UNHCR calls for concerted action as forced displacement hits new record in 2022
DhakatribuneJun 14, 2023
The head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, said on Wednesday that a record 110M people worldwide had been displaced from their homes due to conflict, persecution, discrimination, and climate-related upheaval.
This marks another surge triggered by the Sudan conflict, following a 19.1M increase in displaced people in 2021 to 108.4M by the end of last year — the largest annual increase on record, according to the UNHCR Forced Displacement Report released on Wednesday.
It's by no means the world's rich countries, but the low- and middle-income countries, many of which themselves suffer from poverty and crises, that continue to bear by far the greatest burden of hosting displaced people. Moreover, while Western countries pursue increasingly restrictive refugee policies, there's a lack of funding for international refugee programs. Much greater international assistance and a more equitable distribution of responsibilities are needed to support refugees and allow them to return home safely and with dignity.
The UNHCR's new data on displaced people are a wake-up call for the international community to step up its efforts in protecting people who have fled war and crises. Even if many states are not living up to their responsibilities under the Geneva Refugee Convention, there are indeed some positive developments. These include the deal reached a few days ago by EU members to revise the bloc's asylum procedures to share responsibility for migrants and refugees. This will not solve all problems, but it is an important step in the right direction.