Opinion: The Private Sector Drives Response to Europe’s Refugee Crisis
MR JOHN DENTON AO, CHAIRMAN OF AUSTRALIA FOR UNHCR
Last year, as Europe faced a growing number of boat
arrivals, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees warned the European Union that
the time for talk was over.
“We are facing a
moment of truth,” he said. “Richer nations must acknowledge refugees for the victims
they are, fleeing from wars they are unable to prevent or stop. Wealthier
countries must decide to shoulder their fair share at home and abroad, or hide
behind walls as the chaos spreads across the world.”
Prophetic words indeed, but it took the image of a drowned
child to finally galvanise some action.
While the EU continued to argue about what a combined
response to the crisis might entail, the heart wrenching photograph of
three-year- old Aylan Kurdi lying on a Turkish beach prompted a global outpouring
of community compassion and generosity and put the onus on governments and big
business to follow suit.
In Germany and Austria, local people greeted refugee
families with gifts of food, blankets and children’s toys. In Australia too,
the initial response came primarily from the private sector – from individuals like
James Wright, a Melbourne father of two, who used social media to encourage his
fellow Melbournians to donate their unused fares during the city’s train strike
and raised over $41,000 for UNHCR’s relief operations for Syrian refugees. Within
days, the Australian government had announced a $20 million contribution
towards UNHCR operations for Syria and an increased intake of 12,000 Syrian
refugees.
These are the reasons
we established Australia for UNHCR fifteen years ago.
UNHCR is the world’s leading agency for refugees. Founded by
the United Nations in the wake of World War II, it has a global mandate to
assist and protect people fleeing from conflict and work with governments to
find durable solutions for them.
Through Australia for UNHCR, Australians are able to support
the agency’s emergency and humanitarian programs. Funds raised help refugees in
situations of crisis, assisting the work of UNHCR’s teams on the ground and
providing emergency relief and shelter items.
In recent weeks, as those desperate scenes from Europe have
been beamed around the world, dozens of individual Australians have approached
me to ask how they could help. From my
experience with our many thousands of donors, Australians do care about
refugees and feel a moral responsibility, as citizens of the world, to provide
a lifeline for these frightened people fleeing the ravages of war.
The global refugee crisis has become the biggest
humanitarian issue of our times and demands a concerted response from us all.
Leading the way in Australia as high profile supporters of
UNHCR are firms like Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Australia Post, Colonial First
State Global Asset Management, PwC and Perpetual. Other Australian corporates looking for ways to act and support the calls of their
employees should find a way to help UNHCR do its essential life-saving work,
and help the women and children cast adrift from war-torn nations like Syria.
John W.H. Denton AO is
Chief Executive Officer of Corrs Chambers Westgarth Lawyers and the founding
Chair of Australia for UNHCR.
