UN holds first-ever summit on refugees and migrants

[webfact]

UN holds first-ever summit on refugees and migrants 
MICHAEL ASTOR, Associated Press

 

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The issue of what to do about the world's 65.3 million displaced people takes center stage at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday when leaders from around the globe converge on New York for the first-ever summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.

 

With more people forced to flee their homes than at any time since World War II, leaders and diplomats are expected to approve a document aimed at unifying the U.N.'s 193 member states behind a more coordinated approach that protects the human rights of refugees and migrants.

 

"It's very interesting because 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.

 

That may prove an uphill struggle, however, as the document is not legally binding and comes at a time that refugees and migrants have become a divisive issue in Europe and the United States.

 

A number of countries rejected an earlier draft of the agreement that called on nations to resettle 10 percent of the refugee population each year, something that has led a number of human rights groups to criticize the document as a missed opportunity. The U.S. and a number of other countries also objected to language in the original draft that said children should never be detained, so the agreement now says children should seldom, if ever, be detained.

 

"Instead of sharing responsibility, world leaders shirked it. The U.N. summit has been sabotaged by states acting in self-interest, leaving millions of refugees in dire situations around the world on the edge of a precipice," Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty said in a statement.

 

Shetty said the agreement merely kicks the can down the road by calling for separate global compacts for refugees and migrants to be adopted within two years.

 

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose report on refugees and migrants laid the basis for the summit document, said he was aware of the criticism from non-governmental groups.

 

"While we all wish it could be a stronger outcome document ... all 193 member states had to agree on their commitment. As you will see, my report was a strong one," Ban said. "I hope that, as the two compacts are adopted over the coming year and a half, some stronger language and commitment and elements from the report will reappear in the course of this negotiation."

 

More concrete progress is expected at a follow-up summit on Tuesday called by President Barack Obama, where at least 45 countries are expected to make pledges that are in line with U.S. goals of increasing humanitarian aid by $3 billion, doubling resettlement and increasing access to education for one million youngsters and access to employment for another million of the displaced.

 

"You hear all around the world the U.N. hasn't handled the refugee crisis. The way the U.N. will handle the refugee crisis is if all of us countries within the U.N. step up and dig deep and face those political headwinds that we all face, to do more, to give more, to take on a greater share of the resettlement challenge," said Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

 

Power said prior to the pledging summit with world leaders, Obama will host a meeting with top executives from 50 companies to discuss what the private sector can do to help address the problem.

 

According to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, an "unprecedented" 65.3 million people were displaced at the end of 2015, an increase of more than 5 million from a year earlier. They include 21.3 million refugees, 3.2 million asylum seekers, and 40.8 million migrants.

 

According to the U.N. Refugee Agency, refugees are people forced to flee due to armed conflict or persecution, while migrants chose to move in search of a better life.

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-09-19

[SgtRock]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

The issue of what to do about the world's 65.3 million displaced people takes center stage at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday

 

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

With more people forced to flee their homes than at any time since World War II, leaders and diplomats are expected to approve a document aimed at unifying the U.N.'s 193 member states behind a more coordinated approach that protects the human rights of refugees and migrants.

 

So what have you been doing since 1945 ?

 

How could it escalate so badly during your watch ?

 

Approve all the documents you want. Documents will not solve anything.

[coma]

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

A number of countries rejected an earlier draft of the agreement that called on nations to resettle 10 percent of the refugee population each year

 

Thank <deleted> for that. Cuz I know what countries will be the ones carrying that burden. Something like the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany etc etc. Not the likes of Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE etc etc. 

[coma]

24 minutes ago, SgtRock said:

 

 

So what have you been doing since 1945 ?

 

How could it escalate so badly during your watch ?

 

Approve all the documents you want. Documents will not solve anything.

 

The UN is a very expensive lame duck that needs to be euthanized.

[SgtRock]

1 minute ago, coma said:

 

The UN is a very expensive lame duck that needs to be euthanized.

 

Lame ducks are useful. You can make a very nice meal out of a lame duck 

[LawrenceChee]

I work in the hotel trade business and if you see what they spend on hotels and food and banquet ....it's not really that hard to understand why their programs all flop


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[LawrenceChee]

If you look at Red Cross recently and what they have done for the Haiti collections ..one would almost want them to stop collections !




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[johnnywishbone]

Obama can run his mouth all he wants.
Nobody wants the refugees.
Everyone wants them safe and secure.
Maybe even in their own homes.
Letting evil people run amok caused this situation.
Pull the trigger.


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[JetsetBkk]

So we've had a Brexit, now maybe we'll have a Brunexit?

 

The EU totally messed up this situation and now it's the UN's turn to have a go? From one pathetic organisation to another.

 

[SgtRock]

1 hour ago, JetsetBkk said:

So we've had a Brexit, now maybe we'll have a Brunexit?

 

The EU totally messed up this situation and now it's the UN's turn to have a go? From one pathetic organisation to another.

 

 

There is a lot of brain power in these institutions.

 

I find it very difficult to believe the collective brain power cannot identify that while they may not be the cause of this situation, they have been the enablers that have allowed to to grow out of all proportion.

 

There is a hidden agenda being played here.

[mesterm]

2 hours ago, coma said:

Thank <deleted> for that. Cuz I know what countries will be the ones carrying that burden. Something like the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany etc etc. Not the likes of Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE etc etc. 

 

According to a 2014 report by human rights organization Amnesty International, the GCC (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE) had not officially resettled a single Syrian refugee since the crisis began in 2011.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chaker-khazaal/no-arab-gulf-countries-ar_b_8280448.html

[Baerboxer]

14 minutes ago, SgtRock said:

 

There is a lot of brain power in these institutions.

