On Tuesday 1st November, our Delegate Mr. Theo Whyte addressed the 2022 UN Third Committee Conference, intervening in the dialogue with the High Commission for Refugees, Mr. Filippo Grandi.

After expressing the immense appreciation for the work done by the Commission, in his statement Mr. Whyte referenced that:

“Efforts towards refugee assistance are not limited to UN agencies or IGOs. Any government, organisation, or person is capable of aiding our suffering fellow humans. With this, a focus should be on community engagement, where support can be given most effectively, both financially and in terms of recognising the most pressing necessities, not to mention the fact that the foundations of a relationship can be created between local inhabitants and new refugees”.

He continued mentioning our relief agency Malteser International and the colossal work that continues to be done every day around the globe by the Sovereign Order of Malta:

“An effective example of our own efforts is in northern Uganda, where a community of refugees from South Sudan has been established. To meet the housing demand, our international aid agency, Malteser International, with a local partner Impact Building Solutions Foundation (IBSF) is using agricultural waste (which would otherwise have been burned, polluting, inter alia, the environment) to produce building material. Three objectives have thus been achieved: protection of the environment (the houses have a low environmental impact and water and wood consumption has been avoided); creation of jobs for the local community and additional income for farmers; provision of housing needs for South Sudanese refugees”.

To watch the full statement: