UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency Thursday said that 25people were forced to flee their homes every minute in 2018 as globaldisplacement tops 70 million
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 20th June, 2019) UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency Thursday said that 25people were forced to flee their homes every minute in 2018 as globaldisplacement tops 70 million.UNHCR's annual Global Trends report shows that 70.8 million were forciblydisplaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, orhuman rights violations in 2018."70.8 have been denied a home. This is not a number - these are humanbeings.
They don't need to be denied hope," Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela,UNHCR's Representative in Pakistan said on the occasion of the WorldRefugee Day. She said in 2018, every second refugee was a child.The World refugee Day is marked on 20 June every year as a tribute to thecourage and resilience of the millions of people uprooted as a result ofongoing conflicts, war and natural disasters globally. This year's theme is"Step with Refugees".UNHCR and the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) organised anevent to show solidity with those forced to flee their homes.
Minister forStates and Frontier Regions, Shehryar Afridi was the chief guest at theoccasion. The event was attended by government officials, heads ofdiplomatic missions and UN agencies, UN staff and a large number ofrefugees. Refugee children presented cultural songs and a role playdepicting the lives of refugees and cultural songs. A photo exhibition wasalso organized.The UNHCR Representative paid rich tribute to the resilience of refugeesand the generosity of host communities that provides shelter and protectionfor refugees.
Menikdiwela said 84 per cent of the world's refugees are living indeveloping countries despite their own economic challenges while 16 percent of the refugees are being hosted by developed countries.Pakistan is the second largest hosting country in the world by hosting 1.4million Afghan refugees. The largest hosting country is Turkey, which hosts3.7 million refugees.Menikdiwela said that Pakistan has been generously hosting the Afghanrefugees for four decades, therefore, this is high time for theinternational community to mobilize more support to support refugees andtheir host communities in Pakistan.
"This country and its communitiesstepped up for those who have lost so much," she added.SAFRON Minister Shehryar Khan Afridi lauded the UNHCR representativeand her team to help the cause of Afghan refugees. "It is a pity that onlydeveloping countries are hosting 85 percent of refugees while Pakistanamidst its financial crisis situation is hosting Afghan refugees for thepast 40 years," the minister said and added that over the period of 40years, Pakistan has developed good practices that can be replicated by allactors in the ambit of humanitarianism.
In Peshawar, refugee children and their teachers undertook a study tour tothe Peshawar Gandhara museum. The event was organized with the help of CDUand UNHCR's partner, SHARP. The children enjoyed seeing the artefacts andexplored the museum.The World Refugee Day event was also observed in Quetta. cricket matchesinvolving Afghan refugees were also held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa andBalochistan. These matches were part of the World Refugee Day activities.
