UN Secretary General Calls for \"Comprehensive\" Search and Rescue Response to Migrant Crisis.

Speaking after a meeting with Enda Kenny in Dublin on Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called 2015 a \”crucially important year for humanity\”, and urged the European community to mount a \”comprehensive\” effort to save more lives in the worsening global migrant crisis.  The plight of migrants from Africa and the Middle East attempting to get across into Europe via the Mediterranean was highlighted earlier this April when a series of tragic shipwrecks lead to a combined death toll of more than 1,200 people.  Speaking in Ireland ahead of a trip to Brussels, Ban Ki-moon said search and rescue efforts needed to be strengthened collectively: \”This should be shared collectively by European countries,  it should not be borne by just one or two countries.

 Mr. Ban praised the Irish for maintaining their humanitarian commitments despite the difficulties of the recession:  \”In going through your own period of austerity, you refused to inflict it on others.\”  He also praised Ireland as \”very peaceful, beautiful, very clean, very committed and very friendly\”; however, the UN Secretary General called for all countries to do more:  \”I\’m urging world leaders, including Irish and European leaders to show their leadership, to show visionary leadership.\”