Vietnamese diplomat calls for long-term solution to refugee problem

​New York (VNA) – Ambassador Pham Thi Kim Anh, deputy permanent representative of the Vietnam mission to the United Nations (UN), has emphasised the need for a long-term, sustainable solution to the refugee problem as it is closely linked to the issues of peace and security and human rights.

Anh made the stress at the UN Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee (Third Committee)’s general debate on a report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on issues related to refugees, returners, displaced people and humanitarian issues on November 1.

Refugees need assistance in obtaining legal status, Anh said, affirming that countries have a shared responsibility in support of refugees through funding and humanitarian assistance, among other things.

She stressed that women and children are the most vulnerable groups among refugees and they easily become victims of human trafficking as well.

In 2016, half of all refugees under the mandate of UNHCR were children, she noted.

The commitments under the New York Declaration on migrant and refugee should be transformed into action, while the international community should protect the vulnerable groups and provide them with food, medicine, water and accommodations.

Vietnam pledges to maintain international cooperation in solving refugee-related challenges, the diplomat stated.

According to High Commissioner Filippo Grandi, 68 million people and counting were refugees.

A draft of the global compact would be shared in early 2018, he said, around which there will be consultations in Geneva with Member States.  The promise of the New York Declaration must be translated into determined, collective action to find solutions for millions of people uprooted around the world.-VNA