Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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The UN top refugee official Monday praised Yemen for providing protection to people fleeing Somalia, the United Nations said on its website. "The Yemeni government has shown leadership in responding to the protection needs of individuals in the migratory movement," Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said in an address at the opening of a two-day regional conference in the Yemeni capital Sana.
He called for more international assistance so the country can help the refugees.
"While the (Yemeni) government continues to scale up to meet the challenge, it will not be able to do so alone," Guterres said.
"I strongly appeal to all countries that have the capacity and resources to do so in the region and beyond, to fully support Yemen in its generous hospitality to many refugees from Somalia during more than 15 years," he added.
So far this year, more than 18,000 people have made the perilous Gulf of Aden crossing aboard smugglers' boats, double the number for the same period a year ago. More than 400 people died when trying to make the voyage this year.
UNHCR and other international agencies, which have stepped up their efforts to assist Yemen and other countries in the region, are jointly calling for global action to better address the challenges.
The Sana conference brings together high-level government officials from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen and member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as representatives of civil society and international organizations.
Its main objective is to establish a regional mechanism and a long-term plan of action on refugee protection and mixed migration in the Gulf of Aden region.
Source: Xinhua, May 20, 2008