Every year on June 20 the world honours the courage, resilience and strength of refugees. Global attention is focused not only on the plight of refugees and causes of their exile but also on their determination and contribution they make to their host communities.
June 20, 2001 marked the first ever universal Refugee Day. Countries across the globe celebrated this day as World Refugee Day. Many countries have previously celebrated a refugee day, but 2001 marked the first international day. For more information visit the UNHCR website
The global theme (as set by the UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) for 2009 is "Real People, Real Needs". Despite the efforts of many, the needs of refugees worldwide are far from being met. Behind these unmet needs are not just numbers but real people with real stories. One of those real needs is protection and resettlement.
"Resettlement to a third country is, unfortunately, an option that is avilable only to a small number of the 11.4 million refugees worldwide. Each year, nations including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Great Britain collectively make up to around 70,000 places available for refugee resettlement, so the number of refugees far outstrips the availability of places offered by resettlement countries." (UNHCR)
From the UNHCR 2007 Statistical Yearbook:
In 2007, less than 1% of the world's refugees directly benefited from resettlement. During 2007, a total of 75,300 refugees were admitted to 14 resettlement countries, including the United States of America (48,300; during the US fiscal year), Canada (11,200), Australia (9,600) Sweden (1,800), Norway (1,100) and New Zealand (740). Overall, this was 5% more thank in 2006 (71,700).
The 14 countries resettling refugees during 2007 accepted more than 80 different nationalities, with the largest groups benefiting refugees originating from Myanmar (20,100), Somalia (7,800), the Islamic Republic of Iran (6,200), Burundi (5,400) and Iraq (4,900).
For more inforamtion/figures, the 2007 Statistical Yearbook can be downloaded here
PLEASE NOTE: The 2008 version of the Statistical Yearbook will be released by UNHCR the week leading up to World Refugee Day 2009 and global trends will be updated on this site.
For more statistical information regarding refugees arriving in New Zealand please visit the Refugee Services website here
On World Refugee Day, let's not forget that some day in the future any one of us could be knocking at a stranger's door hoping to find a safe and friendly shelter. We should extend refugees the same kind of welcome we would like to receive if we were in their position. Let us honour refugees for the courage and determination it takes to survive and rebuild their lives.
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