growing mixed migratory flows to urban areas have had an impact on the reception conditions for asylumseekers. The increase in the number of refugees and asylum-seekers has highlighted the need for the Government to enact national asylum legislation in line with the 1951 Refugee Convention.
The July 2013 adoption of the Exit-Entry Administration Law has been followed by a growing interest of the Chinese authorities in asylum systems in other countries.
In Hong Kong SAR, China, a groundbreaking judgment of the Court of Final Appeal has prompted the authorities to pledge to assess refugee claims independently before executing deportation orders. The Government subsequently announced that it would introduce a “unified screening mechanism” to assess claims for protection against refoulement.
UNHCR continues to advocate for the Government of Mongolia’s accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention.
In Japan, the year 2012 saw the highest number of asylum applications to date (2,545), with progress made in the handling of asylum cases. For instance, alternatives to detention are being arranged for asylum-seekers. The Government has also reiterated its commitment to continue offering resettlement places after the current pilot phase of the resettlement programme ends in 2014.
The Republic of Korea enacted a comprehensive Refugee Law in July 2013. A dedicated Refugee Division was created by the Ministry of Justice within the Korea Immigration Service. RSD capacity has been strengthened and is gradually being extended to provinces and municipalities outside Seoul. The Government has increased its financial support for UNHCR, and the private sector in the Republic of Korea has doubled its contributions from the previous year.