TED2017
David Miliband: The refugee crisis is a test of our character
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Sixty-five million people were displaced from their homes by conflict and disaster in 2016. It's not just a crisis; it's a test of who we are and what we stand for, says David Miliband -- and each of us has a personal responsibility to help solve it. In this must-watch talk, Miliband gives us specific, tangible ways to help refugees and turn empathy and altruism into action.
David Miliband - Refugee advocate
As president of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband enlists his expert statesmanship in the fight against the greatest global refugee crisis since World War II. Full bio
As president of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband enlists his expert statesmanship in the fight against the greatest global refugee crisis since World War II. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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I'm going to speak to you
about the global refugee crisis
about the global refugee crisis
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and my aim is to show you that this crisis
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is manageable, not unsolvable,
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but also show you that this is
as much about us and who we are
as much about us and who we are
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as it is a trial of the refugees
on the front line.
on the front line.
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For me, this is not
just a professional obligation,
just a professional obligation,
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because I run an NGO supporting refugees
and displaced people around the world.
and displaced people around the world.
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It's personal.
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I love this picture.
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That really handsome guy on the right,
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that's not me.
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That's my dad, Ralph, in London, in 1940
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with his father Samuel.
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They were Jewish refugees from Belgium.
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They fled the day the Nazis invaded.
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And I love this picture, too.
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It's a group of refugee children
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arriving in England in 1946 from Poland.
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And in the middle is my mother, Marion.
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She was sent to start a new life
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in a new country
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on her own
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at the age of 12.
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I know this:
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if Britain had not admitted refugees
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in the 1940s,
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I certainly would not be here today.
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Yet 70 years on,
the wheel has come full circle.
the wheel has come full circle.
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The sound is of walls being built,
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vengeful political rhetoric,
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humanitarian values and principles on fire
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in the very countries
that 70 years ago said never again
that 70 years ago said never again
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to statelessness and hopelessness
for the victims of war.
for the victims of war.
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Last year, every minute,
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24 more people were displaced
from their homes
from their homes
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by conflict, violence and persecution:
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another chemical weapon attack in Syria,
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the Taliban on the rampage in Afghanistan,
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girls driven from their school
in northeast Nigeria by Boko Haram.
in northeast Nigeria by Boko Haram.
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These are not people
moving to another country
moving to another country
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to get a better life.
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They're fleeing for their lives.
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It's a real tragedy
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that the world's most famous refugee
can't come to speak to you here today.
can't come to speak to you here today.
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Many of you will know this picture.
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It shows the lifeless body
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of five-year-old Alan Kurdi,
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a Syrian refugee who died
in the Mediterranean in 2015.
in the Mediterranean in 2015.
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He died alongside 3,700 others
trying to get to Europe.
trying to get to Europe.
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The next year, 2016,
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5,000 people died.
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It's too late for them,
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but it's not too late
for millions of others.
for millions of others.
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It's not too late
for people like Frederick.
for people like Frederick.
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I met him in the Nyarugusu
refugee camp in Tanzania.
refugee camp in Tanzania.
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He's from Burundi.
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He wanted to know
where could he complete his studies.
where could he complete his studies.
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He'd done 11 years of schooling.
He wanted a 12th year.
He wanted a 12th year.
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He said to me, "I pray
that my days do not end here
that my days do not end here
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in this refugee camp."
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And it's not too late for Halud.
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Her parents were Palestinian refugees
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living in the Yarmouk refugee camp
outside Damascus.
outside Damascus.
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She was born to refugee parents,
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and now she's a refugee
herself in Lebanon.
herself in Lebanon.
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She's working for the International
Rescue Committee to help other refugees,
Rescue Committee to help other refugees,
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but she has no certainty at all
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about her future,
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where it is or what it holds.
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This talk is about Frederick, about Halud
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and about millions like them:
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why they're displaced,
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how they survive, what help they need
and what our responsibilities are.
and what our responsibilities are.
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I truly believe this,
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that the biggest question
in the 21st century
in the 21st century
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concerns our duty to strangers.
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The future "you" is about your duties
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to strangers.
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You know better than anyone,
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the world is more connected
than ever before,
than ever before,
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yet the great danger
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is that we're consumed by our divisions.
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And there is no better test of that
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than how we treat refugees.
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Here are the facts: 65 million people
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displaced from their homes
by violence and persecution last year.
by violence and persecution last year.
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If it was a country,
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that would be the 21st
largest country in the world.
largest country in the world.
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Most of those people, about 40 million,
stay within their own home country,
stay within their own home country,
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but 25 million are refugees.
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That means they cross a border
into a neighboring state.
into a neighboring state.
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Most of them are living in poor countries,
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relatively poor or lower-middle-income
countries, like Lebanon,
countries, like Lebanon,
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where Halud is living.
