On the eve of a Summit for Refugees and Migrants, the United Nations has said the world should not let the unprecedented number of refugees be buried by indifference
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accepted a 1.3 million signature-strong petition that expressed solidarity with millions of refugees.
“We cannot let innocent people be buried by indifference,” said Mr. Ban said in his remarks to the moving ceremony. “We cannot let heartlessness expose so many children to deadly risk […] We stand with refugees. The summit next week is for them,” he said.
According to the world body, the #WithRefugees petition was launched on 19 June, World Refugee Day by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The refugees are merely asking for what all people deserve, namely a home, a school and a chance, Ban Ki-moon said, according to a UN statement.
He thanked and credited the UN for offering global solidarity when he, himself, was a six-year old refugee, saying without which “I would not be standing here.”
The September 19 Summit is a foundation to build a stronger global response and that the Organization was mobilizing all partners, he said.
“Today,” he concluded, “we declare our commitment to share the responsibility. That will benefit everyone. Let us help refugees and create a better future for all.”
The petition calls on representatives of the 193 governments attending the Summit to make sure all refugee children can go to school; that all refugees have a safe place to live and that all refugees can work and contribute to their local community.
Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, together with refugees and prominent UNHCR supporters presented the symbolic gesture to Ban Ki-moon and the President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, to ensure the call is heard in the highest places.
“We are in a period of deepening conflict and turmoil in the world, which is causing many more people to flee their homes than before,” he said, adding:
“It affects and involves us all, and what it needs is understanding, compassion and political will to come together and find real answers for the refugee plight.”
The UN refugee agency chief explained that millions of people were newly displaced in 2015, causing global refugee and internal displacement totals to skyrocket.
While countries of the developing world were most affected, Europe too witnessed dramatic scenes, as hundreds of thousands of people crossed the Mediterranean in search of safety and refuge. Thousands died along the way.
He stressed, “This has become a defining challenge of our times.”
