WASHINGTON, June 21 (APP): With Pakistan looking to rehabilitate millions of displaced people from Swat after expelling Taliban from 95 per cent of the valley, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for generous support to help make a difference in their lives.
“Supporting refugees is not only the purview of governments and NGOs. It's a job for all of us. Last month, the Obama Administration announced more than $100 million in aid to support the waves of refugees fleeing the fighting with the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat Valley,” she said in a statement on World Refugees Day.
“At the same time, we created a new way for all citizens to help. By texting the word ‘Swat' to the number 20222 on your cell phones, you can make a $5 donation to UNHCR to support refugees. It's an easy way to make a real difference in their lives,” she emphasized, according to the statement issued by the State Department on Saturday.
Clinton was to make the statement at an event in Washington which she could not attend owing to an elbow injury.
Pakistan says it needs more than $ 2 (two) billion for relief and rehabilitation of its around three million refugees from Swat and other valleys of northwestern Malakand region. About 80 per cent of the Pakistani internally displaced persons live with host communities while around 300,000 live in camps, set up since launch of the military offensive about two months ago.
Washington has been the largest contributor to the relief operations, having contributed more than $ 165 million with another Congressionally mandated $225 million in the pipeline.
Expressing solidarity with the refugees and internally displaced persons around the world, Clinton said the United States stands with refugees because their struggle represents a humanitarian emergency.
The plight of refugees has an impact on regional and global security; the threats that cause people to flee their homes en masse are dangers to the world at large, she said, speaking in the broader global perspective.
Their plight impacts economic development; most refugees have no means to support their families or contribute to their nations' prosperity. Their plight impacts health and education; disease is rampant in many camps, while educational resources for refugee children are limited.
‘Our support for refugees is a crucial piece of a larger foreign policy vision.'
The Obama administration will continue its efforts to end urgent refugee crises, such as those in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Chad, the Central African Republic, and Darfur, she added.
‘On this World Refugee Day, I urge all of us to seek ways large and small to support the millions of people around the world who hold the same dreams ,we do whose strength and courage are unsurpassed—but who have been dislocated by crises beyond their control and are now hoping that the world will remember them and continue to fight on their behalf for a better future.'
WASHINGTON, June 21 (APP): With Pakistan looking to rehabilitate millions of displaced people from Swat after expelling Taliban from 95 per cent of the valley, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for generous support to help make a difference in their lives.