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In Lebanon, one
in four people is a refugee,
in four people is a refugee,
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a quarter of the whole population.
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And refugees stay for a long time.
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The average length of displacement
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is 10 years.
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I went to what was the world's
largest refugee camp, in eastern Kenya.
largest refugee camp, in eastern Kenya.
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It's called Dadaab.
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It was built in 1991-92
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as a "temporary camp"
for Somalis fleeing the civil war.
for Somalis fleeing the civil war.
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I met Silo.
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And naïvely I said to Silo,
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"Do you think you'll ever
go home to Somalia?"
go home to Somalia?"
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And she said, "What do you mean, go home?
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I was born here."
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And then when I asked the camp management
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how many of the 330,000 people
in that camp were born there,
in that camp were born there,
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they gave me the answer:
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100,000.
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That's what long-term displacement means.
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Now, the causes of this are deep:
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weak states that can't
support their own people,
support their own people,
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an international political system
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weaker than at any time since 1945
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and differences over theology, governance,
engagement with the outside world
engagement with the outside world
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in significant parts of the Muslim world.
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Now, those are long-term,
generational challenges.
generational challenges.
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That's why I say that this refugee crisis
is a trend and not a blip.
is a trend and not a blip.
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And it's complex, and when you have
big, large, long-term, complex problems,
big, large, long-term, complex problems,
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people think nothing can be done.
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When Pope Francis went to Lampedusa,
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off the coast of Italy, in 2014,
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he accused all of us
and the global population
and the global population
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of what he called
"the globalization of indifference."
"the globalization of indifference."
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It's a haunting phrase.
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It means that our hearts
have turned to stone.
have turned to stone.
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Now, I don't know, you tell me.
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Are you allowed to argue with the Pope,
even at a TED conference?
even at a TED conference?
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But I think it's not right.
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I think people do want
to make a difference,
to make a difference,
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but they just don't know whether
there are any solutions to this crisis.
there are any solutions to this crisis.
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And what I want to tell you today
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is that though the problems are real,
the solutions are real, too.
the solutions are real, too.
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Solution one:
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these refugees need to get into work
in the countries where they're living,
in the countries where they're living,
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and the countries where they're living
need massive economic support.
need massive economic support.
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In Uganda in 2014, they did a study:
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80 percent of refugees
in the capital city Kampala
in the capital city Kampala
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needed no humanitarian aid
because they were working.
because they were working.
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They were supported into work.
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Solution number two:
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education for kids
is a lifeline, not a luxury,
is a lifeline, not a luxury,
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when you're displaced for so long.
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Kids can bounce back when they're given
the proper social, emotional support
the proper social, emotional support
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alongside literacy and numeracy.
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I've seen it for myself.
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But half of the world's refugee children
of primary school age
of primary school age
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get no education at all,
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and three quarters of secondary school age
get no education at all.
get no education at all.
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That's crazy.
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Solution number three:
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most refugees are in urban areas,
in cities, not in camps.
in cities, not in camps.
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What would you or I want
if we were a refugee in a city?
if we were a refugee in a city?
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We would want money
to pay rent or buy clothes.
to pay rent or buy clothes.
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That is the future
of the humanitarian system,
of the humanitarian system,
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or a significant part of it:
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give people cash so that
you boost the power of refugees
you boost the power of refugees
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and you'll help the local economy.
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And there's a fourth solution, too,
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that's controversial
but needs to be talked about.
but needs to be talked about.
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The most vulnerable refugees
need to be given a new start
need to be given a new start
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and a new life in a new country,
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including in the West.
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The numbers are relatively small,
hundreds of thousands, not millions,
hundreds of thousands, not millions,
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but the symbolism is huge.
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Now is not the time
to be banning refugees,
to be banning refugees,
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as the Trump administration proposes.
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It's a time to be embracing people
who are victims of terror.
who are victims of terror.
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And remember --
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(Applause)
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Remember, anyone who asks you,
"Are they properly vetted?"
"Are they properly vetted?"
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that's a really sensible
and good question to ask.
and good question to ask.
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The truth is, refugees
arriving for resettlement
arriving for resettlement
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are more vetted than any other population
arriving in our countries.
arriving in our countries.
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So while it's reasonable
to ask the question,
to ask the question,
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it's not reasonable to say that refugee
is another word for terrorist.
is another word for terrorist.
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Now, what happens --
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(Applause)
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What happens when refugees can't get work,
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they can't get their kids into school,
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they can't get cash,
they can't get a legal route to hope?
they can't get a legal route to hope?
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What happens is they take risky journeys.
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I went to Lesbos, this beautiful
Greek island, two years ago.
Greek island, two years ago.
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It's a home to 90,000 people.
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In one year, 500,000 refugees
went across the island.
went across the island.
