World Refugee Day is an international day organized by the United Nations every year on June 20th to celebrate and honor refugees from around the world. This day was first celebrated in 2001, on the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This year’s theme for World Refugee Day was “Together we heal, learn and shine.” In honoring this day, this blog gives you an idea of the current status of refugees, please do read on.
UNHCR defines a refugee as “someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” As of the end of 2020, 82.4 million individuals around the world were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. To put this number in perspective, 82.4 million people is nearly equivalent to the entire population of Germany; the number of displaced people in the world could form a nation of their own. This was an increase of 2.9 million over the previous year. Although a worldwide phenomenon, statistics show that 2 out of 3 refugees come from only five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar. On the flip side, the countries that host the most refugees are Germany, Uganda, Pakistan, Colombia, and Turkey.
To this, you may ask, “What can I do to help?” Here is a rundown of what you can do to help refugees:
1. Help refugees to integrate into a new culture
If you know any refugees, be a friend to them, even small gestures of friendship can mean a great deal to someone feeling isolated in a different country with a wildly different culture.
2. Employ refugees
If you have the ability or opportunity to employ refugees, keep your mind open to providing them employment! Although some countries do not permit refugees to seek employment, if your country does, studies have repeatedly shown that the integration of refugees into the workforce can yield substantial economic dividends.
3. Volunteer
If you have the time to volunteer with an organization that supports refugees, this can go a great way in supporting refugees. There are numerous non-profits and international organizations that work towards supporting refugees. Some of these include Refugees International, International Rescue Committee, UNHCR, Red Cross, and HIAS.
4. Donate
You can always donate to support refugee organizations and the campaigns that they run. UNHCR encourages monthly donors to support refugees, in fact just for today, UNHCR is running the TWICE campaign. With TWICE, if you donate today, your gift is matched for the first three months, which doubles the aid provided to refugees. Most organizations today also ensure to keep their donors updated on where their money is going and who it's supporting so you can be sure of the impact that your donation is making.
5. Raise awareness
Encourage those around you to learn more about refugees and support refugees. You can also organize events and fundraisers to support the cause. For UN Refugee Agency resources such as banners, T-shirts, or posters, you can contact your local UNHCR office!