US Mission Geneva

Tonight, on the occasion of UNHCR’s annual Executive Committee meeting, we are here to reiterate our resolve to address a crisis that is one of the most urgent tests of our time – and to reaffirm our support to UNHCR in its efforts to help the staggering number of forcibly displaced people around the world.

The United States is taking the lead in meeting the unprecedented challenge of the global refugee crisis. At the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees in September, President Obama brought together world leaders on the margins of the UN General Assembly to galvanize additional humanitarian support, improve educational and access to lawful work for refugees, and expand opportunities for refugee resettlement.

In 2016, the United States is providing an unprecedented $7 billion in humanitarian aid – including $1.5 billion to UNHCR. As part of the Leaders’ Summit, U.S.-based NGOs also pledged to raise $1.2 billion in funding from the public for humanitarian assistance and 51 private sector firms responded to a White House Call to Action to do more than $650 million.

The United States is providing more than $364 million in additional lifesaving humanitarian assistance for those affected by the war in Syria, as world leaders gathered during the UN General Assembly to galvanize significant new global commitments to increase support for refugees. This announcement, which brings U.S. humanitarian assistance in response to this conflict to more than $5.9 billion since the start of the crisis, reflects the continued generosity of the American people and demonstrates steadfast U.S. commitment to helping address the unprecedented magnitude of suffering and urgent needs.

Last week, President Obama hosted the Leaders’ Summit on refugees, where 49 countries and several international organizations pledged to assist refugees worldwide by increasing humanitarian assistance, opportunities for formal refugee resettlement and other legal channels of admission, and opportunities for education and lawful employment.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced today that the United States is providing nearly $6 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the Libyan people. This funding will help address critical humanitarian needs, including aid for those displaced from Sirte. Today’s announcement brings total U.S. humanitarian assistance for Libyans to more than $121 million since FY 2012.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Gayle Smith announced the additional funding at the “High Level Side Event on South Sudan” on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. This additional funding brings the total U.S. humanitarian aid for the people of South Sudan to nearly $1.9 billion since the start of the conflict in December 2013.

Secretary Kerry: “There is only one choice, and it’s to get to that table with Staffan de Mistura and it is get to a negotiation and get a ceasefire so we stop the flow of refugees, stop the suffering, and provide the people of Syria with a chance to breathe, to live.”

President Barack Obama: “Those girls could be our daughters. That little boy on the beach could be our son. We cannot turn our backs.”