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.
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Rhodes said Obama had no plans to pursue a new Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative before leaving office, though he could take unspecified steps.
“This week’s summits on the global refugee crisis failed to meet the challenge of this critical moment in history”, read a statement released by the rights group on Tuesday, referring to two high-level summits attended by world leaders and held at the United Nations headquarters in NY. Regardless of that, the U.S. president noted that there’s a dark side to social media, citing numerous examples of terrorist cells recruiting Western youth on social media.
Syria says it does not require the advice of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon after the outgoing official accuses the Syrian government of killing civilians. Curiously enough, the Secretary-General spent a good portion of his speech talking about contemporary technology, as well.
In previous refugee crisis, stays out of country averaged nine years.
“Today, a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself”, he said.
The former Chelsea manager said that it is hard to predict how players will react when selected for big games though.
Yet, he says that people are losing trust in institutions, which makes governing more hard.
The European Union, meanwhile, recalled that they have provided financial support to humanitarian organizations but stressed that the EU’s ultimate goal is that the refugees seek asylum in EU countries through resettlement and not embarking on risky journeys organized by people smugglers. The president proposed a toast expressing gratitude for the secretary-general’s service saying “the world is a better place for him”.
President Obama has used his last ever United Nations speech to tackle anti-LGBT violence.
The leaders are meeting against a backdrop of rising ethnic and religious tension, fighting elsewhere in the Mideast and Africa, a warming planet, and unfulfilled goals to give every child in the world a primary school education and to achieve equality for women.
Ban, whose term ends on December 31, accused South Sudan’s feuding leaders of betraying their people.
The secretary-general expressed “great appreciation” to Obama for advancing United Nations causes “while upholding our shared values: freedom, equality, democracy and peace”.
“Protectors must never become predators”, he said. “It would deny our own heritage as nations, including the United States of America, that have been built by immigrants and refugees.And it would be to ignore a teaching at the heart of so many faiths that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us”. At least half a dozen small island nations including Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Kiribati will also follow suit.
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World leaders from Pakistan to Ukraine unleashed their regional grievances Wednesday, taking the stage of the U.N. General Assembly to rage against their neighbors and presenting a picture of a chaotic world consumed by intractable conflicts.
