The downtrodden of the Arab world ‘will not be ignored,’ UNGA president tells Arab News

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Updated 18 September 2023
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The downtrodden of the Arab world ‘will not be ignored,’ UNGA president tells Arab News

  • In one-on-one interview, Dennis Francis says his focus will be on mobilizing the world body “to deliver for people and for planet”
  • Urges leaders attending 78th session to maintain and strengthen their support for UN, “a proud organization with a brilliant record”

NEW YORK CITY: When the president of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly took his oath of office and was handed the gavel, he wished “my parents were still alive to witness this.”

At the same time, he reflected on “the burden of responsibility that I have taken on as president of the General Assembly, the burden that has been created by the legitimate expectation of people everywhere in the world, that the United Nations can deliver for them. And that will be my focus throughout the presidency: How best we can mobilize the General Assembly to deliver for people and for planet.”

Dennis Francis’ stewardship of UNGA comes at a deeply challenging moment for the multilateral system. Since it was established a century ago, multilateralism has provided the global framework for peace and stability, but in a world of conflicts and climate chaos, escalating poverty, hunger and inequality, mistrust and division, there are growing concerns that multilateralism is declining or losing relevance.




Dennis Francis, president of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, giving an interview with Arab News. (AN photo)
 

Meanwhile, the difficulty governments are facing in reaching global agreements on trade, climate change and other issues has led many to question whether the multilateral model is still fit for purpose in an era of renewed great power rivalries, nationalism, populism and political economy tensions.

Ahead of the high-level week of the UNGA session, Arab News sat with Francis in his new office at the UN headquarters in New York City, where, in a wide-ranging interview, he outlined his priorities for the year to come.

Francis has spent years working closely with multilateral agencies. He offered a nuanced perspective when asked about the state of multilateralism.




Israeli soldiers clash with Palestinians protesting Israeli settlers who set up tents on lands in Halhoul village north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on August 1, 2023. (AFP)

While acknowledging that multilateralism faces challenges, he was emphatic that it is not entirely dysfunctional. The conclusion of the BBNJ Treaty, an important addition to the international architecture on the Law of the Sea, and the inclusion of loss and damage in the COP27 agreement. which aims to provide financial assistance to poorer nations as they deal with the negative consequences that arise from the risks of climate change, are two examples of success that demonstrate that multilateralism can indeed deliver results.

“It might not deliver uniformly, but it does and can deliver,” said Francis.

“What we need to do now is to really focus on strengthening that, and that has to do with a process of recommitting and of building trust and confidence among the membership that we have the capacity and the strength. Sometimes it takes strength to make difficult decisions. But difficult decisions we cannot avoid in the interest of serving humanity.”

FASTFACTS

UNGA President Dennis Francis has spent almost 40 years in the diplomatic service of Trinidad and Tobago.

He said willingness of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to share the lessons of their success is highly valued by the international community.

Countries in the Gulf region, Francis said, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, have a track record of successful development. He said their willingness to share their knowledge and engage is highly valued by the international community, contributing to multilateral efforts.

“(Gulf states) have a unique history and they have pursued development with great success in many cases. So, there are lessons that they can share with the international community. And I’m happy to say that much of that sharing is already taking place.

“Saudi Arabia, Qatar the UAE are playing important roles by sharing their knowledge, their know-how, in big ways and small.




A feeling of despair looks obvious on residents of the Libyan city of Derna in the aftermath of the massive flashlood that hit parts of the city on Sept. 10, 2023. (AFP)

“On Saturday, for example, I attended a very relaxed evening for newly arrived permanent representatives. Coming to New York, to the UN, can be very daunting when you first arrive. And I discovered in conversation with my colleague, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia, that the idea to do this was in fact invented, proposed, by one of his predecessors as a way of welcoming the new ones, introducing them in a seamless way to the dynamics of the UN, and helping and supporting them to understand how the processes work and how the organization works.

“I’m very grateful for the support and engagement, the key level of engagement that (Gulf states) have shown and continue to show in all of the processes. They have been willing to share it. And I think the international community very much values that disposition.”

Hailing from the small Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago, Francis brings to the General Assembly “a critical perspective,” in the words of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who also said that “so many of the issues we address (at the General Assembly) hit small island developing states like (Trinidad and Tobago) the hardest.




