At his final United Nations General Assembly as U.S. president, Barack Obama faces an uphill battle to compel countries — including his own — to take action for the world’s refugees.
Obama’s Leaders’ Summit on Refugees is one of the headline sessions of this year’s 71st UNGA and a “centerpiece of the president’s trip,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power told reporters by phone on Friday. The administration calls it an “action-forcing event,” meant to leverage the United States’ “unrivaled leadership in terms of humanitarian assistance,” to get other countries to do things they would not otherwise commit to doing, Power said.
In practice, that means the U.S. is pushing for commitments on humanitarian financing, resettlement, and host country conditions for refugees. Power expects pledges not just from big donors but also developing countries, where 80 percent of the world’s refugees reside.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
