Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Carnegie President Praises Efforts to Amplify World Humanitarian Initiatives
Every day we are inundated with harrowing stories of desperation from refugees around the world. From those risking everything to cross the Mediterranean or the English Channel, to the 83,000 people who now inhabit the Zaatari refugee camp, too many people are grappling with too many unknowns: Where will my next meal come from? Is there a doctor to treat my son? Will I ever return home?
Among all these heartwrenching unknowns, there is one unavoidable fact: The number of refugee camps like the Zaatari is growing every year around the globe. A recent report from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees finds that almost 60 million people -- over half of them children -- have been displaced by conflict. That is roughly 13 times the population of Costa Rica alone. In Latin America, the number of Colombian refugees decreased over the past year, but the country continues to have one of the world's largest internally displaced populations.
We must act with solidarity to reverse this trend. All nations have a moral obligation to assist people fleeing persecution, conflict, and hardship....