UNHCR’s Report Says Forced Displacement Worldwide at Its Highest in Decades Adrian Edwards - UN Refugee Agency
go to original June 20, 2017

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi on World Refugee Day 2017 (UNHCR)

War, violence and persecution have uprooted more men, women and children around the world than at any time in the seven-decade history of UNHCR according to a report published today.

The UN Refugee Agency's annual Global Trends study found that 65.6 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2016 – a total bigger than the population of the United Kingdom and about 300,000 more than last year.

It noted that the pace at which people are becoming displaced remains very high. On average, 20 people were driven from their homes every minute last year, or one every three seconds – less than the time it takes to read this sentence.

“It speaks louder than ever to the need for solidarity and common purpose in preventing and resolving crises, and ensuring together that the world’s refugees, internally displaced and asylum-seekers are properly protected and cared for while solutions are pursued.”

In each of the past five years, annual increases to the global displacement total have been in the millions. While the 2016 total is high – representing an enormous number of people needing protection worldwide – it also shows that growth in displacement slowed last year.

The total figure includes 40.3 million people uprooted within the borders of their own countries, about 500,000 fewer than in 2015. Meanwhile, the total number seeking asylum globally was 2.8 million, about 400,000 fewer than in the previous year.

However, the total seeking safety across international borders as refugees topped 22.5 million, the highest number seen since UNHCR was founded in 1950 in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Read the rest at UNHCR

Related: Latin America Closer to Refugee Crisis Than It Thinks, UNHCR Says (EFE)

Related: Refugee or Migrant? Sometimes the Line Is Blurred (The Conversation)

Related: Climate Change-Induced Migration from Central America (Lawfare)

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