Ban Ki-Moon Commends Germany, Others For Accepting Refugees

The United Nations (UN) General Secretary, Mr Ban ki moon on Wednesday acknowledged leaders and citizens of several countries, including Germany, Sweden and Austria, for opening their doors and showing solidarity to refugees. He expressed appreciation for the financial generosity of many countries in addressing the humanitarian consequences, in particular, the United Kingdom and Kuwait. He was Addressing a press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York today (Wednesday 16/9/2015) ahead of the General Debate of the 70th Session of the General Assembly scheduled for September 28, 2015 to the October 6, 2015 and the UN Summit on Sustainable Development also scheduled for September 25 to September 27, 2015. Mr Ban urged all States to shoulder their responsibilities to assist people fleeing their homes in seek of refuge, noting that brutal conflicts, breakdowns in basic governance, economic despair and other factors have generated displacements of people not seen since the Second World War. �Men, women and children fleeing war and persecution deserve real support, including asylum,� Mr. Ban said. He called on those standing in the way of the rights of refugees to empathise with them. People facing barrel bombs and brutality in their country will continue to seek life in another, Mr Ban said. According to him it was natural for People with few prospects at home to continue to seek opportunity elsewhere. Response to refugee crisis Mr Ban will convene a high-level meeting on September 30, 2015 to mobilise �a humane, effective and rights-based response� to the refugee crisis. �I urge all States to shoulder their responsibilities and live up to their legal obligations.� On the opening of this year�s General Assembly, he noted that the 70th session of the UN General Assembly opens at a time of turmoil and hope, explaining that turmoil because conflicts have deepened in so many places, and civilians are paying the price. Hope because a historic number of world leaders will gather at the United Nations to forge solutions and adopt an inspiring new development agenda. It will start with His Holiness Pope Francis, who I look forward to welcoming here on September 25th. His call for climate action and a global ethical mobilization has resounded across the world, among people of all faiths. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development embodies the yearnings of people everywhere for lives of dignity on a healthy planet. That he said showed what Member States could achieve working together in unity and solidarity. �The Addis Ababa Action Agenda adopted in July of this year provides a financing framework to implement the new agenda. Now we look to Paris in December for a universal agreement on climate change,� he said. Humanity On issues of humanity, Mr Ban said with political will and resources, we can transform our future and do more to prevent the kinds of crises we see in far too many places. He said in Syria, the combatants are defying all norms of humanity. �My Special Envoy continues his efforts. But responsibility for ending this horror rests on the parties, and on the neighbors and external forces that are fuelling the fighting.� Mr Ban recounted that In Yemen, the escalating conflict and especially the aerial attacks are devastating the civilian population. He urged the Yemeni parties to immediately rejoin the political process under the facilitation of my Special Envoy, and in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2216. There is no military solution to this conflict. He said In Libya, recent weeks have seen progress, and my Special Representative continues to press the parties to form a Government of National Accord. A political framework is also critical for urgently putting in place sustainable security arrangements. In South Sudan, more than 200,000 displaced people are now sheltering at UN peacekeeping bases. Thousands more are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. All efforts must now focus on implementing the new peace agreement. I urge the two leaders to uphold the recent commitments they made to end this brutal conflict. Around the world, 100 million people, about one of every seventy people on earth need lifesaving support. Yet all our humanitarian appeals are chronically under-funded. Brutal conflicts, breakdowns in basic governance, economic despair and other factors have generated displacements of people not seen since the Second World War. Sixty million people have fled their homes.