Syrian Refugee Update: UN Criticizes Laxity Of 'Rich' Nations In Helping Refugees

By Aisha Reese

The United Nations is finally stepping it up and holding nations responsible for not only having done enough but for having waited too long to address the Syrian refugee crisis.

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The U.N. refugee chief Antonio Guterres spoke to Reuters about the situation and about the First World countries that could have done more. He particularly spoke about the fact that these countries took too long to understand the magnitude and the gravity of the crisis.

"Until we had this massive movement into Europe, there was no recognition in the developed world of how serious this crisis was," he said. "If, in the past, we had more massive support to those countries in the developing world that have been receiving them and protecting them, this would not have happened."

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The Syrian crisis should have been staunched when the civil war began, instead of allowing it to intensify and spread to neighboring countries. The fact that the First World countries didn't quite grasp how out of control the situation will get did not prepare them for this mass exodus.

But Guterres is hopeful yet, as he believes that these countries have finally begun to understand how serious the situation is and that the water has gone over their heads. This will perhaps push them to do the needful.

"I think political leaders are starting to understand ... the scale of the problem and the need to have a much stronger response, response in humanitarian aid," he said. "One of the reasons that refugees started to move in such big numbers was because international assistance declined."

Of all the European nations, Germany and Greece have set shining examples but there have been others like Hungary which have been egregiously insensitive to the plight of the refugees. Recently, the whole issue was also addressed at a special EU summit and the nations seemed to be taking stock of the situation and trying to get the EU to show solidarity beseeching that every nation share the burden of the influx of refugees.