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by Institute for Global Dialogue

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Ban warns against cutting development aid to finance refugee crisis

The Secretary General’s statement comes just days ahead of the G20 Summit in Turkey this weekend.

In a statement, Ban Ki-moon called for enhanced international development assistance as the world builds towards realising the post-2015 development agenda.

As countries in Europe grapple with an unrelenting migration and refugee crisis, concerns from the UN that monies for long-standing development initiatives will dry up.

The Secretary General’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric says, “The Secretary-General underscores the importance of fully funding both efforts to care for refugees and asylum seekers in host countries as well as longer-term development efforts. Resources for one area should not come at the expense of another. Redirecting critical funding away from development aid at this pivotal time could perpetuate challenges that the global community has committed to address.”
Reducing development assistance to finance the cost of refugee flows is counter-productive

Several European countries are said to be considering cuts in their development aid as resources are redirected towards the hundreds of thousands who have fled mainly countries in North Africa and parts of the Middle East.

“Reducing development assistance to finance the cost of refugee flows is counter-productive and will cause a vicious circle detrimental to health, education and opportunities for a better life at home for millions of vulnerable people in every corner of the world,” Dujarric says.

Denmark, Finland and Sweden are among countries that have proposed steep cuts to development assistance prompting an outcry from NGOs.

Sweden for example is considering redirecting 60% of its development budget towards the refugee crisis, an issue that has the UN concerned.

Available at: http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/e99e49004a8c8a02a554a5a65ed2c195/Ban-warns-against-cutting-development-aid-to-finance-refugee-crisis-20151112 

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