Turkey tops UN list of countries hosting refugees

By Khalid Majdoub

RABAT (AA) – Turkey took in more refugees than any other country in the world during the first half of last year, according to a UN official.

The assertion was made at a Thursday press conference in the Moroccan capital Rabat, which was held in the run-up to a UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants slated to be held next Monday in New York.

"Turkey tops the list of countries worldwide that receive refugees," Fathi al-Dababi, director of the UN Information Center in Morocco, said.

"UN data indicates that Turkey took in more than 1,838,000 refugees in the first half of last year," al-Dababi asserted.

"Turkey was followed by Pakistan, which took in some 1.5 million refugees [during the same period], Lebanon, Iraq, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Uganda, Chad and Sudan," he added.

According to the UN official, 24 people throughout the world migrate from their home countries each minute.

Al-Dababi also pointed out the high mortality rate among migrants and refugees, noting that they were frequently exposed to the scourge of human trafficking and other dangers.

At Thursday’s press conference, UN Resident Coordinator in Morocco Philippe Poinsot stressed the need to find a solution to "the large flows of refugees and migrants [who have left their countries] due to conflict; extreme poverty and food insecurity; unemployment; discrimination; and persistent human rights violations".

"For the first time, a world summit will be held to discuss this subject," he said, referring to the upcoming summit in New York, at which the UN General Assembly is expected to adopt a series of "obligations" to protect refugees and migrants.

"If these obligations are adopted, they will become collectively known as the ‘New York Declaration’," a UN statement reads.

"The declaration will emphasize the duty [of UN member states] to fully respect refugees’ and migrants’ rights and… provide support to those countries affected by large refugee inflows," the world body added.

Turkey currently hosts more than three million Syrian and Iraqi refugees who have fled their home countries due to ongoing conflicts there.