(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency)
Washington, Ramadan 24, 1437, Jun 29, 2016, SPA -- The US ambassador to the UN called Wednesday on wealthy nations to boost humanitarian aid for the global refugee
crisis amid a widening gap between needs and government support, dpa reported.
"We are in the midst of the greatest refugee crisis since the Second World War," Samantha Power said during a speech at US Institute of Peace in Washington. "Because it is global in scale, anything less than a global response will fall short of addressing it." Power said the US intends to meet its goal of taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees this year and scaling up assistance efforts for the next year.
The US has so far lagged behind its goal, admitting 2,805 Syrian refugees since October 1 through the end of May, US figures show.
Power pointed to record shortfalls of humanitarian assistance with the UN refugee agency facing a 70 per cent shortfall in meeting its appeal of 4.5 billion dollars for refugees fleeing Syria.
Ten years ago, 80 per cent of refugees were from natural disasters, but today, 80 per cent come from areas of violent conflict, she said.
Since conflicts last longer, refugees have to wait longer to go home, she said.
The need for the US to step up it efforts is more urgent now than ever, Power said amid calls to reconsider US refugee policy after terrorist attacks in Paris, San Bernardino, California and Orlando, Florida.
-- SPA
23:47 LOCAL TIME 20:47 GMT
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