Dubai: Countries around the world should share the burden with Syria’s neighbouring countries and open their borders to Syrian refugees, said Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees.
This announcement was made during the “Investing in the future: protecting refugee children and adolescents” conference, which aims to come up with a comprehensive and unified strategy to help refugee children
Guterres said the generosity of Syria’s neighbours must be matched by much stronger international support.
“These needs far exceed the resources, expertise and capacities of humanitarian organisations. True and effective burden-sharing also means that borders beyond the neighbouring states must be open for those fleeing violence and war.”
Just last week, Guterres said he addressed the European Council of Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs in Luxembourg and insisted on the need to offer more legal avenues for Syrian refugees to reach Europe through resettlement and humanitarian admission, family reunification or more flexible visa policies.
“And during a visit to this region only last month, I had the opportunity to advocate for the well-being of Syrian refugees in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”
When asked on the sidelines of the event if the UAE was requested to open its borders to Syrian refugees he said: “We are doing so everywhere. We have had very constructive discussion with the UAE authorities.”
Guterres re-emphasised the importance of opening borders and called on countries, both Western and Arab, to do so.
“I have just been in Europe in the European Council asking for more Syrian refugees to come legally into Europe because it breaks my heart to see a Syrian family, which has suffered already so much in their country, drawn in the hands of smugglers and suffer entirely,” he said.
Guterres said he hopes that there will be progress in opening borders not only in the region and Europe but the whole world because the protection of Syrian refugees cannot only be a responsibility for Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq. It is the responsibility of the international community everywhere.
