On the occasion of World Refugee Day, Lloyd Axworthy, Chair of the World Refugee Council, issued the following statement:
“World Refugee Day is an important opportunity for the international community to stop and reflect on the current state of peril in which the global refugee system operates. As we’ve seen recently in the US and other areas around the world, political accountability for the treatment of refugees is in steep decline. Those regimes and actors that cause mass movements of involuntary migration largely go unpunished. Meanwhile, toxic attitudes towards asylum-seekers are creating political tensions in states around the world, limiting places of refuge and making life difficult for those who do migrate.
Countries that were once considered safe havens are shutting their doors to the world’s most vulnerable. This alarming trend highlights the urgent need for long-term reform of the global refugee system. This must include holding states and political leaders to account for failure to respect their obligations to the refugee system, and for their treatment of refugees.
The World Refugee Council is preparing its final report, with bold recommendations on how best to improve the political accountability of states and political leaders, as well as the lives of those seeking refuge around the world.”
Media Contact:
Madison Cox
CIGI Communications Advisor [email protected]
+1 519 721 7441
About the World Refugee Council:
The World Refugee Council was formed in 2017 by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) as an independent group of subject matter experts and political leaders from around the world to consider new ways of meeting the needs of refugees and states alike. The Council will propose innovative approaches to promoting greater international cooperation for the benefit of refugees and host and transit states.