Need for understanding, compassion and political will to find answers for the refugee plight has become a defining challenge of our times
The needs for understanding, compassion and political will to come together and find real answers for the refugee plight has become a defining challenge of our times, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, said yesterday.
Ahead of the World Refugee Day on 20 June, the UNHCR launched its #WithRefugees petition with the aims of gathering public support for the growing number of families forced to flee conflict and persecution worldwide.
UNHCR requests that people pledge their support here to send a clear message to governments that they must act with solidarity and shared responsibility.
The petition asks governments to:
• Ensure every refugee child gets an education.
• Ensure every refugee family has somewhere safe to live.
• Ensure every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.
More than 60 film, TV and music stars have joined refugees, faith leaders and the United Nations refugee agency staff to back the petition.
"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. 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. This has become a defining challenge of our times," Filippo Grandi said.
He continued: "At the same time, there was an extraordinary outpouring of empathy and solidarity, as ordinary people and communities opened their homes and their hearts to refugees, and some countries have welcomed new arrivals even while already hosting large numbers of refugees. The #WithRefugees campaign and petition aims to amplify those voices of welcome and show that the world stands with refugees."
One of those backing the petition, best-selling author Khaled Hosseini, was quoted as saying: "Refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us; except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale. Together, in solidarity with refugees, we must demand that world leaders take collective responsibility for finding fair, lasting solutions to this crisis. Together we must ensure humanity and compassion triumph over fear and intolerance."
Murdered Labour MP 'campaigned tirelessly for refugees'
Meanwhile, the Independent reported that Jo Cox, the Labour MP murdered by a man in Leeds yesterday, had campaigned tirelessly for refugees.
Cox, a former aid worker, called repeatedly for Britain to do more to help the victims of Syria’s civil war. The Independent notes that she set up a parliamentary group on Syria and staged Commons debates on the plight of the refugees, arguing forcefully that the UK Government should be doing more both to help the victims and use its influence abroad to bring an end to the Syrian conflict.
Refugee Action said on Twitter yesterday that it was absolutely distraught by the death of the MP, describing her as a "passionate & brilliant campaigner for the rights of refugees".