When Ukraine recently became the target of Russian attacks, it was suddenly possible for Norway to receive 15,000, 30,000, even as many as 100,000 refugees in a short time. There were never so many people coming here, and that’s not really that surprising. Most people want to stay as close as possible to their home country, so that they can get home quickly as soon as the situation allows. I am incredibly happy that the public sector in Norway is mobilizing and opening both doors and hearts for those who need a safe haven. I am proud of the volunteerism and civil society that are once again coming together and putting in place offers and services quickly and efficiently. I am grateful for business leaders who open their wallets so that humanitarian actors can do even more of what they are good at. At the same time, I ask that we do not pat ourselves too satisfied on the shoulder and say we are satisfied with helping the almost 17,000 Ukrainians who have come to Norway in recent months. We now know that we have the capacity to help more people. There are still many thousands of people who have fled from the same types of bombs, but from other conflicts. They live in refugee camps on our continent. Many have lived in camps ever since Europe set up its barriers in 2016. In Greece alone, more than 2,000 unaccompanied minor girls and boys have been registered. It is urgent to offer these children a place to live that they can call a home, a future of predictability, school, work and security. After the start of the Ukraine war, we have put in all the effort to rebuild the Norwegian reception system that was closed down when Europe closed its borders in 2016, when the entire continent introduced a so-called “strict but fair” asylum policy. Virtually no people on the run could then go to Norway or to countries in Central Europe with their own help. Everyone who came from wars, conflicts and persecution in Syria, Afghanistan, Iran or African countries suddenly became the responsibility of the Mediterranean countries. For Greece, it was only when the rest of Europe closed its borders in 2016 that the real refugee crisis began. We remember well from 2015 and 2016, that the enormous willingness to urgently mobilize and help does not last forever, neither from a political point of view nor from the side of volunteering. We know from experience that we are fed up with news from war zones and suffering. We get used to it, and it no longer hits us as hard. Eventually, we no longer react to pictures of bombed-out schools in Mariupol. Children’s bodies washed ashore on a beach in the Mediterranean have long been the news of yesterdays. It may be the body’s own defense mechanism that comes into play. Can we manage to continue our own everyday life if we take in reality all the time? The most important thing for those affected by these crises is that fellow human beings, organizations, nations and leaders show action. Sympathy thoughts and statements of support are fine, but can not stop war or save those who drown. In Norway, we are building up to receive far more from Ukraine than the number that has been shown to come. Before we close down the reception apparatus we are now building up, and before we dismiss the many who are now being trained in dealing with people on the run, let us ensure that even those who have fled war and conflict elsewhere, and who are also in our backyard on European soil, is given an opportunity for a life and a future. Never before have more people had to flee their homes and seek safety elsewhere. Right now, over 100 million people are fleeing their country, or internally displaced. The number increases every year. In 2021 alone, more than 3,000 people drowned in an attempt to get to safety on European soil. Many of them were children. Today, June 20, on World Refugee Day, I urge our political leaders to show action to find pan-European solutions for all who live in refugee camps on our continent, and safe routes for those who will eventually come. Soon we will also see that climate change and famine will force thousands, probably millions of people to flee. It should not come as a surprise to either Norway, Europe or the world. We must all be prepared, and we must all be willing to share more of both land and goods. Now we know that we can mobilize quickly – if we want to. And Norway has been given a new opportunity to restore a frayed reputation as a humanitarian superpower – if we will. It is not the thought that counts.
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It is not the thought that counts – Expression
