UNHCR’s Executive Committee (EXCOM) opened in Geneva today with a focus on ending statelessness. “Statelessness is a problem that can be solved – actually solved – through political will and technical assistance,” said Carol Thomson O’Connell, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration. “We can get to zero stateless persons globally, but only if Member States take bold steps and avoid creating new situations of statelessness.”

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi opened the annual meeting which also heard an address from Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett whose work with UNHCR has focused on ending the plight of millions of stateless people worldwide.

U.S. Delegation head O’Connell emphasized that the United States “remains committed to leading the world in humanitarian assistance. In our Fiscal Year 2019, which just closed last week, we provided nearly $1.7 billion to UNHCR and more than $8 billion in U.S. humanitarian assistance worldwide. But we also remain committed to promoting burden sharing with our partners and allies, and ensuring greater efficiency, transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of our humanitarian assistance.”

Read the U.S. statement: geneva.usmission.gov/2019/10/07/u-s-statement-at-the-70th...