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Root problem of refugee crisis should be addressed: Portuguese UN chief candidate

Xinhua, May 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

The international community needs to focus on addressing the root problem of the refugee crisis, former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres, the country's candidate to replace the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, said Thursday.

Guterres was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees until the end of 2015.

"What moves me to be a candidate is to profoundly address human suffering," he said in a meeting with foreign press journalists at the ministry of foreign affairs, adding: "There is a tendency for governments and international organizations to manage crises rather than to prevent them."

Guterres highlighted there had not been an adequate response to the refugee crisis on behalf of the international community.

Refugees moved around in the Balkans in a chaotic way, he said, due to Europe failing to deal with their arrival.

Steps to better deal with the refugee crisis involve solidarity and burden-sharing among the international community, improved management of refugee arrivals and their balanced distribution, he said.

Guterres pointed out that the international community had failed in finding a solution to global terrorism. "A new impetus is needed in diplomacy for peace," he said.

As UN officials meet for climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany, Guterres mentioned the importance of implementing the Paris Climate Agreement.

Gender issues are a priority for Guterres, who said he had shown a strong commitment to equality since introducing the first quota system in the Socialist Party around 25 years ago.

"The only way to stop violence and sexual abuse is through empowerment of women," he pointed out.

The Portuguese government nominated Guterres as a contender for the top UN job in January, citing his political career and international experience. Guterres was the country's prime minister from 1995 to 2002.

Ban Ki-Moon, who finishes his term this year, visited Portugal earlier this month for meetings with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva, among others. Endit