Martin Griffiths: The Double Standards Towards Refugees

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: I want to ask you, because the U.N. says 2.8 million have already fled. And you’re well aware, despite the unbelievable generosity of so many countries these days for these Ukrainian refugees, there is also a backlash in other parts of the world, which point out that, actually, during the crises in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, there was not the same kind of hospitality, that there’s a real racism, there’s a real double standard, there’s real hypocrisy in the world about this issue. What can you say about that? I mean, you were fundamentally involved in Syria and Yemen on these issues as well.

MARTIN GRIFFITHS, U.N. UNDERSECRETARY FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Yes, it’s a huge worry. In fact, I’m going to be launching the — this year’s Yemen appeal in two days from now in Geneva, asking for the same kind of generosity to the people of Yemen that we see to the people of Ukraine. And it is — there is a shocking, different set of priorities for people. It’s right and proper that people in those neighboring countries should welcome people in. We know that, by the way. Syrians have been welcomed into Turkey with great generosity, into Pakistan from Afghanistan with great generosity. So we have seen that elsewhere. But what I worry about is the way in which the secondary impacts, the rise in prices, consequent upon the war in Ukraine will also make it more difficult in these other countries. I’m told that Lebanon, for now, for example, which depends for half of its wheat imports on Ukraine, now has less than a month’s supply left in country. And Lebanon was always of late a fragile country. So we need to keep our eye on the world, as well as on Ukraine. That’s for sure.