I magine yourself without a home. Done?
Imagine carrying everything you own on your back.
Now imagine struggling to find food to eat, and water to drink. Imagine never being sure when you'll have to move again, or where you'll be sent. Imagine someone in your family falling sick, imagine knowing that
medical treatment is a
luxury you might not be able to afford.
There are over 40 million refugees in the world today. Many Sri Lankan's have been counted among that number – forced to move more than once from their homes to escape
conflict, these are families
struggling to survive.
World Refugee Day is meant to draw attention to their plight and to that of millions of others around the world. From June 18 to 20 the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
commemorates World Refugee Day in Washington DC, in order to draw the public's attention to the millions of refugees worldwide who are forced to flee their homes.
For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own Refugee Days and even Weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day, which is
celebrated on June 20 in several countries.
As an expression of
solidarity with Africa, which hosts the most refugees, and which traditionally has shown them great
generosity, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 55/76 on
December 4, 2000.
In this
resolution, the General Assembly noted that 2001 marked the 50th
anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on June 20.
Each year, UNHCR selects a theme and
co-ordinates events across the globe.
This year, with the world economic crisis
threatening to slash aid budgets and amid enormous global uncertainty, we need to ensure refugees are not forgotten. That's why the theme for this year's World Refugee Day on June 20 is "Real People, Real Needs."
Of the millions of people forcibly displaced by conflict, persecution and natural
disasters, every one has a story to tell; they are real people, just like you and me, and they have real needs. But, despite the best efforts of UNHCR and many
others, many of these basic needs are far from being met.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The UN Refugee Agency first emerged in the wake of World War II to help Europeans displaced by that conflict. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly.
The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate
international action to
protect refugees and resolve refugee problems
worldwide.
Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees.
It strives to ensure that
everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to
resettle in a third country.
It also has a mandate to help stateless people.
The first major
emergency faced by the UNHCR was in 1956, with the outpouring of refugees when Soviet forces crushed the Hungarian Revolution.
In more than five decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. From only 34 staff members when UNHCR was founded, today, a staff of some 6,600 people in more than 110 countries continues to help about 34 million persons.
In 1954, the organization won the Nobel Peace Prize for its ground-breaking work in helping the refugees of Europe. More than a quarter century later, UNHCR received the 1981 award for what had become worldwide assistance to refugees.
"On this World Refugee Day, let us remember that refugees too are real people with real needs. Helping them to rebuild their lives and their communities
benefits us all."
– UNHCR
High Commissioner António Guterres |
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