UN deputy chief calls for more support to "overlooked" urban refugees

Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Jan Eliasson called for more assistance to urban refugees as "more than half the number of refugees around the world live in urban areas."

Speaking at an event on movements of refugees and migrants here on Wednesday, Eliasson noted that while most of the humanitarian assistance goes to refugees living in camps, "the urban refugees are largely overlooked."

"They often end up living in slums or informal settlements on the fringes of the cities, in overcrowded neighbourhoods and in areas prone to flooding, sanitation hazards and disease," he said.

Every day, the dignity and well-being of millions of people are compromised due to lack of basic services and job opportunities, he said.

According to the deputy chief, "more than half the number of refugees around the world live in urban areas." For example, in Turkey, less than 10 percent of the more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees reside in camps. In Jordan, around 20 percent of registered Syrian refugees live in camps.

As for factors leading to migration, he pointed out that rural poverty, natural disasters and environmental degradation are very much contributing to the numbers of persons moving to cities today.

Moreover, as the frequency and intensity of these factors are expected to rise, urban planners need to take these movements and trends into account, said Eliasson.

"As migrants and refugees continue to arrive -- and there are no signs that these flows will diminish any time soon -- we must resolve to uphold and implement the principle of every human being's equal value," he said.

Besides today's meeting, more events will be convened on the links between of refugees and urbanization. On Sept. 19, the UN General Assembly will convene a summit on large movements of refugees and migrants.

In October, Habitat III - United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development will be held in Quito, Ecuador. Endit