[JURIST] The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday announced that the flow of refugees into Europe shows no signs of easing or stopping, as approximately 8,000 refugees a day seek to enter Europe. Amin Awad, the regional refugee coordinator for then UNHCR stated that problems now facing governments may turn out to be only the tip of the iceberg [Guardian report]. Awad stated that the UN is planning for the potential displacement of 500,000 people from the Iraqi city of Mosul if Iraqi forces fight to recapture the city from Islamic State (IS). Also on Friday, the UNHCR reported [UNHCR report] about the high number of migrants entering Europe along the Serbian-Croatian border. More than 50,000 migrants have entered through the town of Tovarnik, Croatia since mid-September.

The rights of migrant populations has emerged as the most significant humanitarian issue around the world, as millions seek asylum from conflict nations. In September 2015 a number of European nations have taken legal action and asked for international support to address the influx of tens of thousands of refugees. Recently, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, gave the opening statement at the 30th session of the Human Rights Council [JURIST report] in which he addressed, among other pressing human rights issues, the migrant crisis. Two weeks ago, the UN’s special representative for migration urged countries worldwide to aid [JURIST report] in responding to the growing migration crisis in Europe. Earlier this month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged other EU countries [JURIST report] to assist in accommodating the influx of refugees from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, saying that the burden cannot fall on just a few countries. Two days earlier, the Hungarian National Assembly passed a number of emergency measures [JURIST report] to address the recent mass migration into Europe.