Unhcr –
On the occasion of World Refugee Day on 20 June, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, launches the Global Trends report, which presents the main statistical trends and the latest data on forced migration in the world and presents the HOPE AWAY FROM campaign HOME – A world where all refugees are included.
The ongoing war in Ukraine, combined with conflicts elsewhere in the world and climate-driven upheavals, have forced a record number of people to flee their homes in 2022, heightening the urgency for immediate and collective action to alleviate the causes and impact of the displacement, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said today.
UNHCR’s flagship annual report, Global Trends in Forced Displacement 2022, found that by the end of 2022, the number of people forcibly displaced by war, persecution, violence and human rights abuses had risen to a record high of 108.4 million, an unprecedented increase of 19.1 million over the prior year.
In the current year, the growing trend in the number of people forced to flee globally shows no signs of slowing down also due to the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan which has caused new exoduses, pushing the total number of people fleeing to a estimated value of 110 million until last May.
“These numbers show us that there are people who are too quick to resort to war, and far too slow to find solutions. The result is devastation, displacement and anguish for millions of people forcibly uprooted from their homes,” said High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
The war in Ukraine was the main driver of forced displacements in 2022. The number of refugees from Ukraine rose from 27,300 at the end of 2021 to 5.7 million at the end of 2022, making it the fastest-paced refugee exodus in the world since the Second World War. The number of refugees from Afghanistan has grown sharply at the end of 2022 due to revised estimates of Afghan nationals hosted in Iran, many of whom had arrived in previous years.
Of the global total, 35.3 million are refugees, people who have crossed an international border in search of safety, with the largest group (58%, or 62.5 million people) being internally displaced of their countries due to conflict and violence.
The numbers also confirm that, both on the basis of economic measures and in relation to the population, it is always the low- and middle-income countries that host the majority of displaced people. The 46 least developed countries account for less than 1.3% of global gross domestic product, yet host more than 20% of all refugees. It should also be noted that in 2022, the funds available to deal with the many ongoing refugee crises and to support the communities that host them, was far below the needs and still remains insufficient in 2023, despite the growing humanitarian needs .
In Italy there are 354,414 people who have been forced to leave their country due to wars and persecutions, 41% of whom come from the Ukraine. The UNHCR is engaged in Italy to promote and facilitate the social, cultural and economic inclusion of refugees with a series of actions involving the administrations, the private sector, the third sector, local communities and the refugees themselves.
“Refugees want opportunities, not assistance” – said Chiara Cardoletti, UNHCR Representative for Italy, the Holy See and San Marino. “We are proud to have given our contribution, involving cities, businesses, the third sector, and many other relevant actors, to guarantee refugees the right to apply for a job, enroll in school and access services such as housing and health care. The results achieved in these few years are truly amazing”.
The Refugee Agency has drawn up the Charter for Integration, adopted by the Municipalities of Bari, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Rome and Turin, a tool to promote the enrichment and harmonious development of cities through integration. In these cities, UNHCR is facilitating the opening of Common Spaces, multifunctional centers that provide services for asylum seekers and refugees, making it easier for them to enter inclusion paths. Refugee access to the labor market is facilitated with the Welcome – Working for refugee integration project, which in five editions has made it possible to activate 22,000 job placement pathways. The Community Matching program promotes encounters between refugees and local communities in 10 Italian cities and has already run 358 matches, involving people of 41 nationalities. Partecipazione is an empowerment and capacity-building program which in four years has supported the development of 48 refugee associations in 12 Italian regions.
“People around the world continue to show extraordinary hospitality to refugees, extending protection and helping those in need,” Grandi added, “but more international support and a more equitable sharing of responsibility is needed, especially with those countries that host most of the world‘s refugees and displaced persons.”
“Above all, much more needs to be done to end conflicts and remove obstacles so that refugees have a real opportunity to voluntarily return home, in safety and dignity.”
While the total number of people forcibly displaced has continued to grow, the Global Trends report also shows that some of them have been able to return to their countries voluntarily and safely. In 2022, more than 339,000 refugees returned to 38 countries, and although the number was lower than the previous year, there were significant voluntary returns to South Sudan, Syria, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast. Meanwhile, 5.7 million internally displaced people returned in 2022, particularly within Ethiopia, Myanmar, Syria, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
An estimated 4.4 million people worldwide were stateless or of undetermined nationality at the end of 2022, 2% more than at the end of 2021.
The Global Trends report was launched six months before the second Global Refugee Forum, a major conference to be held in Geneva and which will bring together a variety of actors to find new solutions and put solidarity with forcibly displaced people and host communities.
La Campagna HOPE AWAY FROM HOME.
To celebrate the courage and fortitude of refugees on World Refugee Day, UNHCR is launching the global campaign HOPE AWAY FROM HOME – A world where all refugees are included.
The campaign aims to highlight the importance of long-term solutions for refugees and the power of inclusion.
Having reached safety in a foreign country, too many refugees are left in limbo. They need peace and less war to be able to return home safely, more chances to resettle in a new country or opportunities to rebuild their lives in the communities where they have found refuge. Regardless of the length of exile, refugees want to continue living their lives, getting an education, providing for their families, making friends. Inclusion of refugees is the most effective way to support them in resuming their lives and also the best way to prepare them to return home and rebuild their countries, when conditions permit, safely and voluntarily.
Solutions and the power of inclusion will be discussed on 20 June at 10 am during a round table entitled HOPE AWAY FROM HOME at the Auditorium Antonianum, in viale Manzoni 1 in Rome, where together with refugees, representatives of civil institutions and religious leaders, the private sector, and our partners, we will celebrate this day by talking about proposals for a world in which refugees are always included.