Actor Angelina Jolie, UN’s special envoy for refugees, has warned that the global system of humanitarian assistance for refugees is breaking down amid fear of migration.
Jolie said in a speech on Monday at a BBC forum on migration in London that the international community has a “once-in-a-generation moment” to cooperate and help more than 60 million displaced people.
She said the largest number since World War II, was an indication of something deeply worrying about the peace and security of the world.
Jolie added that UN campaigns to help refugees were seriously underfunded.
“With this, is it any surprise that some of these desperate people, who are running out of all options and who see no hope of returning home, would make a push for Europe as a last resort, even at the risk of death.
Jolie said Western nations only experience “a fraction of the global refugee problem,” with far greater impact on countries such as Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran and Ethiopia.
“If your neighbour’s house is on fire you are not safe if you lock your doors.
“Strength lies in being unafraid,’’ she said.
Jolie described the German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s response to Syrian refugees issue last year as open door.
“It was a beautiful, beautiful thing that said something to the world.” (dpa/NAN)