File photo of UN chief Ban Ki-moon
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged European leaders Tuesday to act responsibly and humanely toward refugees arriving at their borders and invited leaders to a meeting on migration at the end of this month.
Ban has called the leaders of seven European governments over the past several days as the rush of refugees from war-torn Syria, Iraq and elsewhere has reached a crisis level, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
In those conversations, Ban has emphasized "that the large majority of people arriving in Europe are refugees fleeing war and violence, who have a right to seek asylum without any form of discrimination," according to Dujarric.
Ban also "applauded the inspiring examples that have been displayed all over Europe by private citizens and civil society."
But he said those efforts need to continue: "The Secretary-General appealed to these leaders to be the voice of those in need of protection and to quickly find a joint approach to address their basic needs."
Ban invited leaders to a high-level meeting on migration and refugees September 30 in New York, on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, which nearly 150 heads of state are expected to attend.
Dujarric did not specify which leaders had been invited or other details about the meeting.
He said the countries Ban had called recently were Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, but did not mention how the calls had been received.
Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban has been outspoken in his opposition to welcoming migrants to his country or Europe in general.