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STORY: UN / GUTERRES REFUGEES
TRT: 03:14
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 20 JUNE 2017, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
20 JUNE 2017, NEW YORK CITY
2. Various shots, SG Guterres arrival
3. Wide shot, cameras
4. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We are still witnessing many remarkable examples of solidarity in today’s world. But at the same time, we are seeing more and more borders being closed, we are seeing more and more refugees being rejected and, namely in countries of the developed world, we are seeing the opportunities for resettlement in richer countries of refugees coming from the global South being decreased in number at the present moment.”
5. Med shot, journalists
6. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Refugees become a target, many times being accused of being part of the terror threat when refugees are not terrorists. They are the first victims of terror; they are fleeing terror; that is why they are refugees.”
7. Pan right, journalists
8. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Countries are asking those in the developing world that host the largest number of refugees to keep them but are not providing the necessary support for that to be possible. Stronger solidarity with refugee-hosting countries in the global South is absolutely a must.”
9. Med shot, journalists
10. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The US has a very important role in resettlement. It is by far the largest resettlement country in the world. And so, this that has always been a very generous and positive policy, I strongly encourage the United States government to come back to the levels of resettlement that we witnessed until two or three years ago.”
11. Med shot, journalists
12. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“It is possible to have a vacuum in nature, but not in international relations. When someone is absent or when someone doesn’t engage in a situation, or when someone leaves space, that space is always occupied by others. And so, I believe that if the United States the United States disengages in relation of many aspects of foreign policy and international relations, it will be unavoidable that other actors will occupy that space. And I don’t think this is good for the United States, and I don’t think this is good for the world.”
13. Med shot, journalists
14. Wide shot, end of presser
20 JUNE 2017, REFUGEE CAMP, UGANDA
15. Various shots, people in the camp
With a record 65.6 million people last year forcibly uprooted from their homes by violence and persecution, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today (20 Jun) called on the international community to provide support and solidarity.
Speaking to journalists in New York, Guterres noted that more people than ever in our lifetimes are fleeing war, disasters and persecution.
He said that while “we are still witnessing many remarkable examples of solidarity in today’s world” at the same time, “we are seeing more and more borders being closed, we are seeing more and more refugees being rejected and, namely in countries of the developed world, we are seeing the opportunities for resettlement in richer countries of refugees coming from the global South being decreased in number at the present moment.”
Conflicts have displaced 12 million Syrians, 7.7 million Colombians, 4.7 million Afghans and 4.2 million Iraqis, according to a report released yesterday by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Secretary-General said “refugees become a target, many times being accused of being part of the terror threat when refugees are not terrorists. They are the first victims of terror; they are fleeing terror; that is why they are refugees.”
According to the report, about 84 per cent of the people were in low- or middle-income countries as of end 2016. Of that figure, one in every three people, roughly 4.9 million people, were hosted by the least developed countries.
Guterres said “countries are asking those in the developing world that host the largest number of refugees to keep them but are not providing the necessary support for that to be possible. Stronger solidarity with refugee-hosting countries in the global South is absolutely a must.”
Speaking about the changing policies in the United States with regard to refugees, he said “the US has a very important role in resettlement. It is by far the largest resettlement country in the world. And so, this that has always been a very generous and positive policy, I strongly encourage the United States government to come back to the levels of resettlement that we witnessed until two or three years ago.”
Guterres said “when someone is absent or when someone doesn’t engage in a situation, or when someone leaves space, that space is always occupied by others. And so, I believe that if the United States the United States disengages in relation of many aspects of foreign policy and international relations, it will be unavoidable that other actors will occupy that space. And I don’t think this is good for the United States, and I don’t think this is good for the world.”
Guterres is travelling to Uganda today, where he will visit refugee camps and take part of a high-level Refugees Summit in Kampala.
World Refugee Day is marked on 20 June each year after the General Assembly adopted a resolution in that regard in 2001.
