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Wednesday 14, September 2016
Bled Strategic Forum: UNHCR calls for a global approach to address root causes of conflicts
BLED, Slovenia – The UN Refugee Agency’s Regional Representative for Central Europe, Montserrat Feixas Vihé, has called for a coordinated approach to address forced displacement. She was addressing the participants of a panel discussion, titled “Human Security: You and I matter” at the 11th Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia.
“What refugees need most is protection and the hope for a safe and better future,” UNHCR’s top official in Central Europe said. “Walls and fences make their suffering even greater. A global approach to address the root causes of conflicts is the only durable solution,” she stressed.
She indicated that the images of refugees in Europe streamed over media screens in the past year, showed only a fraction of the world’s refugee population. “In 2015 the number of displaced people due to violence and persecution all over the world hit the record high number of 65.3 million,” she added, highlighting the fact that nine out of ten refugees are hosted by low and middle income countries.
With numbers of forcibly displaced people continuously rising as more conflicts and their intensity keep growing, she called on the participants to see refugees for what they are – desperate women, men and children, sick and elderly people, who flee from wars and terrorism looking for safety and hope.
The Bled Strategic Forum was launched by the government of Slovenia in 2006. It is named after the scenic town of north-western Slovenia, Bled, and it brings together decision-makers from different fields. The forum encourages open debate on contemporary political, security and development challenges, and the search for new ideas and solutions.
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