On Monday, September 19, world leaders will gather in NY for a summit on the global refugee and migrant crises.
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Andrzej Duda, President of Poland, left, poses for a photo with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, at U.N. headquarters.
“Refugees and migrants are not to be seen a burden – they offer great potential, if only we unlock it”, he told delegates in NY.
President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met Monday in NY on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
Amnesty welcomes the government’s commitment to provide increased humanitarian funding in response to the global refugee crisis but is calling for greater responsibility for hosting and assisting refugees.
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May told the Guardian newspaper Monday that it was better to help more refugees in their own region than resettle a smaller number elsewhere. “They are facing very uncertain futures and they’re looking to the rest of the world and to the United Nations, of course, for help”. “Our words and dialogue matter”, Ban said.
“Today we have an extraordinary opportunity to change gear”, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi speaking at the opening of the UNGA today.
War Child CEO Rob Williams said: “At a pivotal point in this global crisis, where more than 28 million children are displaced, now is not the time to ask who is least deserving, but a time to act for those most at risk”.
A failure to confront the refugee crisis will unleash xenophobia, he warned.
A United Nations convoy carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid has yet to cross into Syria from Turkey to reach eastern Aleppo, where as many as 275,000 victims remain trapped without food, water, proper shelter or medical care, United Nations aid chief Stephen O’Brien said Monday. He says the extremist group has embedded itself “deeply” in Mosul but that the US and its partners are confident they can be in a position to move forward in Mosul “fairly rapidly”. -Russian brokered cessation of hostilities extended till Wednesday.
Refugee rights activists were quick to criticize the declaration for being all talk and no action. In a July 26 White House press briefing, Eric Schultz, the principal deputy White House press secretary, said: “Our goal here to conduct the resettlement process in home countries so that we’re not dealing with an influx on the border and we’re not dealing with a heartbreaking or unsustainable situation that is neither safe or orderly”. “We also deserve life”.
“We are committed to shouldering our responsibilities compatible with our abilities”, Li told the NY summit, noting that the movement of so many millions of people posed political, social and security threats.
All 193 United Nations member states reached consensus on the declaration to develop by 2018 a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration; ensure a more equitable sharing of responsibility for hosting and supporting the world’s refugees; to commit to protect the human rights of all refugees and migrants regardless of their status; and to commit to launching a global campaign to counter xenophobia.
It is also a watershed moment to strengthen governance of worldwide migration and a unique opportunity for creating a more responsible, predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants.
These refugees – like so many people born in America – want to find a decent job, work hard and build a good life for their families. The Declaration commits governments to better address the drivers and triggers causing the record numbers of forcibly displaced in today’s world.
The number is not just lower than what the U.S. is capable of handling, they say, but also well below what many American communities are prepared to welcome.
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The summit continues with leaders’ statements including the U.S., European Union and Turkey.
