Over 15 million refugees have been uprooted from their homes and forced to live in difficult and unacceptable conditions.
On World Refugee Day, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the world needs to recommit on saving more refugees and survivors of conflict and persecution.
“As events in Syria, Libya, and Cote d’Ivoire evolve, we are reminded that refugee protection presents new and ongoing challenges that we must continually strive to meet.” -Ms. Clinton
She said the United States has a history of upholding human rights and humanitarian principles. She stressed that for decades, the United States has led the world in overseas support for humanitarian protection and assistance.
Ms. Clinton noted that the United States has provided asylum and refugee resettlement for millions.
“In doing so, we show through example our dedication to basic human decency, to our responsibilities under international law, and – along with the rest of the international community – to ensuring refuge when innocent lives hang in the balance. We do this because our country’s values must be a critical component of our foreign policy.” -Ms. Clinton
Ms. Clinton reiterated that the United States and the Obama Administration reaffirms those core values as the international community will work together to provide a safe haven to the world’s most vulnerable citizens – refugees.
