[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9352]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      OBSERVING WORLD REFUGEE DAY

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President. Abraham Lincoln once spoke of our Nation as 
the last best hope on earth. On this World Refugee Day--the 11th of its 
kind and the 61st anniversary of the United Nations Convention Relating 
to the Status of Refugees--it is fitting that we give careful pause to 
remember that the responsibility attached to Lincoln's words does not 
end at our shores.
  Across the world, refugees need our assistance and our support. They 
look to America's voice and leadership to champion their plight--from 
the dusty plains of northern Kenya to the mountainous confines of 
Burma, Nepal and Southwest Asia.
  As we look around the world, there are, sadly, numerous refugee 
crises. In many cases, refugees exchange one set of dangerous 
conditions for overcrowded, unsanitary and even violent camps. 
Instability in Somalia is swelling the ranks of the world's largest 
refugee complex in Dadaab, Kenya, home to nearly 500,000 people. In the 
Sahel, more than 150,000 Malians have fled the conflict to neighboring 
countries, joining host communities that are already suffering from 
drought and hunger. To them, daily survival is a gamble.
  We also know that refugees and displaced populations can be the spark 
for large-scale violence, and today we face that very threat from the 
millions displaced from homes across the Middle East. Unspeakable 
violence in Syria has uprooted an estimated 500,000 people inside the 
country and driven tens of thousands more to Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon 
and Iraq. Human security in Iraq continues to be a pressing concern, as 
our partners support hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees in 
neighboring countries and over one million internally displaced 
persons.
  Of course, there are glimmers of hope. As Burma slowly and steadily 
opens its political system, we will look to the government to provide 
space for humanitarian action to assist those displaced by years of 
conflict. Have a thought for the Burmese refugee in limbo along the 
border with Thailand or the young ethnic Rohingya who is denied even 
the basic identity papers that connote official personhood. They, too, 
deserve our attention, compassion and support.
  In South Asia, more than 5.7 million Afghan refugees have returned 
home in the past decade, one of the UN's most successful voluntary 
repatriation operations. We must celebrate this achievement, even as we 
renew efforts to find durable solutions for the nearly 3 million Afghan 
refugees scattered across the region. In Colombia, where conflict has 
displaced an estimated 4 million people, our partners are helping the 
government to provide reparations and land restitution to affected 
individuals and families. We also continue to support the UN Relief and 
Works Agency in its efforts to provide assistance to millions of 
Palestinian refugees in the Palestinian territories and throughout the 
region.
  Above all, we must remember that these aren't just statistics. The 
plight of the world's refugee and displaced populations is a challenge 
to the humanity of every single one of us. Children who need proper 
nutrients and access to education, women who are at great risk of 
falling victim to gender-based violence, individuals with psycho-social 
needs after witnessing devastation--these realities prick our 
conscience from half a world away.
  Mr. President: Lincoln used to say that he ``tried to pluck a thistle 
and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow . . . `` Despite our 
trying times, we should remember all those who have planted the seeds 
of hope and opportunity where thistles would otherwise grow, from the 
State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and its 
partners in the UN to international, faith-based and non-governmental 
organizations in the field. Let us also recognize the efforts of the 
organizations that provide guidance and services to give refugees 
resettled in the United States the opportunity to rebuild their lives 
here--and thank the communities across the country, including in my 
State of Massachusetts, who welcome them to their adoptive homes. Their 
legacy is ours, too. And the next chapter is waiting to be written.

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