All countries must contribute to solving the global refugee crisis, the President of the United Nations General Assembly said today, underscoring that the international community has an unequivocal obligation towards the women, men and children seeking refuge from conflict and violence.

"The world has not seen a global humanitarian crisis of this magnitude since the Second World War and with winter approaching in the northern hemisphere, it is only going to get worse," Mogens Lykketoft cautioned during his first formal press conference since taking office last week.

"The tragic stories and heart-breaking images we are seeing in the media are only the tip of the iceberg — the manifestation of much bigger issues which only multilateral cooperation and global leadership can solve," he added. "This is a global crisis. And it requires a global solution."

Adapted from the UN website