UN Refugee Summit in New York
Welthungerhilfe calls for legally binding agreements and concrete promises of aid for refugees.
In the coming week, heads of state and government will meet in New York as part of the UN General Assembly, in order to consult on the increasing refugee and migration movements. The current outcome document does not include any binding agreements to provide security and support to the millions of global refugees. Welthungerhilfe is calling for the adoption of legally binding regulations by 2018 at the latest. Only in this way can the international community meet the global challenges. Included in these regulations should be clear promises to accept refugees and provide financial assistance, in order to fairly distribute responsibilities in the future.
“We are seeing currently that both national and regional solutions to the worldwide refugee movements are far from adequate. Flight and migration are international challenges that can only be solved jointly and in a unified manner. We urgently need clear responsibilities, binding agreements and viable financing structures, which set out an action framework for the affected states. This also includes immigration laws giving the people concerned prospects for the future. From our day-to-day work we know that it is predominantly internally displaced people who urgently require greater assistance and support. 85 per cent of refugees are displaced in developing countries, where hunger and poverty are particularly severe. First and foremost, however, the main causes of flight, wars and armed conflicts such as those in Syria and South Sudan must be stopped. Humanitarian assistance is necessary and must be further strengthened in many countries, but it is not a solution for political problems. People need long-term prospects that go beyond mere emergency assistance, as people are generally displaced for an average of 18 years”, emphasises Bärbel Dieckmann, president of Welthungerhilfe.
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organisations in Germany; politically independent and non-denominational. It is fighting for ‘Zero Hunger by 2030’. Since its establishment, more than 8,500 overseas projects in 70 countries have been supported with 3.27 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe works on the basic principle of help for self-help: from rapid disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organisations.
On request, we provide further material. You can contact us here.
