The Republic of Nauru joined 193 Member States of the United Nations General Assembly in Adopting the “New York Declaration” for Refugees and Migrants.
The Declaration was the outcome of a High-Level Meeting on the topic Monday, September 19, 2016 in New York, right before the opening of annual debate of the United Nation General Assembly.
President Baron Waqa welcomed the Declaration in his address to the Assembly, praising the support from Heads of State and High-Level Officials for the plights of refugees and migrants.
“It must not be forgotten that the humanitarian crisis we face today is largely the result of deliberate policy choices made in the realms of economics, security, and the environment. The material gains of globalization and technical advancement have not been shared equitably, and large-scale migration has been one of the predictable results,” the President noted.
President Waqa also used the address to share Nauru’s efforts in addressing the global crisis through the provision of processing services asylum seekers and temporary settlement for refugees, noting that these efforts undermine the people smugglers and reduce deaths at sea.
The statement on behalf of Nauru was one of the nearly 200 delivered by Heads of State and Government, Ministers, Representative and Observers at the meeting.
In endorsing the Declaration, Member States of the United Nations acknowledged a shared responsibility to manage large movements of refugees and migrants in a humane, sensitive, compassionate and people-centered manner through international cooperation.
The meeting was called in response to growing numbers of refugees and migrants in need of assistance. In 2015, the number of migrants is estimated to have surpassed 244 million, with over 21 million refugees.
Photo:Twitter. Nauru's President Baron Waqa at the UN in New York