Justine Greening statement in response to UNHCR Global Trends report
International Development Secretary comments on new UN refugee agency figures showing record number of people displaced by conflict.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening (left) meeting Syrian refugees in Jordan. Picture: Scott Hornby/Sun
Responding to UNHCR’s Global Trends report, International Development Secretary, Justine Greening, said:
It is shocking that nearly 60 million people are now without a home and dependent on the kindness of strangers. One in seven of those men, women and children have been forced to flee because of conflict or persecution in the last year alone.
From Syria to South Sudan, the UK is getting emergency help to people who have lost everything. I have met some of these people and they tell me they just want the chance to return to their homes and get back to normal.
That is why, as we give these families the basics they need to survive – food, clean water and shelter – we must also tackle the root causes of poverty and instability, in particular economic development.