Statement from Turkey:

The General Assembly Third Committee switched topics late Sunday night to Topic Area II: Assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced peoples in Africa. Representative Zane Phillips of Turkey gave an impactful speech on not just refugees in Africa, but all refugees around the world. 

“The Turkish delegation is committed to ensuring asylum and a home for all refugees in their time of need. Turkey is currently home to over 4 million refugees, with approximately 3.6 million hailing of Syrian descent. The country of Turkey holds all refugees in the highest regard in terms of protection and asylum. The refugee crisis in Africa is paramount, that is not a debatable point on an international stage. However, the Turkish delegation would like to highlight the special instances and hardships refugees face in the Middle East. Therefore, simply focusing on the happenings in Africa would be a purposeful act of disregarding the hardships of other refugees. This is why the Turkish delegation will be working hard to ensure the safety and protection of all refugees, in particular, those associated with the Middle East.”