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And I want to show you what I saw
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when I drove across
to the north of the island:
to the north of the island:
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a pile of life jackets
of those who had made it to shore.
of those who had made it to shore.
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And when I looked closer,
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there were small
life jackets for children,
life jackets for children,
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yellow ones.
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And I took this picture.
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You probably can't see the writing,
but I want to read it for you.
but I want to read it for you.
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"Warning: will not
protect against drowning."
protect against drowning."
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So in the 21st century,
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children are being given life jackets
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to reach safety in Europe
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even though those jackets
will not save their lives
will not save their lives
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if they fall out of the boat
that is taking them there.
that is taking them there.
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This is not just a crisis, it's a test.
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It's a test that civilizations
have faced down the ages.
have faced down the ages.
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It's a test of our humanity.
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It's a test of us in the Western world
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of who we are and what we stand for.
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It's a test of our character,
not just our policies.
not just our policies.
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And refugees are a hard case.
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They do come from faraway
parts of the world.
parts of the world.
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They have been through trauma.
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They're often of a different religion.
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Those are precisely the reasons
we should be helping refugees,
we should be helping refugees,
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not a reason not to help them.
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And it's a reason to help them
because of what it says about us.
because of what it says about us.
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It's revealing of our values.
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Empathy and altruism are two
of the foundations of civilization.
of the foundations of civilization.
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Turn that empathy and altruism into action
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and we live out a basic moral credo.
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And in the modern world,
we have no excuse.
we have no excuse.
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We can't say we don't know
what's happening in Juba, South Sudan,
what's happening in Juba, South Sudan,
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or Aleppo, Syria.
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It's there, in our smartphone
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in our hand.
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Ignorance is no excuse at all.
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Fail to help, and we show
we have no moral compass at all.
we have no moral compass at all.
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It's also revealing about
whether we know our own history.
whether we know our own history.
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The reason that refugees
have rights around the world
have rights around the world
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is because of extraordinary
Western leadership
Western leadership
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by statesmen and women
after the Second World War
after the Second World War
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that became universal rights.
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Trash the protections of refugees,
and we trash our own history.
and we trash our own history.
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This is --
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(Applause)
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This is also revealing
about the power of democracy
about the power of democracy
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as a refuge from dictatorship.
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How many politicians have you heard say,
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"We believe in the power of our example,
not the example of our power."
not the example of our power."
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What they mean is what we stand for
is more important than the bombs we drop.
is more important than the bombs we drop.
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Refugees seeking sanctuary
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have seen the West as a source
of hope and a place of haven.
of hope and a place of haven.
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Russians, Iranians,
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Chinese, Eritreans, Cubans,
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they've come to the West for safety.
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We throw that away at our peril.
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And there's one other thing
it reveals about us:
it reveals about us:
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whether we have any humility
for our own mistakes.
for our own mistakes.
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I'm not one of these people
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who believes that all the problems
in the world are caused by the West.
in the world are caused by the West.
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They're not.
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But when we make mistakes,
we should recognize it.
we should recognize it.
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It's not an accident
that the country which has taken
that the country which has taken
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more refugees than any other,
the United States,
the United States,
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has taken more refugees from Vietnam
than any other country.
than any other country.
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It speaks to the history.
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But there's more recent history,
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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You can't make up
for foreign policy errors
for foreign policy errors
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by humanitarian action,
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but when you break something,
you have a duty to try to help repair it,
you have a duty to try to help repair it,
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and that's our duty now.
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Do you remember
at the beginning of the talk,
at the beginning of the talk,
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I said I wanted to explain
that the refugee crisis
that the refugee crisis
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was manageable, not insoluble?
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That's true. I want you
to think in a new way,
to think in a new way,
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but I also want you to do things.
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If you're an employer,
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hire refugees.
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If you're persuaded by the arguments,
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take on the myths
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when family or friends
or workmates repeat them.
or workmates repeat them.
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If you've got money, give it to charities
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that make a difference
for refugees around the world.
for refugees around the world.
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If you're a citizen,
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vote for politicians
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who will put into practice
the solutions that I've talked about.
the solutions that I've talked about.
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14:14
(Applause)
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The duty to strangers
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shows itself
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14:22
in small ways and big,
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14:25
prosaic and heroic.
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14:27
In 1942,
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my aunt and my grandmother
were living in Brussels
were living in Brussels
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14:33
under German occupation.
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They received a summons
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14:38
from the Nazi authorities
to go to Brussels Railway Station.
to go to Brussels Railway Station.
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14:44
My grandmother immediately thought
something was amiss.
something was amiss.
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14:48
She pleaded with her relatives
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14:51
not to go to Brussels Railway Station.
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14:54
Her relatives said to her,
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14:57
"If we don't go,
if we don't do what we're told,
if we don't do what we're told,
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15:00
then we're going to be in trouble."
