Rich states urged to take in more Syrian refugees

British charity Oxfam has called on wealthy countries to take in more of the refugees who have fled the five-year-long conflict in Syria.

According to Press TV, in a report published on Tuesday, Oxfam asked wealthy states to resettle at least 10 percent of the 4.8 million Syrian refugees registered in Syria’s neighboring countries by the end of the year.

Some 67,100 people, or 1.39 % of the refugees, have so far been resettled in rich states since 2013, the charity also said.

The report came ahead of a UN-hosted conference in Geneva that is aimed at urging countries to pledge further resettlement spots for Syrian refugees.

“To date the response to calls of increased resettlement of vulnerable refugees has been disappointing, and the conference is an opportunity for states to mark a change of course,” Oxfam said.

Oxfam said its studies revealed that only three rich states, namely Germany, Canada and Norway, pledged to take in refugees more than their fair share based on the size of their economy.

ME