RIFKA ZIYARD
COLOMBO: World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls each year on 20th day of June and is dedicated to refugees around the globe. The theme this year is Together we heal, learn and shine.
As per the UNHCR Global Trends report, 79.5 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2019 (i.e 1% of humanity, or 1 in every 97 people on earth). As per the UNICEF, 50% of the world’s refugees are children.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) communicates in relation to the theme that given the chance, refugees will continue to contribute to a stronger, safer, and more vibrant world.
The UNHCR call for greater inclusion of refugees in health systems, schools, and sport. Access to health care and medical support saves lives. Education helps people forced to flee build better futures. Sport can enrich the lives of people forced to flee their homes. It can boost mental health and help refugees gain confidence, forge new friendships, and feel welcome.
The UNHCR is a UN agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration, or resettlement to a third country.
World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives. World Refugee Day was held globally for the first time on June 20, 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