Displaced Yemenis receive essential aid provided by the Norwegian Council to support those affected by flooding, in the northern Abs district of the Hajjah governorate on September 16, 2023. Flooding and lightning strikes in Yemen have exacerbated the crises in Yemen, underscoring the threat of extreme weather in the war-ravaged country. (AFP) 

This includes the disastrous impacts of climate change and the effects of a deeply unjust global financial system that routinely denies developing countries the debt relief and restructuring — as well as financing — they need to invest in their people.

Francis put it this way: “Trinidad and Tobago is a small developing country, the most southerly of the Caribbean islands. We are only seven miles off the coast of South America but one of the most cosmopolitan countries in the world.

“Our history has made us a very diverse population, multicultural, multi-religious, multiethnic. Democracy is very alive and well. We’ve never changed our governments in any other way but by the ballot box.

“And, so, we have a proud tradition of democratic development and of human rights.




Druze residents demonstrate for the third straight week on Sept. 15, 2023, in the southern city of Sweida, Syria, in protests initially driven by surging inflation and the war-torn country's spiraling economy. The protests have later widened to calls for the fall of the Assad government. (Suwayda24 via AP)

“Because we are such a small country — geographically the country is only 1,864 square miles — we have found a formula to coexist, to get along in a relatively small space. It is not that we do not have, from time to time, family squabbles. But Trinidad and Tobago has never had social strife because we found mechanisms of consultation.

“For example, one of the one of the techniques used very early on in government was to establish something called the IRO, the Inter Religious Organization, comprising the major representative belief systems in the country. A significant proportion of government policy goes through the IRO for consideration before they are taken to the parliament, so that you get the input of the religious groups and other groups in society, making it possible, therefore, to maintain a holistic approach to governance. And this has worked enormously well for us in Trinidad and Tobago.

“So, we are very proud of the fact that we are a diverse population, but we get along. Not only is there tolerance; there is integration in the population. It is totally mixed. We have a very rich culture that derives from Africa, India, Europe, Latin America, native peoples, China, Lebanon and others. It’s quite a rich and engaging mix. And it accounts for the diversity and dynamism of the population of Trinidad and Tobago.”




Refugees from war-torn Sudan hold a sit-in seeking support in front of the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) offices in Tripoli, Libya, on July 15, 2023. (AFP)
 

As the premier event of the UNGA high-level week, Francis believes the SDG summit is a crucial moment for heads of state or government to demonstrate their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to global development funding.

The SDG summit will set the tone for other General Assembly processes, Francis said, emphasizing the need for all delegations to recommit to energizing the SDG process and achieving these life-changing goals by 2030.

It is recognized that instability, insecurity and war hinder economic and social development, depriving people of basic necessities and security. To achieve lasting peace, it is essential to address issues like inequality, discrimination, poverty, hunger, and poor health effectively and sustainably “to the satisfaction of the downtrodden.”

That is especially relevant to the Arab world, which has been grappling with a multitude of crises. From Syria and Yemen to Palestine and Sudan, political upheavals, armed conflicts, displacement, economic and humanitarian crises have for decades been the cause of untold human suffering. According to the UN, 116 million people across 10 Arab countries, or 41 percent of the total population, are poor, while another 25 percent are vulnerable to poverty.




Protesters throw glass bottles at the Lebanese Central Bank building amid the deepening financial crisis in Beirut. Four years after Lebanon's historic meltdown began, the small nation is still facing "enormous economic challenges," with a collapsed banking sector, eroding public services, deteriorating infrastructure, and worsening poverty, the International Monetary Fund warned on Sept. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/File)

“My message for (the downtrodden of the Arab world) is that they are not forgotten. And they will not be ignored,” Francis said.

“The focus of the SDGs is on lifting people up, on ensuring that all people enjoy their rights and entitlements, that they share the benefits of society and that development leaves no one behind. This is the thrust of the 78th session of the General Assembly. It is extremely important for promoting peace, prosperity sustainability and growth and that is where we will place our focus: very people-centered, very rights-based.”

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development marked a significant milestone as the first ever fully negotiated, all-encompassing global development strategy formally embraced by both the Global South and the developed world. It was widely celebrated as the dawn of a new era in development collaboration.

