12 November 2015
UN Secretary-General: Financing for 2030 Agenda, Refugee Crisis not “Zero-sum Game”
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“Helping people in need should not be a zero-sum game,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) 2015 Leaders Summit.

Ban called for governments to help address the international refugee crisis, but cautioned that doing so should not detract from official development assistance.

Ban stressed that “resources for one area should not come at the expense of another,” and encouraged all governments to enhance international development assistance "as we strive to meet the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

UN logo11 November 2015: “Helping people in need should not be a zero-sum game,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) 2015 Leaders Summit. Ban called for governments to help address the international refugee crisis, but cautioned that doing so should not detract from official development assistance. Ban stressed that “resources for one area should not come at the expense of another,” and encouraged all governments to enhance international development assistance “as we strive to meet the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

At the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, which convenes on 15-16 November 2015, world leaders are expected to address a number of issues related to development and the refugee crisis.

In the statement on “Proposed Reductions in Development Aid,” Ban’s spokesperson said that “redirecting critical funding away from development aid at this pivotal time could perpetuate challenges that the global community has committed to address.” Highlighting longer-term development, he elaborated that reducing development assistance to finance the cost of refuge flows is “counter-productive and will cause a vicious circle detrimental to health, education and opportunities for a better life at home for millions of vulnerable people in every corner of the world.”

UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark also reflected that development support should complement humanitarian support, in remarks at the Resilience Development Forum, which focused on ‘Resilience-based Approaches to the Syria Crisis.’ “It’s not a question of either/or—both are needed,” Clark explained, saying that a resilience approach can bring together humanitarian and development actors to achieve more strategic and cost effective actions. [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary-General Statement] [UNDP Administrator Statement] [G20 Website]


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