As the World Humanitarian Summit begins in Istanbul today, Dr Jeff Crisp writes a new op-ed for Refugees Deeply that questions what will be achieved by this Summit and the forthcoming UN summit on refugees and migrants in September. Will they be able to create a ‘global compact’ to “reinvigorate the notion that refugees are an international responsibility”, or will the delegates “restate their commitment to the principles of refugee protection and humanitarian action, agree on ambitious but nonbinding plans of action – then return to business as usual”?
To avoid the latter, Dr Crisp argues that the past achievements of the international refugee protection system and the support it continues to enjoy must be highlighted. For example, in Africa, many countries host huge numbers of refugees. Elsewhere, Canada and Brazil have set positive examples with programmes for the speedy resettlement of Syrian refugees, and in Europe, civil society groups continue to proclaim that ‘refugees are welcome’ despite the reluctance of governments.
Read the full op-ed here >>