By Bill de Blasio, Anne Hidalgo and Sadiq Khan, New York Times
World leaders are gathering in New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly, and at the top of their agenda sits a refugee crisis that has reached a level of urgency not seen since World War II. The United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants and President Obama’s Leaders’ Summit on Refugees represent a watershed moment that is putting a global spotlight on the need for an effective response to a growing humanitarian crisis.
As the mayors of three great global cities — New York, Paris and London — we urge the world leaders assembling at the United Nations to take decisive action to provide relief and safe haven to refugees fleeing conflict and migrants fleeing economic hardship, and to support those who are already doing this work.
We will do our part, too. Our cities pledge to continue to stand for inclusivity, and that is why our cities support services and programs that help all residents, including our diverse immigrant communities, feel welcome, so that every resident feels part of our great cities.
In New York, nearly half of all small-business owners are immigrants who contribute to the tax base and expand job opportunities for other New Yorkers. London recently began a publicity campaign, #LondonIsOpen, which highlights similar success stories, drawing from the three million Londoners who were born abroad and contribute to the city’s creativity, vitality and entrepreneurial spirit.