The refugee crisis needs to be a top priority for the global community

Jordanian Royal Court/Handout | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Queen Rania of Jordan meets Rohingya muslim refugees during her visit to the Kutupalong camp on October 23, 2017 in Ukhia, Bangladesh

“Jordan has taken in 1.3 million refugees, which has had a devastating impact on our country,” she added, explaining how the majority lived in towns and cities, having a “tremendous impact” on infrastructure, resources and services including education and healthcare.

“I’m sad to say, that the international response has been lacking. Some countries have been generous, and we’re very grateful to that, but the scale and the scope of the crisis way outpaces the support that we’re getting.”

The royal explained that the issue needed to be prioritized worldwide, with more needing to be done to highlight the benefits that refugees can bring.

“I definitely think that, in general, the global community really needs to prioritize this issue,” she said. “I think we’re living in a world where fear dominates, and I think people are fearing all the changes, the disruptive forces of change, one of them is migration.”

“I feel that when people are fearful, it affects the decisions they make and, unfortunately, that feeds in to populist politics, which sometimes means that we shun away what’s foreign, and want to seek what’s familiar — and that means not letting foreigners come in to our country.”

“That’s a real issue we have to face, because, historically, countries have always benefited from diversity, and economies have grown when they’ve let other nationalities in. So, I think it’s a mentality of openness that we really need to embrace,” she added.