EDITORIAL: World leaders need to stand with refugees

For the very first time, the number of displaced people globally overshot the 60-million mark. As we marked the World Refugee Day this week, the number had shifted drastically from 59.5 million to 65.3 million. As the High Commissioner for Refugees lamented in his message that day, any glimmer of hope to ease the burden of refugees today was nowhere near. With the world economic meltdown, rise of protracted conflicts and terrorism as well as xenophobia, finding asylum is the most difficult undertaking today. Countries have shut their borders, many have barricaded themselves behind razor wire fences to keep the refugees out and human traffickers are having a field day and contributing to the mass of dead bodies washing off European shores. Rwandans know a thing or two about refugees having contributed to the issue for more than half a century. So, it knew that the only solution to end the cycle of displacement of its population was having policies that put every Rwandan on the same footing and guarantee their safety in equal measure. The strategy worked to the extent that the UNHCR recommended implementation of the Cessation Clause regarding Rwandan refugees who fled the country between 1959 and December 31, 1998. That would encourage refugees to return voluntarily or their host countries to grant them legal residency and do away with the “refugee” tag. But that would not have succeeded had the country not exhibited political will, and that is exactly what the world leaders lack; the will to stem the tide of asylum seekers. The UNHCR wants to do something about it by urging people to stand #WithRefugees. The petition aims to pressure world leaders to take the bull by the horns with ardour and do something about it.

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EDITORIAL: World leaders need to stand with refugees