Syrian children at a camp in the village of Atmeh, near Turkish border (AP Photo)
Geneva (IINA) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called on all nations to show solidarity with Syrian refugees, and accept nearly half a million of them for resettlement by 2018, Reuters reported.
Kicking off a ministerial conference hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, the Secretary General said: "This demands an exponential increase in global solidarity."
"We have a cessation of hostilities, by and large holding for over a month, but the parties must consolidate and expand it into a ceasefire, and ultimately to a political solution through dialogue," Ban said referring to the UN-led efforts to end the five-year conflict that has killed at least 250,000 and driven nearly 5 million refugees abroad, mostly to neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
The UN chief urged countries to pledge new and additional pathways for admitting Syrian refugees, adding: "These pathways can include resettlement or humanitarian admission, family reunions, as well as labor or study opportunities."
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said the refugees were facing increasing obstacles to find safety.
"We must find a way to manage this crisis in a more humane, equitable and organized manner. It is only possible if the international community is united and in agreement on how to move forward," he said.
AB/IINA
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