Unfortunately, for now, signs are all they see; concrete actions and real policy shifts are still promises, and some are already being broken.
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In his address to the General Assembly, Obama also urged nations to follow through on their pledges “even when the politics are hard”. Many countries are already failing to uphold numerous principles it lists, such as respect for worldwide humanitarian law.
In order to “to carry this progress forward”, the president said that he is “convinced that in the long run, giving up some freedom of action … binding ourselves to global rules over the long term – enhances our security”.
It was a unique event for the United Nations laced with nostalgia, humor and tributes – the secretary-general and the US president toasting each other for the last time in front of the world’s leaders.
The 92-year-old leader said that while his country is “the innocent victim of spiteful sanctions”, it can not implement U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.
What will Obama’s refugee summit accomplish?
“Among them are more than 21 million refugees who have fled their countries – everything and everyone they’ve ever known, fleeing with a suitcase or the clothes on their back”, he said. Indeed, our global order has been so successful that we take it as a given that great powers no longer fight world wars; that the end of the Cold War lifted the shadow of nuclear Armageddon; that the battlefields of Europe have been replaced by peaceful union; that China and India remain on a path of remarkable growth. Sometimes people are anxious about tensions and conflicts.
“Wealthy countries can not only commit money and walk away”.
“Oxfam very recently released a piece of research demonstrating that the six wealthiest economies host only nine percent of the world’s refugee population”. In a statement, Ban called on conflicting factions to observe a 24-hour global cease-fire, declaring: “The symbolism of a day without fighting is a crucial reminder that conflict can and must come to an end”. Most of Europe wants Turkey to keep the 2.5 million refugees it is hosting there, and is willing to give financial incentives to make it happen.
Monday’s United Nations summit sought to develop principles around shared responsibility, while Tuesday’s Leaders’ Summit sought firm commitments on humanitarian finance, resettlement, and refugee support and integration.
The president’s announcement also included a pledge by countries to increase financial contributions to United Nations appeals and humanitarian groups by about $4.5b (£3.5b) over 2015 levels.
And hanging over the United Nations gathering was a weekend bombing a short subway ride away that New York’s mayor has declared an act of terror.
“She knows that love trumps hate”, Obama said. “We need the funds, the capacity, the programmes, the plans and the authority to immediately implement and scale-up efforts to combat climate change, and we need to see country climate pledges scaled-up”.
“This week’s summits only served to expose the leadership crisis”. The Leaders’ Summit commitments contributed to an uptick in overall humanitarian finance, which now stands at $4.5 billion higher compared to 2015 levels, according to the White House. In total, the companies have committed to investing, donating, or raising more than 650 million USA dollars. This approach does not acknowledge the costs of displacement for refugees and other movers nor the insecurities they may face.
“While open markets and capitalism have raised standards of living around the globe, globalization combined with rapid progress and technology has also weakened the position of workers and their ability to secure a decent wage”, he said. Ethiopia, for example, committed to provide primary, secondary, and tertiary education to all qualifying refugees – and to set aside 10,000 hectares of arable land for their use. He chided foreign leaders for stoking ethnic and religious divisions while faulting Russian Federation for a brutish approach to its role on the world stage.
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Unlike some past presidents, Mr Obama was able to accept where America went wrong even while outlining the good that the U.S. has done as he championed the need for global integration at a time when so many countries are retreating into narrow and exclusive nationalism.
