2023: A Moment of Truth for Global Displacement
UNHCR SpotlightJan 15, 2023
According to the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre on Thursday, the number of people internally displaced by conflicts and natural disasters has risen 20% since 2021, hitting a record high of 71M people fleeing in search of safety and shelter in 2022.
The nonprofit’s secretary general, Jan Egeland, said the global food crisis — worsened by the war in Ukraine — mixed with natural disasters and the ongoing effects of the pandemic created a "perfect storm."
Military conflicts, droughts, and poverty have wreaked havoc on the most vulnerable countries in the world, and the problem is only getting worse. It is up to individual governments to find peaceful solutions to war and the global community as a whole to join hands to find solutions to both climate change and the dangerous migration routes taken by refugees. This complex global issue must be dealt with through multifaceted plans of action led by the international community collaborating together.
Since launching its so-called "war on terror," the US government has ignited devastating — and unnecessary — wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, the Philippines, Libya, and Syria. Furthermore, the estimated 37M displacements are actually a lowball if you include the US-backed rebel groups in Syria. US military hegemony bears a great deal of responsibility for global displacement.
There's a 50% chance at least 182k refugees will be admitted to the US from 2021 to 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.