Despite significant development gains globally, which have raised many millions of people out of absolute poverty, the UN says that inequality between the world’s richest and poorest countries is widening. This anomaly will also be spotlighted at UNGA this year.

Francis, in his vision statement, called on both to figure out the problematique. Once that is done, then it should not be insurmountable to implement the prescribed solutions.

“(The Global South and the Global North) do come at issues from diametrically opposed positions. But that is not a surprise. It’s a negotiation. If conceptually, both sides accept reality in the same way then there is no basis for negotiation.




Children gather outside their tents at the al-Hol camp in Hasakeh province, Syria, which houses families of Daesh militants. Tens of thousands children and wives of Daesh militants remain in limbo in the camp, unwanted by their countries, making them vulnerable to indoctrination by the extremist group. (AP Photo/File)

“So, there are conceptual differences. There are practical differences. However, in the recent past, what has happened is that there has been an unfortunate deficit of trust. And this has undermined the capacity of the multilateral process to move forward and to create good results and good outcomes.

“So, we need to work on rebuilding that trust, restoring that confidence and building solidarity.

“Some unfortunate things have happened. For example, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the behavior of (certain) states suggested a very individualistic approach to the pandemic, rather than taking a holistic coordinated, cooperative approach as one international community. This was unhelpful for multilateralism. And so those memories linger in the minds of many delegations, because they’re not quite sure if there will be a repeat of the pandemic. And let’s recall that scientists have indicated that there is likely to be another pandemic. They’re not quite sure what will happen. So, we have got some work to do.

“But, bear in mind, building trust is a process, not an event. So, we will invest considerable time and energy in the General Assembly in trying to bring people together to build bridges, to build hope, so that we can get beyond the doctrinaire positions and really begin to listen to each other in goodness. And to react in a way that could probably bring us a point of common ground.”

 


Paris AI summit pits innovation ambitions against job loss fears

Updated 16 sec ago
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Paris AI summit pits innovation ambitions against job loss fears

PARIS: France hopes that world leaders and tech executives at an artificial intelligence summit in Paris will agree the AI revolution should be inclusive and sustainable, although it was unclear on Monday whether the United States would be supportive.
Eagerness to rein in AI has waned since previous summits in Britain and South Korea that focused world powers’ attention on the technology’s risks after ChatGPT’s viral launch in 2022.
As US President Donald Trump has torn up his predecessor’s AI guardrails to promote US competitiveness, pressure has built on the European Union to pursue a lighter-touch approach to AI to help keep European companies in the tech race.
A January 30 version of the non-binding draft statement on AI stewardship, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, called for an “inclusive approach” to AI that is multi-stakeholder, human rights-based and bolsters the developing world.
The draft statement laid out priorities that included “avoiding market concentration” and “making AI sustainable for people and the planet.”
US Vice President JD Vance could spell out the United States’ views when he gives a speech at the summit on Tuesday.
Trump’s early moves on AI have underscored how far the strategies to regulate AI in the United States, China and EU have diverged.
And many at the two-day summit that started on Monday pushed the EU to soften its own rulebook.
“If we want growth, jobs and progress, we must allow innovators to innovate, builders to build and developers to develop,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in an op-ed in Le Monde newspaper.
Even the summit’s host, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “There’s a risk some decide to have no rules and that’s dangerous. But there’s also the opposite risk, if Europe gives itself too many rules.”
“We should not be afraid of innovation,” Macron told regional French newspapers.
European lawmakers last year approved the bloc’s AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive set of rules governing the technology.
China’s DeepSeek challenged the United States’ AI leadership last month by freely distributing a human-like reasoning system, galvanizing geopolitical and industry rivals to race faster still.
More investment
Meanwhile, one early outcome from the summit was the launch of Current AI, a partnership of countries such as France and Germany and industry players including Google and Salesforce.
With an initial $400 million in investment, the partnership will spearhead public-interest projects such as making high-quality data for AI available and investing in open-source tools. It is aiming for up to $2.5 billion in capital over five years.
Current AI founder Martin Tisné told Reuters a public-interest focus was necessary to avoid AI having downsides like social media has had. “We have to have learned the lessons,” he said.
Separately, France will announce private sector investments totaling some 109 billion euros ($113 billion) during the summit, Macron said on Sunday.
“The size of this 100 billion euro investment reassured us, in a way, that there’s going to be ambitious enough projects in France,” said Clem Delangue, the CEO of Hugging Face, a US company with French co-founders that is a hub for open-source AI online.

