The UN Secretary General celebrated this Friday the results of the World Refugee Forum, which raised around two billion euros in financial commitments, considering that it represents “a ray of light in a year that has been dark.”
Speaking live, via videoconference, from New York, at the closing session of the second edition of the Forum, held between this Wednesday and Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, António Guterres commented that this event, held “at the end of a year of intense political division, conflicts and climate catastrophes”, ends by “providing a ray of light in a year that has been dark and worrying”, by demonstrating great solidarity with refugees around the world, currently estimated at 36 million. people.
The UN Secretary General deplored the “record number of people” who this year “are expelled from their homes, fleeing violence, insecurity and danger”, “from the Sahel to Afghanistan, from Syria to Yemen, from the Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo to Myanmar [antiga Birmânia] and Somalia, to the total devastation we are seeing in Gaza.
“Indeed, Palestinian refugees are enduring unprecedented and incomparable levels of suffering, and the United Nations system is doing everything in its power to support them,” he stressed.
Noting that “these humanitarian nightmares have displaced 114 million people this year, 36 million of whom are refugees, fleeing across borders,” Guterres stressed that “resources to support refugees are under enormous pressure.” , especially in the global south, which continues to host and receive the vast majority of refugees.
Recalling his experience as UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015, Guterres stated that these 10 years reinforced his conviction that “protecting and supporting refugees at all stages of their journeys is a moral obligation, a necessity practical and an economic imperative”, but He stressed that “protection and assistance to refugees should not be a lottery or a disproportionate burden that falls on some countries and communities based on their geographical location.”
“The promises and commitments made this year realize the great promise of the Global Compact on Refugees, not only to support refugees, but also to relieve pressure on host countries and solve the systemic problems that drive people. give me hope that we can forge a global consensus to address, once and for all, the great challenges of our time that are fueling the refugee crisis,” he said.
The Second World Refugee Forum, concluded today in Geneva, raised 2.2 billion dollars (about 2 billion euros) in financial commitments, among other promises, such as that of States to resettle one million refugees by 2030.
Contributions to the Global Refugee Forum can take many forms, from financial, material or technical assistance, including resettlement sites and other admission pathways in third countries, allowing better-resourced countries to share responsibility for refugees, to measures to support host communities and prevent conflict. and build peace.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in addition to financial pledges, states have also committed to resettle one million refugees by 2030, while governments and foundations have launched a pledge backed by a new global sponsorship funding fund to help three million more refugees access third countries through community sponsorship.
Portugal also participated in the event, having made eight commitments on Thursday, including an increase in the resettlement quota and an increase in the financial contribution to UNHCR, although without specifying values.
For its part, the European Union (EU) has committed to resettle more than 60,000 refugees in the next two years, the European Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva Johansson, also announced on Thursday, noting that the refugees will be resettled in 14 years. Member States, but without yet specifying which ones.
Four years after the first edition, the II Global Forum, the largest international meeting on refugees in the world, brought together in Geneva more than 4,200 participants from 168 countries, including heads of State or Government, ministers, heads of international organizations ( including United Nations entities and specialized agencies), refugee-led organizations, civil society representatives and CEOs of companies and foundations, among others.
The Global Refugee Forum was designed to support the practical implementation of the objectives set out in the Global Compact for Refugees, a framework for a more predictable and equitable sharing of responsibilities among States, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018, with the next edition expected to take place in 2027.
Source: TSF
