Pelosi Statement on World Refugee Day |
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By: Office of the Speaker of the House Posted: 2009-06-21 04:59:30 |
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Speaker Pelosi issued the following statement today in recognition of World Refugee Day.
"On World Refugee Day, we recognize the struggle and plight of refugees who are escaping dangerous and repressive situations throughout the world. "In Sudan and Chad, civilians continue to suffer because the Sudanese government will not live up to its responsibility to protect the people in Sudan and Darfur and provide for their basic humanitarian needs. Making the humanitarian situation even worse, the Sudanese government has recently forced the expulsion of many international organizations that provide life-saving food, water, and medicine for the most vulnerable in the region. "The U.S. and the international community must do more to provide the resources and the mandate for a strong peacekeeping mission to protect civilians from attack, provide the necessary humanitarian assistance, and apply the international diplomatic pressure to bring long-term stability to the region. I join President Barack Obama in his pledge to help end the Darfur genocide and to bring peace to Sudan. "In India and Nepal, there are approximately 70,000 Tibetan refugees who have escaped Chinese repression over the dangerous Himalayan mountain passes. There continues to be no resolution in sight as the Chinese government refuses to engage directly with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a peaceful dialogue. "In Burma, the humanitarian situation remains dire; it is estimated that there are approximately 540,000 internally displaced people and over 150,000 refugees. In recent years, a large scale Burmese military offensive has caused unquantifiable suffering and a worsening refugee situation along the border with Thailand. "I am proud that the U.S. House of Representatives will soon take action on the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that will include $2.4 billion in refugee and disaster assistance including $1.48 billion in the Migration and Refugee Assistance Account. This funding level is almost $600 million above the level provided in this legislation last year. "Funding for these initiatives will help protect refugees and victims of conflict, meet basic needs such as sustaining life and health, provide voluntary repatriation and resettlement, and foster more effective management of international migration flows. "Refugee situations around the world demand the full attention of the international community. We all have a responsibility to do more to lay the foundation for a more secure and stable world." |
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