RISKS
Not everyone in Paris agreed with taking a lighter-touch approach to AI regulation.
“What I worry about is that... there will be pressures from the US and elsewhere to weaken the EU’s AI Act and weaken those existing protections,” said Brian Chen, policy director at Data & Society, a US-based nonprofit.
Labour leaders expressed concerns on the impact of AI on workers, including what happens to workers whose jobs are taken over by AI and are pushed into new jobs.
“There is a risk of those jobs being much less paid and sometimes with much less protection,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, director-general of the International Labour Organization.
Top political leaders including China’s Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing are also attending the summit, as well as top executives such as Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and OpenAI’s Altman.

China’s foreign minister to visit Britain on Thursday for talks

Updated 10 February 2025
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China’s foreign minister to visit Britain on Thursday for talks

  • Wang Yi to hold talks with his British counterpart David Lammy
  • Issues to be discussed include international security and the war in Ukraine

LONDON: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is due to visit Britain on Thursday to hold talks with his British counterpart David Lammy in a sign that relations between the countries are normalizing after years of tensions.
Issues to be discussed include international security and the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman told reporters.
Lammy and Wang will revive the UK-China Strategic Dialogue, a forum last held in 2018 to discuss bilateral issues.
That dialogue was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and after Britain restricted some Chinese investment on worries over national security and over a crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong.
The Labour government, in power in Britain since July, has made improving ties with China one of its main foreign policy goals after a period under successive Conservative governments when relations plunged to their lowest level in decades.
British finance minister Rachel Reeves visited China last month in a bid to revive economic and financial talks that had been frozen since 2019.
Wang’s visit will come two days after the start of an inquiry ordered by British government into China’s stalled plans to build a large embassy in London.
The Chinese government purchased Royal Mint Court, a historic site near the Tower of London, in 2018 but had its requests for planning permission to build the new embassy there rejected by the local council.
The stalled project had been a source of diplomatic tension between the two countries.
Lammy and interior minister, Yvette Cooper, recently come out in support of the plan, which is opposed by local politicians and residents.


Anti-minority hate speech in India rose by 74 percent in 2024, research group says

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes victory sign as he arrives at the BJP headquarters to celebrate the party’s win.
Updated 10 February 2025
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Anti-minority hate speech in India rose by 74 percent in 2024, research group says

  • India Hate Lab said a third of hate speech incidents last year occurred from March 16 through June 1 during the height of election campaigning
  • Group cited remarks by Modi in April in which he referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” who have “more children”

WASHINGTON: Instances of hate speech against minorities in India such as Muslims increased 74 percent in 2024, a Washington-based research group said on Monday, with incidents ballooning around last year’s national elections.
India Hate Lab documented 1,165 instances of what it considered to be hate speech in 2024, compared with 668 a year earlier, that it observed at events such as political rallies, religious processions, protest marches and cultural gatherings.
“The fact that 2024 was a general election year in India, with polling held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1, played a crucial role in shaping the patterns of hate speech incidents compared to 2023,” the group said in a report.
India’s embassy in Washington had no immediate comment.
The report comes days before a White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government is blamed by rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International for the mistreatment of minorities in India.
Modi’s government and party have denied being discriminatory and said their policies, such as food subsidy schemes and electrification drives, benefit all Indians.
India Hate Lab said a third of hate speech incidents last year occurred from March 16 through June 1 during the height of election campaigning, with May being a “notable peak.”
The group cited remarks by Modi in April in which he referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” who have “more children.”
Modi won a third successive term and denied stoking divisions. His Bharatiya Janata Party failed to win a majority and relied on coalition allies to form a government.
India Hate Lab said 80 percent of hate speech incidents last year occurred in states governed by the BJP and its allies.
The group, founded by US-based Kashmiri journalist Raqib Hameed Naik, is a project of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington. The BJP has said the group presents a biased picture of India.
Rights advocates, in noting the plight of Indian minorities, point to a 2019 citizenship law the UN called “fundamentally discriminatory,” anti-conversion legislation that challenges the constitutionally protected right to freedom of belief, and the 2019 revoking of Muslim majority Kashmir’s special status.
They also highlight the demolition of properties owned by Muslims that authorities said were illegally constructed, and a ban on the hijab head covering — commonly worn by Muslim girls and women — in classrooms in Karnataka in line with new school uniform rules when the BJP was in power in that state.
India Hate Lab said it used in its report the United Nations’ definition of hate speech: prejudiced or discriminatory language toward an individual or group based on attributes including religion, ethnicity, nationality, race or gender.


