UNHCR director Guterres attacks West for not helping MidEast refugee crisis

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, on Tuesday criticized the West for not doing enough to help with the refugee crisis being faced by Middle Eastern countries like Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.          

"I think the most important thing is for the international community to understand that the host countries are not able to do it alone. I mean  Lebanon is now almost one third of the population, Syrian. You can imagine the impact that would have in any country," Guterres told the          Associated Press during an interview in London. Over 3-million Syrians have fled the violence in their country and are taking refuge in neighboring countries.              

Lebanon, with a population of just 4.5 (m) million, is hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees, over 1-million,  who have escaped the violent civil war in their country.                  

The concentrated numbers of refugees have overwhelmed Lebanon's infrastructure, raised rents and flooded the public health and education systems throughout the country.                

Guterres urged the international community to have a "more active burden-sharing attitude with the neighboring countries of Syria".            

Guterres' comments came as the UN Refugee Agency launched a 10-year campaign with the goal of eliminating the "stateless" status affecting millions of people throughout the world.              

Describing statelessness as the "forgotten" human rights issue, Guterres said that the goal is achievable despite the chaos and conflict in parts of the world that has left an estimated 10 million people without proper legal documentation.                     

Guterres said the UNHCR is calling for countries that don't allow women to pass their nationalities on to their children to change their laws to prevent more children from being raised in stateless conditions.


AP