 

I find it very difficult to believe the collective brain power cannot identify that while they may not be the cause of this situation, they have been the enablers that have allowed to to grow out of all proportion.

 

There is a hidden agenda being played here.

 

Of course there is a hidden agenda. 

 

But why not ask the country of origin to take back those refugees where there is no ethnic, religious or political persecution? How many of those refugees are economic migrants hoping to get into a nice welfare based country by circumventing the immigration laws? 

 

Repatriation should be the first choice.

[JetsetBkk]

16 minutes ago, SgtRock said:

There is a hidden agenda being played here.

 

Ya think?

 

 

[Baerboxer]

12 minutes ago, mesterm said:

 

According to a 2014 report by human rights organization Amnesty International, the GCC (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE) had not officially resettled a single Syrian refugee since the crisis began in 2011.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chaker-khazaal/no-arab-gulf-countries-ar_b_8280448.html

 

I've lived and worked in Saudi, UAE,Qtar and Bahrain. The people I talked with in those countries do not want what they see as another countries dross and problem people - and they couldn't care less about what religion the refugees are, where they are from or why they are refugees. They don't want them and ain't letting any in - end of.

[SgtRock]

21 minutes ago, SgtRock said:

There is a hidden agenda being played here.

 

 

Sorry guys, I forgot my sarcasm face

 

 

[coma]

54 minutes ago, mesterm said:

 

According to a 2014 report by human rights organization Amnesty International, the GCC (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE) had not officially resettled a single Syrian refugee since the crisis began in 2011.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chaker-khazaal/no-arab-gulf-countries-ar_b_8280448.html

 

That definitely doesn't surprise me at all Mesterm. And I don't blame them. Allowing potential criminals, terrorists and people mentally scared by war into your country is plain ludicrous and will inevitable become a major burden on society as is the case in Europe.

But my question is, is it because said countries refuse to resettle these "refugees " or is it because the refugees don't want to resettle in any country that isn't a western one ? Surely to resettle in a country that has very similar language, customs, traditions and region should be ones first choice. But they do not need to change the minds and lives of fellow Muslims. So they want to come to the west and bring their totally incompatible beliefs, language, religion, customs and traditions, there naturally violent temperament and total intolerance to a western lifestyle and enforce it upon the native populations of the adoptive country. And the UN is trying its best to facilitate that end. How dare they ? 

 

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has urged European leaders to adopt tighter border controls to stem the flow of what he called "a peaceful invasion" of asylum seekers.

 

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/09/19/15/00/tony-abbott-urges-european-leaders-to-close-borders-to-refugees-before-they-lose-control

 

 

[Scott]

The summit is being held on refugees and migrants.  They are not necessarily the same.   

 

I think most countries are suffering from refugee (and migrant) fatigue.   The tide has been turning against most of these groups by the populations of receiving countries.  

 

Years ago, even within the memory of many of the members of this forum, most countries could absorb a reasonable number of people.   There were jobs for unskilled people, willing to work and integrate.   The world has changed, and countries have limited work for these poorly educated people.   In addition, there is much less upward mobility for them or our existing populations.   Most countries have all they can do to provide for their own under privileged citizens.  

 

We face a world in which there is a growing scarcity of resources and much of this movement of people, especially economic migrants, is due to this increasing scarcity.   To some extent, many of the genuine refugees are fleeing because of wars which in part are because of resource scarcity.   Whether it be water, oil or food, resources are a problem in the long term.  The need for resources causes power struggles, conflict and ultimately wars.  

 

At the bottom of these struggles are millions of people who are disenfranchised, homeless, landless and jobless.   They are moving and they need to be dealt with. 

 

Until/unless the countries of the UN are willing to discuss the very basic problem of providing resources -- food, health care, jobs, homes and land, there will be no solution.   Western countries cannot and will not absorb them.  

 

Countries have been allowed to run rough shod over their indigenous populations for a long time.   No efforts have been made to control to burgeoning population problem and all the things associated with it.  

 

We also need to remember there are huge numbers of people who get only a passing mention in the press.   Many groups in Asia and Africa are also on the move. 

 

I doubt there will be any concrete outcomes except a series of unenforceable agreements and a significant number of platitudes.   What will be interesting to see is if they will begin to address the basic issues behind this huge and uncontrollable movement of people. 

[BuaBS]

3 hours ago, JetsetBkk said:

 

Ya think?

 

 

WOW !! Filip Dewinter is saying it all ! Fantastic to hear the truth .

 

Thanks for this video JetsetBkk !!

[williamgeorgeallen]

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Of course there is a hidden agenda. 

 

But why not ask the country of origin to take back those refugees where there is no ethnic, religious or political persecution? How many of those refugees are economic migrants hoping to get into a nice welfare based country by circumventing the immigration laws? 

 

Repatriation should be the first choice.

west needs to stop f#cking up those countries up so they can go home. leave the dictators to run their countries. democracy is a western pipe dream that sort of works for the west but does not work for the rest of the world. now the UN is going to be the savior for all the refugees that the west created. west likes the high of selling bombs and guns but cant handle the handle the refugee hangover.  sick junkies.

[johnnywishbone]

The UN will pose for a photo op, make paper, then abandon the issue.
Only John Hanoi Jane Kerry can fix this clusterfuแk.


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[mesterm]

3 hours ago, coma said:

But my question is, is it because said countries refuse to resettle these "refugees " or is it because the refugees don't want to resettle in any country that isn't a western one ?

 

More comfortable life in developed countries. Better welfare. Prospect of employment with far higher salaries.

 

I think those are the main reasons, and they are often willing to undergo perilous journeys to get there.

[mesterm]