Yesterday, billionaire philanthropist/activist George Soros announced in the Wall Street Journal that he would invest $500 million “for investments that specifically address the needs of migrants, refugees and host communities”.
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The announcement came in response to the White House “Call to Action” in June soliciting support from private businesses to assist refugees. Around the world, there are now about 21.3 million refugees, 3.2 million asylum seekers, and 40.8 million migrants.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) The issue of what to do about the world’s 65.3 million displaced people takes center stage at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday when leaders from around the globe converge on NY for the first-ever summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.
President Obama made an impassioned plea as he spoke during the Leaders Summit on Refugees at the United Nations headquarters.
The administration has yet to release a country-by-country breakdown of the 110,000 refugee figure.
There were a string of meetings, agreements and promises to support refugees and migrants during the United Nations General Assembly in NY this week. It includes, crucially, a commitment to making sure they can quickly go back to school once they have reached their destination countries, and outlines measures to keep families together and counter xenophobia.
More than 300,000 refugees and migrants crossed the risky Mediterranean sea to Europe so far this year, according to figures released by United Nations agency on Tuesday.
Obama welcomed the pledges of increased assistance. The U.S. has pledged to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees within a year, for example, while Canada has vowed to take in 30,000.
“Member states will also develop guidelines on the treatment of migrants in vulnerable situations, as well as have a more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility for hosting and supporting the world’s refugees by adopting a global compact on refugees in 2018”.
The Leaders’ Summit on Refugees hopes to advance commitments made by world leaders during the U.N. General Assembly meeting Monday where 193 countries adopted the New York Declaration, aimed at improving the lives of the 65.3 million people forcibly displaced due to political crises and wars.
“It is abhorrent that desperate women, men and children can be branded as criminals, and detained”, he said.
Before the summit, Obama planned to meet with CEOs of the corporations that have pledged support for refugees.
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This coming against the backdrop of Deputy President William Ruto criticising the worldwide community for failing to address the refugee crisis in the world. Yesterday the United Nations summit failed to produce a “global compact” for world leaders to share responsibility for the crisis.
