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24 Sep 2017
<strong>23 Sep. 2017</strong><br />
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Amman- Professor Paul Heinbecker, deputy chair of the World Refugee Council (WRC), has called on the international community to extend more support to Jordan. At the same time, he praised what Jordan has offered to Syrian refugees despite its limited resources and not receiving sufficient aid from rich nations.<br />
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In a lecture he delivered at the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) on the situation of refugees in the Middle East, attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali, Professor Heinbecker said that countries such as Jordan and Lebanon have offered all that was asked of them and even more and shouldered the burden of hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. Meanwhile, rich and advanced nations have not offered to the refugees what a small country like Jordan, with limited resources, has done. The support extended so far is modest, given what the Kingdom has offered to Syrian refugees.<br />
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On the numbers of refugees worldwide, he said that there are around 22 million refugees who have left their original countries, while around 65 million have been displaced from their homes and many fled for reasons other than wars.<br />
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Professor Heinbecker, who served as representative of Canada at the United Nations and ambassador at the Canadian Foreign Ministry, explained the position of the Canadian Government toward refugees and the background that made Canada welcome them. He spoke about the waves of refugees that Canada has received, saying that his country's success in this was due to Canadian policy, which is based on integrating refugees into Canadian society and achieving equality between them and citizens, as well as the sense of responsibility toward helping refugees.<br />
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He said that since its foundation, Canada has relied on French refugees and then the British and others. All of them have actively contributed to the building of the new country due to their fast integration with those who preceded them. Canada is still receiving around 300,000 refugees annually.<br />
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On the aim of establishing the WRC, he explained that the WRC came after the decline in global support for the question of refugees. He indicated that host countries requested support worth around $7 billion, but they received around $3 billion only.<br />
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Professor Heinbecker expressed optimism and ambitions in regard to the work of the WRC although it is still in its beginnings. He referred to many new ideas and proposals adopted by the WRC to increase support for refugees, including imposing taxes on airlines or international tournaments.<br />
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This will help support social programs for refugees and host countries. Also, another idea is that support should be extended to refugees and local host communities alike without discrimination.<br />
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Answering questions by students, the lecturer noted that the media has a great power to influence thinking. A distinguished and ambitious journalist has to make an effort to achieve his objective and he should find out the truth and convey it responsibly. This is an opportunity for the journalist to prove his merit and professionalism.<br />
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Professor Paul Heinbecker is currently visiting Jordan to get acquainted with the conditions of refugees at camps and listen to their suffering and hopes for better living conditions.<br />
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The lecture is within the program of "guest lecturers" whereby the JMI hosts a number of opinion leaders, decision-makers, and prominent journalists to deliver lectures to JMI students and let them benefit from their experiences.