Archbishop Jurkovič Appeals for a Stronger Implementation of the Refugee Convention

On the occasion of the 67th Executive Committee Meeting of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), H.E. Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, the Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, raised serious concerns as to the increasing refugee displacement that shows as of late no sign of slowing down its pace.

Archbishop Jurkovič praised the launch of the New York Declaration as the quintessential sign of the international community’s full commitment to tackling the root causes of the refugee crisis. He also assured the Holy See’s firm engagement to implement all provisions enshrined under the Refugee Convention, including facilitating economic and financial investments so as to enable refugees to “become ‘agents of development’ even in their host country and not just recipients of aid.”

• Read the Archbishop’s full speech.