UNHCR: Millions of people displaced worldwide

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Fillipo Grandi says there is a need to sound the alarm for millions of refuges as the international community marks World Refugee Day on June 20.

In a statement on June 20, Grandi said, “Record numbers of men, women and children – over 122 million people worldwide – have been uprooted from their homes, but their ability to find safety and support is threatened as never before.”

He attributed this ongoing development to abject failure to end conflicts in places such as Sudan, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Gaza Strip in Israel.

Grandi said, “Innocent people who run for their lives as the bullets fly and the missiles rain down are unjustly stigmatised, making it harder to escape danger and to find somewhere to recover and rebuild.”

To make a desperate position worse, he continued, brutal cuts to humanitarian aid are choking off assistance, threatening the lives of millions of people who desperately need help.

Grandi said, “At this critical juncture, it is vital that we reaffirm our solidarity with refugees – not just with words but with urgent action.”

He expressed gratitude to countries on the edges of war zones that “continue to welcome and host refugees, local communities that open their homes, workplaces and hearts to displaced people.”

Grandi said, “From wealthier states to development banks to businesses and many others, we can and must support these countries and communities by sharing the responsibility for protecting refugees. Such acts of solidarity would enable this generosity to continue.”

He added on June 20, he is in Syria “where, after 14 years of crisis and despair, two million people have already chosen to return to their homes and communities since the fall of the Assad regime last December.”

Grandi recalled Syria is part of a region that has suffered considerable violence over the years and continues to suffer today.

“We are nonetheless presented with an opportunity to help Syrians achieve stability and prosperity. We must not let it pass by.”

Grandi spoke about his interaction with returning Syrian refugees.

“Their deep joy at being among familiar faces and surroundings – despite the many challenges – is a poignant reminder of the yearning refugees feel for home.”

Grandi said it is incumbent upon governments, institutions, companies and people around the world to play their part in helping innocent people who have been turned into refugees because of senseless conflicts that are not their fault.

He was confident that if this happens “refugees will bring all their courage, spirit and ingenuity to the task of creating a better, brighter tomorrow.”