Help refugees, migrants to 'save our ship'

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (C) greets a child during his visit at the municipality-run refugee camp of Kara Tepe on the island of Lesbos, Greece, June 18, 2016.[Photo/VCG]

Perhaps no issue on the global agenda is more susceptible to manipulation by grandstanding demagogues than refugees and migrants. "Us" versus "them" is a timeless if irresponsible unifier, used throughout history to obscure our common humanity by those with dangerously self-serving interests. The difference now is that more people are on the move than ever before, and in an era when storylines spread with viral speed, we see xenophobia rising and too often erupting into violence.

This week's United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants represents a breakthrough at a breaking point. With so many shrill voices dominating the debate, governments from around the world are responding in measured tones that can yield real results if promises are kept.

The summit marks the first-ever gathering of top leaders to discuss refugees and migrants. It will adopt a groundbreaking consensus agreement: the New York Declaration. Fittingly, that document honors a city renowned for its vibrant diversity —symbolized by the Statue of Liberty standing tall in New York Harbor. Most importantly, the declaration sets a principled and pragmatic approach for addressing the challenges of people on the move while upholding our most cherished values.

The stakes are high. There are 244 million migrants in the world. More than 65 million people are now forcibly displaced. Half of them are children. Refugees running for their lives too often face grave dangers on their journey to safety. When they arrive, many suffer discrimination and even detention. Facing difficulties in a mobile world, they often travel farther in search of safety and stability. But legal pathways are scarce, and unscrupulous smugglers take advantage, charging exorbitant sums for a risky chance to escape.

Wars are lasting longer and refugees are finding it harder to return home — with the length of displacement in some cases stretching across generations. Contrary to prevailing impressions, the vast majority of refugees are not in rich countries; 86 percent are in the developing world. And the poorer countries hosting refugees do not receive nearly enough help. Last year, UN humanitarian appeals received barely more than half the funds that were sought.

Resettlement options are also a fraction of what they should be. Nearly 1 million people were identified as needing resettlement in 2015, but just over 100,000 received it.