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15:02
You can guess what happened
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15:04
to the relatives who went
to Brussels Railway Station.
to Brussels Railway Station.
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They were never seen again.
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15:10
But my grandmother and my aunt,
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15:12
they went to a small village
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15:15
south of Brussels
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15:17
where they'd been on holiday
in the decade before,
in the decade before,
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15:21
and they presented themselves
at the house of the local farmer,
at the house of the local farmer,
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15:24
a Catholic farmer called Monsieur Maurice,
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15:27
and they asked him to take them in.
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15:30
And he did,
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15:32
and by the end of the war,
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17 Jews, I was told,
were living in that village.
were living in that village.
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15:40
And when I was teenager, I asked my aunt,
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15:42
"Can you take me to meet
Monsieur Maurice?"
Monsieur Maurice?"
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15:45
And she said, "Yeah, I can.
He's still alive. Let's go and see him."
He's still alive. Let's go and see him."
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15:48
And so, it must have been '83, '84,
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15:51
we went to see him.
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And I suppose, like only a teenager could,
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when I met him,
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he was this white-haired gentleman,
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16:00
I said to him,
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"Why did you do it?
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Why did you take that risk?"
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And he looked at me and he shrugged,
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16:11
and he said, in French,
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"On doit."
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"One must."
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It was innate in him.
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It was natural.
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16:20
And my point to you is it should be
natural and innate in us, too.
natural and innate in us, too.
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16:24
Tell yourself,
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16:27
this refugee crisis is manageable,
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16:29
not unsolvable,
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16:31
and each one of us
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has a personal responsibility
to help make it so.
to help make it so.
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16:37
Because this is about the rescue
of us and our values
of us and our values
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16:41
as well as the rescue
of refugees and their lives.
of refugees and their lives.
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16:44
Thank you very much indeed.
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16:45
(Applause)
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16:57
Bruno Giussani: David, thank you.
David Miliband: Thank you.
David Miliband: Thank you.
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17:00
BG: Those are strong suggestions
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17:01
and your call for individual
responsibility is very strong as well,
responsibility is very strong as well,
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17:04
but I'm troubled
by one thought, and it's this:
by one thought, and it's this:
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17:07
you mentioned, and these are your words,
"extraordinary Western leadership"
"extraordinary Western leadership"
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17:11
which led 60-something years ago
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17:12
to the whole discussion
about human rights,
about human rights,
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17:15
to the conventions on refugees, etc. etc.
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17:19
That leadership
happened after a big trauma
happened after a big trauma
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17:21
and happened in
a consensual political space,
a consensual political space,
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17:25
and now we are
in a divisive political space.
in a divisive political space.
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17:27
Actually, refugees have become
one of the divisive issues.
one of the divisive issues.
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17:30
So where will leadership come from today?
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17:33
DM: Well, I think that you're right to say
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17:35
that the leadership forged in war
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has a different temper
and a different tempo
and a different tempo
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17:41
and a different outlook
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17:42
than leadership forged in peace.
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17:45
And so my answer would be
the leadership has got to come from below,
the leadership has got to come from below,
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17:49
not from above.
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17:50
I mean, a recurring theme
of the conference this week
of the conference this week
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17:54
has been about
the democratization of power.
the democratization of power.
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17:58
And we've got to preserve
our own democracies,
our own democracies,
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18:00
but we've got to also activate
our own democracies.
our own democracies.
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18:02
And when people say to me,
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"There's a backlash against refugees,"
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what I say to them is,
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"No, there's a polarization,
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18:09
and at the moment,
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18:11
those who are fearful
are making more noise
are making more noise
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18:13
than those who are proud."
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18:14
And so my answer to your question
is that we will sponsor and encourage
is that we will sponsor and encourage
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18:18
and give confidence to leadership
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18:20
when we mobilize ourselves.
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18:22
And I think that when you are
in a position of looking for leadership,
in a position of looking for leadership,
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18:25
you have to look inside
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18:26
and mobilize in your own community
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18:28
to try to create conditions
for a different kind of settlement.
for a different kind of settlement.
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18:31
BG: Thank you, David.
Thanks for coming to TED.
Thanks for coming to TED.
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18:34
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Miliband - Refugee advocateAs president of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband enlists his expert statesmanship in the fight against the greatest global refugee crisis since World War II.
Why you should listen
As the son of refugees, David Miliband has first-hand experience with those fleeing conflict and disaster. In 2013, he abandoned a long political career to take the helm of the International Rescue Committee, an NGO committed to emergency and long-term assistance to refugees (and founded at the call of Albert Einstein in 1933).
As a former UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Miliband is no stranger to cross-border politics. He is a leading voice against recent anti-refugee and immigration measures in the US, where the IRC currently runs resettlement programs in 29 cities.
David Miliband | Speaker | TED.com