WelCom June/July 2022
The Ukraine war and other conflicts pushed the number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human-rights violations and persecution, over the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said last month.
‘One hundred million is a stark figure – sobering and alarming in equal measure,’ said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. ‘It’s a record that should never have been set.
‘This must serve as a wake-up call to resolve and prevent destructive conflicts, end persecution and address the underlying causes that force innocent people to flee their homes,’ he added.
According to UNHCR, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide approached 90 million by the end of 2021, propelled by new waves of violence or protracted conflict in countries including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Congo.
Photo: Eskinder Debebe/UN
Since then, the war in Ukraine has displaced 8 million within the country this year and forced around 6 million to leave the nation.
100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide represents 1 per cent of the global population and is equivalent to the 14th most populous country in the world.
The number includes refugees and asylum seekers as well as the 53.2 million people displaced inside their borders by conflict.
Source: UN News