“ I note with grave concern that xenophobic and racist responses to refugees and migrants seem to be reaching new levels of stridency , frequency and public acceptance . The tenor of policy and public discourse on migrants and refugees must be shifted from one of threat to one of international solidarity , protection of dignity and recognition of positive contributions . Such efforts need to take address the fears and concerns of host communities and they must be based on facts rather than assumptions and misinformation . Given the overwhelming evidence that personal contact significantly reduces prejudice , more creative ways of fostering contacts between host communities on the one hand and refugees and migrants , on the other , are urgently needed .” (“ In Safety and Dignity : Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants ,” UN , ( 21 April 2016 ))
“ We can dispense with the notion that Arab refugees themselves are vectors for violence ; refugees are the victims of conflict , not its cause . Yet the arrival of so many migrants within a short window of time places immense pressure on the capacities of regional governments already struggling to provide basic goods to their populations . […] A vast majority of refugees worldwide — many of them victims of conflicts begat by the United States and other first-world nations — reside in neighboring states of first asylum , placing a disproportionate burden of refugee-hosting on poor , weak , and conflict-prone governments . An appeal to security interests based not on vague fears of refugee terrorism , but rather on concern for the well-being of citizens in refugee-hosting states and the stability of their governments , may prove an effective frame for refugee advocates moving forward .” ( Chantal E . Berman , Brookings , ( 24 September 2015 ))
Lesson Author : Ms . Katrina Gehman
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Syria Donors Conference 2016 / London , United Kingdom ( 4 February 2016 ) “ Helen Clark ( top right ), Administrator of the UN Development Programme ( UNDP ), addresses the Syria Donors Conference 2016 in London . Also pictured ( on dais , from left ): Sabah Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah , First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kuwait ; Filippo Grandi , UN High Commissioner for Refugees ; Stephen O ' Brien , UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator , and Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon .” ( Photo Credit : UN Photo / Eskinder Debebe )
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