“This crisis is a test of our common humanity, whether we give in to suspicion and fear and build walls”, Mr. Obama said.
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Obama said countries needed to recognize that refugees are a symptom of a wider failure, of tensions and persecutions. “To slam the door in the face of these families would betray our deepest values”.
Obama, who hosted a “Leaders Summit on Refugees” during the 71st UN General Assembly session here on Tuesday, said the world was facing a refugee crisis of “epic proportions” with more than 65 million people having been driven from their homes, more than any time since the World War-II.
“Protecting and assisting refugees is a part of our history as a nation, and we will continue to alleviate the suffering of refugees overseas and to welcome them here at home, because doing so reflects our American values and our noblest traditions as a nation, enriches our society, and strengthens our collective security”, he recently told a crowd during World Refugee Day.
The participating countries have also pledged an additional $4.5 billion in refugee aid, Obama said.
The pledges included funds to ensure access to schools for one million refugee children and enabling one million refugees to work legally.
In addition, Turkish President Erdogan also commented on the issue on the sidelines of United Nations summit on refugees.
World leaders “may be patting themselves on the back”, but “their political commitments are falling far short”, said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of the anti-poverty group Oxfam.
More than 65 million people are now displaced – the highest number since the United Nations began keeping tabs.
The millions of refugees leaving war-torn Syria and other countries wracked by conflict have led to a backlash in some countries, including in the US, where Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has suggested a moratorium for Muslim immigrants. The U.S. will begin to accept the 110,000 new refugees in fiscal year 2017, which starts on October 1.
President Obama wants the United States to accept 110,000 refugees fleeing war by next year.
He never mentioned Donald Trump by name, but referenced the danger of building walls.
“The overall climate is not very favorable to receiving refugees in many parts of the world, but, on the one hand, states committed to this so we can remind them of their obligations”.
Minister McCallum then attended a private sector forum on migration and refugees, where he spoke of a newly formed joint initiative between Canada, the United Nations Refugee Agency and the Open Society Foundations, aimed at increasing the private sponsorship of refugees around the world.
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“A village on the island of Samoa declared him officially a crown chief and prince – which I believe is a title that you can keep for life”, the president said.