Life in limbo for refugees as Trump suspends US admissions

Updated 10 February 2025
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Life in limbo for refugees as Trump suspends US admissions

  • Many refugees live in poverty in countries such as Iran, Turkiye, Uganda, Pakistan and Kenya
  • Often banned from working, they live in decrepit housing and usually lack most basic services

NAIROBI/KABUL: Eleven suitcases, stuffed with puffer jackets and winter boots, stood ready outside Somali refugee Hassan’s corrugated iron home in Kenya’s sweltering Dadaab camp.
His dream of a new life in Seattle was finally within reach.
The 24-year-old and his family of 10 were due to fly to the United States on Feb. 10, ending a wait of more than 15 years and filling Hassan with hope for a fresh start on the US Pacific coast.
That was until US President Donald Trump suspended refugee admissions as one of his first acts in office on Jan. 20.
“When I found out our flight was canceled, it was very bad news for us,” Hassan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Dadaab in eastern Kenya’s Garissa county.
“My father sold everything, even his sheep. I was born here in Dadaab and thought I was finally leaving this place, but maybe God has other plans,” added Hassan, whose name has been changed to protect his identity.
From Somalia to Afghanistan, thousands of refugees who fled conflict, disaster or persecution, and were approved for resettlement in the United States, have been left stranded after Trump halted the country’s refugee program. The suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) was to ensure public safety and national security, Trump said in an executive order. It will be reviewed in three months to determine if it sufficiently benefits Americans, the order said.

People gather during a protest against US President Donald Trump’s intensified enforcement of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, US on February 8, 2025. (REUTERS)

This is not the first time that Trump has placed restrictions on refugees.
In his first term, he banned arrivals from some Muslim-majority nations, temporarily halted the resettlements and slashed the country’s admissions cap to a record low.
But refugee rights groups said the new suspension of USRAP was unprecedented.
Erol Kekic, a senior vice president at the Church World Service — a charity that screens refugees for US resettlement — said it was “devastating” and “heart-breaking.”
“We have never seen anything like this at this level before, despite the changes that have taken place during the first Trump administration,” Kekic told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“Refugee resettlement is one of those proud traditions in the United States that has been practiced for such a long time, and we’re hoping to try to find a way to continue to do it.”
NO OPPORTUNITIES
According to the United Nations, nearly 38 million people worldwide are refugees — and 65 percent of them come from just four countries: Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Many refugees live in poverty in countries such as Iran, Turkiye, Uganda, Pakistan and Kenya, and face a barrage of challenges. Often banned from working, they live in decrepit housing and usually lack the most basic of services.
Kenya is home to more than 820,000 refugees, most of whom fled neighboring Somalia after it descended into civil war in 1991. Over the years, more refugees have streamed in, uprooted by drought, famine and persistent insecurity.
Many are housed in sprawling refugee camps like Dadaab — a settlement spread over 50 square km (19 square miles) of semi-arid desert that is home to more than 415,000 people.
Residents have few ways to earn a living other than rearing goats, manual labor and running kiosks sewing clothes, selling camel meat or charging cell phones from solar panels.
Kenya forbids refugees from leaving the camp to seek work.

