An increasing flow of migrants are undertaking perilous and dangerous journeys to reach European shores. So far this year, more than 165,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean, compared to 60,000 last year, and over 3,000 have died or are missing at sea.

With these recent incidents in mind, the United Nations Human Rights Europe Office organized a launch of the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights at International Borders on 22 October 2014. The event was a parallel event to the launch of the Guidelines at the United Nations in New York, and brought together stakeholders from the European Commission, Frontex, European Ombudsman’s Office, Council of Europe, various UN agencies, and members from civil society.

The Guidelines are developed by the United Nations Human Rights Office together with multiple stakeholders with a view to translating the international human rights framework into practical border governance measures. As the participants of the launch in Brussels noted, these Guidelines provide a practical compilation of existing human rights standards and also function as a tool for civil society organizations to use in their advocacy work.

States are entitled to exercise jurisdiction at their international borders, but they must do so in light of their human rights obligations. This means that the human rights of all persons at international borders must be respected in the pursuit of border control, law enforcement, and other State objectives - regardless of which authorities perform border governance measures and where such measures take place. As stated in the Guidelines, “respecting the human rights of all migrants regardless of their nationality, migration status or other circumstances facilitates effective border control”.