--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [Refugees] cannot be stopped, but they…" description: "\"[Refugees] cannot be stopped, but they can and must be managed better, more humanely, protecting migrants' human rights whilst accepting states' rights..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/kofi-annan-799_accepting_refugees-cannot-be-stopped-but-they-can_849032.png" --- # \[Refugees\] cannot be stopped, but they can and must be… ![“[Refugees] cannot be stopped, but they can and must be managed better, more humanely, protecting migrants' human rights whilst accepting states' rights to control their borders.” quote by Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/kofi-annan-799_accepting_refugees-cannot-be-stopped-but-they-can_849032.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/kofi-annan-799_accepting_refugees-cannot-be-stopped-but-they-can_849032.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/kofi-annan-799_accepting_refugees-cannot-be-stopped-but-they-can_849032.png) > “\[Refugees\] cannot be stopped, but they can and must be managed better, more humanely, protecting migrants' human rights whilst accepting states' rights to control their borders.” [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates humane refugee management while respecting state border control. **In simple terms:** Manage refugees humanely, respect borders. Key Takeaway Balance compassion with sovereignty. Themes human rights migration policy Mood concerned determined Type policy strategic When to use this quote - government policy - NGO work - border security Key Concepts asylum law international relations Questions to Reflect On - How can states improve refugee care? - What policies balance rights and security? A Different Perspective T is political tension between rights and control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Migrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migrants/) [Refugee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refugee/) [Refugees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refugees/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [States rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states-rights/) ## Related quotes > [I would like to ask you all to see a ray of hope as well in the eyes and hearts of refugees and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-would-like-to-ask-you-all-to-see-a-ray-of-hope-as-well-in-the-eyes/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [There are many war refugees and three times as many climate refugees. All of them are people who can no longer live where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/there-are-many-war-refugees-and-three-times-as-many-climate-refugees/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [How many migrants, how many immigrants, how many migrants and refugees fleeing war-torn areas in the Middle East are permitted into the Vatican? I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/how-many-migrants-how-many-immigrants-how-many-migrants-and-refugees/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/migrants-and-refugees-are-not-pawns-on-the-chessboard-of-humanity/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Germany has got to deal with its global responsibilities in a mature way. 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And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-were-all-children-once-and-we-all-share-the-desire-for-the-well/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [You will recall that for months after 9/11, there was incredible support and sympathy for the US. I really hoped and wished they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/you-will-recall-that-for-months-after-9-11-there-was-incredible/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [A nation has the right to defend itself, but when it comes to the broader issue of peace and security, the legitimacy rests only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/a-nation-has-the-right-to-defend-itself-but-when-it-comes-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/some-have-suggested-that-ideally-there-must-be-some-international/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-knew-the-syrian-situation-was-complex-and-there-were-lots-of/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? 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If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. 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