UNITED NATIONS - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called for more collective efforts to address the challenge of human mobility, saying that "acting together, we can respond to rising xenophobia and turn fear into hope."
The secretary-general made the remarks while addressing the opening session of the U.N. high-level meeting to address large movements of refugees and migrants, which kicked off at U.N. Headquarters in New York where world leaders are gathering for the annual high-level debate of the U.N. General Assembly.
Ban noted that "more people than ever are on the move. Some flee war; others seek opportunity."
"Refugees and migrants are not to be seen as a burden," he said,  "They offer great potential, if only we unlock it."
The high-level meeting is expected to adopt a New York Declaration, and its effective implementation means "more children can attend school", and "more workers can seek jobs abroad, instead of being at the mercy of criminal smugglers," he said.
"The Declaration we will adopt today rallies all partners around collective commitments: To protect the human rights of all refugees and migrants, regardless of their status," said the secretary-general. (Xinhua)