The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recently published its annual Global Trends Report. The report, which is released every year, provides data on refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons worldwide, as well as numbers of people who have returned to their home countries or areas. This year’s report arrives just before World Refugee Day, designated as June 20 by the United Nations. The theme for this year’s event is the universal right to seek safety – whoever you are, whatever your situation, whenever you need help.
What is UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)?
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was created in 1950 to assist millions of Europeans who had lost their homes following the Second World War. The organization quickly expanded its operations to assist displaced people in Asia, Latin America, and Africa as decolonization trends emerged during the 1960s. For its efforts, UNHCR has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize twice, in 1954 and 1981.
The State of Global Displacement
The report reveals that last year, violence, human rights abuses, food insecurity, the climate crisis, and other emergencies forced approximately 100 million people worldwide to flee their homes. Among these were 23.7 million new internal displacements due to natural disasters, a decrease from the previous year. The largest displacements occurred in China (6.0 million), the Philippines (5.7 million), and India (4.9 million). By the end of the year, 5.9 million people remained displaced due to disasters.
Understanding Internal Displacement
International displacement refers to situations where people have had to leave their homes but remain within their native country. This can be caused by conflict, violence, development projects, disasters, and climate change. Internally displaced people are distinguished from refugees by their lack of international migration – they stay within their home countries’ recognized borders. Despite facing similar threats to refugees, such as physical attack or deprivation of basic amenities, internally displaced people are not protected under any international convention.
Challenges Associated with Internal Displacement
Quantifying displacement caused by climate change is a major challenge, as lack of definition precludes accurate measurement and prediction. “Climate refugee” is not a term recognised in international law, complicating assessments of displacement related to climate change. Moreover, the unprecedented nature of human-induced climate change produces unpredictable impacts on mobility, including poverty, political instability, and armed conflict.
Solutions for Displaced People
The report suggests several strategies to assist displaced individuals. Most refugees prefer to return to their home countries, but political stability and economic opportunities must be present for safe reintegration. For those who can’t return, resettlement could be an option, though this is becoming increasingly rare due to a decrease in available placements offered by states. Local integration, where refugees can remain long-term or permanently in their host countries, is another solution.
The 1951 Refugee Convention
This key piece of legislation, along with its 1967 Protocol, forms the basis of UNHCR’s work. It defines a ‘refugee’, outlines the rights of refugees, and sets out the legal obligations of states to protect them. The most crucial principle is non-refoulement, which stipulates that refugees should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. As the guardian of this convention, UNHCR works with states to ensure refugee rights are respected and protected.
