process larger number of refugees for
resettlement or other pathways from the
region, quickly and efficiently. This is
feasible if resources are made available.
When Canada announced it was going
to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees from the
region, UNHCR worked closely with the
Canadian authorities to develop special
modalities to do this expeditiously. Within
less than four months, more than 26,000
Syrian refugees had been screened,
selected and prepared to start a new
life in Canada: an extremely short time
span, if one considers that in regular
resettlement programmes the procedure
can take months, if not years. So, yes, such
programmes can be implemented quickly,
safely and rigorously, provided the political
will and resources are there to do so.
And while we debate here today
on how to address the plight of
Syrians fleeing war and violence in
their country, we should not – as the
Secretary-General reminded us this
morning – forget that the most important
discussions started a few weeks ago
in this same venue. The parties to the
Syrian conflict, with the mediation of the
United