‘Social Solidarity’ value was not present in the UN Charter. It appeared first in the UN Millennium Declaration and was defined as follows: “Global challenges must be managed in a way that distributes the costs and burdens fairly in accordance with basic principles of equity and social justice. Those who suffer or benefit least, deserve help from those who benefit most.” In the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU that became the rights enshrined in law nine years later. There is a whole chapter in the EU Lisbon Treaty dedicated to ‘Social Solidarity’.
But we must also consider the rights of the people who are not the citizens of a given state but need shelter and safety, which is covered by the UN Millennium Declaration. The problem is with mass migration. Here we have to look at the principle of solidarity but also at the rights of indigenous people. Therefore, such rights should be more balanced, e.g. ‘Countries must be able to control the free flow of citizens and access of migrants to the hosting country’s benefits and resources’.
Migration control must differentiate clearly between economic migrants and asylum seekers. States should have full control over economic migrants to maintain the economic and cultural stability. We have to recognize and say it loudly that economic migration in large numbers in a very short time from countries with different cultures, like the 2015-2016 wave of migration into the EU, may create serious social tensions.
Asylum seekers should definitely be helped to save them from grave danger of persecution or death. If the situation in their home country improves within say 5 years, they should be sent home. If they are allowed to stay longer than that, they should be offered asylum rights, naturalization, and the citizenship in the host country. They should be reminded that they have to assimilate with the prevailing host nation’s political and cultural system rather than escape to their own ghettos. Economic migrants e.g. from Africa should be helped in an entirely different way, in their own countries under a big international, well-co-ordinated and controlled programme – see the proposed setting up of Global Wealth Redistribution Fund. To know more, read here.