The issue of what to do about the world’s 65.3 million displaced people will take center stage at the General Assembly with leaders from the United Nations’ 193-member states converging on NY for the first-ever summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.
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Pushing back against a tide of xenophobia which has gripped portions of Europe in recent years, thousands marched in central London on Saturday as they demanded the British government do more to help those forced from their homelands amid endless war in the Middle East and economic crises across Africa and beyond.
The gathering comes as May faces criticism in the United Kingdom for failing to do enough to help refugees and demands to improve the UK’s pledge to settle 20,000 people from Syria over four years.
Obama has called for a follow-up summit Tuesday where at least 45 countries are expected to make pledges to help with the goals set by the US, which include increasing humanitarian aid by $3 billion, doubling resettlement and improving access to education for almost one million youths and improving employment opportunities for those displaced.
The organisation says that 65 million people are displaced around the world – marking the highest number since World War Two.
The UK has committed to resettle 20,000 vulnerable refugees from camps near to Syria over a five-year period.
“If we are able to translate that paper into a response in which many actors are going to participate, we will solve a lot of problems in emergency responses and in long-term refugee situations like the Syrian situation”, Fillipo Grandi, the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Refugees told The Associated Press.
She is expected to urge states to stop “treating the symptoms” of the ongoing refugee crisis, while calling for a change of policy to force refugees to claim asylum in the “first safe country” they reach, in a bid to stop the people trafficking trade in “onward movement”.
“The Prime Minister must show leadership on the refugee crisis”, the Labour MP said.
“Right now the decisions Parliament and our country have taken are being mired in red tape and Government foot-dragging”.
As well as speaking at the United Nations event, chaired by secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, May will also take part in a summit on refugees hosted by U.S. president Barack Obama on Tuesday.
Defending the UK’s approach, the Home Office said the government had pledged £2.3bn in humanitarian aid to Syria and neighbouring countries and are providing almost £70m in response to the Mediterranean migration crisis.
Human Rights Watch called the draft of the final document “a missed opportunity” and Amnesty International accused member states of stripping away any proposals of substance.
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“By 2018, when world leaders have agreed to discuss the issue again, the number of refugees will only have grown”, says Mitchell.
