September 20, 2016 – New York, NY –Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister John McCallum has concluded a recent visit to New York, comprised of two days of meetings focused on the ever-growing global refugee and migrant crisis.
While in New York, Minister McCallum participated in numerous events on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), including the High-Level Meeting on Refugees and Migrants where he delivered the plenary address for Canada. He also participated in a roundtable discussion on how nations can work together to address refugee crises around the world.
On the margins of UNGA, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched the International Migration Outlook 2016, which reports on Canada’s actions in response to the Syrian refugee crisis. It cites Canada as a global leader in refugee resettlement and makes specific note of both the government-sponsored and privately sponsored refugee program streams.
While in New York, Minister McCallum also attended the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees hosted by the President of the United States, Barack Obama, and co-hosted by Canada and five other countries.
Minister McCallum then attended a private sector forum on migration and refugees, where he spoke of a newly formed joint initiative between Canada, the United Nations Refugee Agency and the Open Society Foundations, aimed at increasing the private sponsorship of refugees around the world.
The Minister also joined in welcoming the International Organization for Migration to the UN family as a “related organization” through which they have a cooperation agreement with the UN, and noted Canada’s support of its role as the lead global organization on migration.
Finally, Minister McCallum launched the Canada: Day 1 exhibit, which explores immigrants’ first days in Canada and how they made Canada their home. The exhibit, which was developed by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, is being shown at the UN Headquarters. A virtual exhibit is available on the IRCC website.
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“The world is currently facing a serious refugee crisis – so many people are in need of protection, and so many countries are affected by the situation,”
said Minister McCallum. “These meetings in New York have reinforced the need for leaders to act quickly, to fully understand the causes of the crises and to work together on a sustainable response.”
Related links
- Canada, UNHCR the Open Society Foundations Seek to Increase Refugee Resettlement through Private Sponsorship
- Canada.ca/refugees
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