Countering terrorism key to ending refugee crisis: NCHR

CAIRO – 22 June 2017: Countering terrorism, establishing just peace and settling international disputes and conflicts are key to ending the refugee crisis in the world, urged Mohamed Fayeq, head of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) on Thursday.

Marking the World Refugee Day, Fayeq called on all governments to respect the refugees’ rights and include them in settlements that guarantee them a just involvement and participation in society.

Fayeq said in a statement that the international community is duty-bound to assume responsibility towards refugees, offer them protection, find them solutions and abstain from racist and discriminatory actions against them.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had a message marking “the day of expressing solidarity with people who have been uprooted from their homes by war or persecution.” According to a statement from the UN, “the latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, show that at least 65.6 million people -- 1 of every 113 members of the human family -- have been forcibly displaced within their own countries or across borders.”

“While Syria remains the world’s largest source of refugees, South Sudan is the biggest and fastest growing new displacement emergency, with 1.4 million refugees and 1.9 million internally displaced, the vast majority of them under 18,” the statement said.

“Behind these vast numbers lie individual stories of hardship, separation and loss; of life-threatening journeys in search of safety; of gargantuan struggles to rebuild lives in difficult circumstances. It is heartbreaking to see borders being closed, people perishing in transit, and refugees and migrants alike being shunned, in violation of human rights and international law,” Guterres said.