A woman waves a Mexican and American flag together during a protest against US President Donald Trump’s intensified enforcement of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, US on February 8, 2025. (REUTERS)

As a result, people are poor and bereft of options.
They live in tarpaulin tents or shacks made of corrugated iron and branches, and rely on rations of cooking oil, milk powder, rice and sugar sent by foreign donors.
Many Somali refugees have lived in Dadaab for decades; some were born in the camp and have never seen life outside.
With most unable to return home to Somalia, tens of thousands have sought a better life whole continents away.
While the United States is often a prized destination, US policy on refugee resettlement is complex.
Vetting and screening — X-rays, vaccinations and a host of other medical examinations — can take more than a decade.
Refugee upon refugee recounts the same tale of years lost to process and procedure, interviews, screenings and then — finally — approval granted only to see their long-awaited escape flights suspended until further notice, no explanation given.
During Trump’s first term, the fear of languishing in camps for years saw young men lured by people smugglers into risky, illegal routes to Europe or to the United States via Mexico.
“These people smugglers are smart. They target young men who are desperate after having their flights canceled and promise to take them through another route,” said Abdirahim, 29, who had his flight canceled in Trump’s first term and now again in his second term.
“But many boys just go missing. Or their families here in Dadaab get calls from smugglers in Libya who have kidnapped them and demand thousands of dollars in ransom,” added Abdirahim, whose name has been changed to protect his identity.
‘WE ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE’
As well as refugees, thousands of Afghan and Iraqi nationals — people who had worked with the US government and been granted Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) to resettle in the United States — have also been left in limbo.
In Afghanistan, many people have been forced into hiding fearing reprisals after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Subhan Safi, 28, worked with US troops as a plumber for three years. In December 2023, he was granted an SIV and more than one year on, was still awaiting evacuation from Kabul.
“I have been waiting to get on a flight ... but now I am facing an uncertain future and do not know what will happen next,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Kabul.
“I’m still hopeful that the US president’s decision will change, and that people like me, who are at risk, will be allowed entry. I’m very eager to start a new and better life,” added Safi, whose name has been changed to protect his identity.
The US State Department would not say how many people were awaiting resettlement, but confirmed admissions were on hold.
“Consistent with President Trump’s Executive Order ... the Department of State is coordinating with implementing partners to suspend refugee arrivals and case processing activities,” it said in a statement to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

People watch demonstrators march during a protest against US President Donald Trump’s intensified enforcement of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, US on February 8, 2025. (REUTERS)

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said it was analizing the order, and was ready to work with Trump to find solutions.
“Refugee resettlement is a life-saving measure for those most at risk, including survivors of violence or torture, women and children at risk, and individuals with legal or physical protection needs,” said a UNHCR spokesperson.
Dadaab refugees said they had no choice but to hope that Trump would lift his suspension after the three-month review.
Some even said they didn’t blame him.
“I agree with President Trump. Illegal people should not be in his country. I think once he has deported all the illegal people, he will let the refugees come and do their jobs,” said Abdi, 24, who has been waiting 16 years for resettlement.
“We are not bad people. We want go to the US but we want to go properly and legally,” added Abdi, whose name has been changed to protect his identity.


Indian PM Modi to meet Trump on US trip this week

Updated 10 February 2025
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Indian PM Modi to meet Trump on US trip this week

  • Two leaders enjoyed cordial relations during Trump’s first term as president
  • The US is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade worth more than $118 billion

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump this week, as New Delhi seeks closer ties with Washington in various fields, including technology, defense and trade.

Modi will be among the first foreign leaders to meet Trump at the White House during his second term. Before flying to the US, he will make a stop in France to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and to attend the AI Action Summit.

“I look forward to meeting my friend, President Trump,” Modi said in a statement before his departure on Monday.

“Although this will be our first meeting following his historic electoral victory and inauguration in January, I have a very warm recollection of working together in his first term in building a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between India and the US.”

The two leaders shared cordial relations during Trump’s first term as president.

In 2019, Trump joined Modi at a “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston, Texas that drew about 50,000 people and was billed as one of the largest receptions for a foreign leader in the US.

When Trump made his first visit to India in February 2020, Modi hosted him in his home state of Gujarat, where the “Namaste Trump” welcome event was attended by about 100,000 people.

“This visit will be an opportunity to build upon the successes of our collaboration in his first term and develop an agenda to further elevate and deepen our partnership, including in the areas of technology, trade, defence, energy, and supply chain resilience,” Modi said.

India considers the US as one of its “strongest international partnerships” in recent years, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Friday.

The US is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade worth more than $118 billion in 2023-2024 and India posting a trade surplus of $32 billion.

Modi’s visit comes just days after US authorities deported 104 Indians in shackles on a military plane, a much-publicized transfer that sparked outrage among legislators and citizens in the South Asian nation.