World Refugee Day: UN calls for solidarity and inclusion amid record displacement
GOOBJOOG NEWS: The United Nations has called for more efforts to resettle refugees and help them rebuild their lives saying a record high of 110 million people around the world have been forcefully displaced.
“These are not numbers on a page, these are individual women, children and men making difficult journeys – often facing violence, exploitation, discrimination and abuse,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guteres said.
While stressing the need for solidarity with host countries and communities Guteres said the World Refugee Day reminds the global community of their duty to protect and support refugees and to open more avenues of support for those displaced from their homes.
This year theme “Hope Away From Home”, is a call by the United Nations to the international community to “harness the hope that refugees carry in their hearts.”
From Kenya, where he visited the vast Kakuma refugee camp, the current UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said that the world should step up investment and “commit to including refugees in our communities at all levels – in our schools, workplaces, health-care systems, and beyond.”
In a tweet, Mr. Grandi deplored the fact that this year’s World Refugee Day coincided with the news that more than half a million people have now fled Sudan to neighboring countries. “Guns must fall silent if we want this exodus to stop,” he said.
At the same time, the UN migration agency IOM, issued a statement honoring the strength and resilience of those forced to flee from conflict, announcing that since 2001, agency teams have provided orientation training for more than one million on the move.
This includes some 700,000 refugees being resettled.
The head of the World Food Programme Cindy McCain tweeted that conflict and climate shocks were pushing more and more people into hunger and homelessness.
“WFP is working with partners like UNHCR to deliver critical aid to millions of refugees in 40-plus countries. Today and every day, they deserve our continued support.”
- By Fauxile Kibet