• Press Release

Amnesty International Says UN Refugee Plan Could Be a Game Changer

May 6, 2016

MEDIA CONTACT:Mandy Simon, [email protected]

(NEW YORK, NY) – An upcoming United Nations plan for addressing the unprecedented global refugee crisis could be a game-changer if governments back it up with concrete and long-term commitments, said Amnesty International today.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will publish a report on May 9 proposing a “Global Compact on responsibility-sharing” to create a more predictable and equitable way of responding to large movements of refugees. As part of the “Global Compact”, it will also call on governments to resettle at least 10 per cent of the global refugee population (which currently stands at 19.5 million) annually.

Ahead of the report, Amnesty International USA’s interim executive director, Margaret Huang, released the following statement:

The United Nations’ plan has to deliver clear, coordinated mechanisms that will ensure that the world’s wealthiest and most powerful countries, including the United States, pull their weight to collectively protect people fleeing war and persecution. While increases in resettlement places in the United States are laudable, they are nowhere near what is needed.

President Obama must commit to resettle more refugees and to provide more funding to aid refugees abroad. We are at a defining moment. Now is the time to do more for refugees – not less.”

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.