Refugees deserve support and solidarity, not closed borders and pushbacks. That鈥檚 a reminder from UN chief Ant贸nio Guterres on Tuesday鈥檚听World Refugee Day, regarding the international community鈥檚 duty to assist and protect refugees.
With forced displacement at a听record high of 110 million people听around the world, Mr. Guterres called for more solutions to resettle refugees and help them rebuild their lives. He also stressed the need for solidarity with host countries and communities.
More than numbers
鈥淭hese are not numbers on a page鈥�,听said the UN chief. 鈥淭hese are individual women, children and men making difficult journeys - often facing violence, exploitation, discrimination and abuse.
鈥淭his Day reminds us of our duty to protect and support refugees - and our听obligation to open more avenues of support.鈥�
This year鈥檚 theme is 鈥溾��. Mr. Guterres 鈥� who led the UN refugee agency听听for a decade, called on the international community to 鈥渉arness the hope that refugees carry in their hearts.鈥�
Include refugees 鈥榓t all levels鈥�
From Kenya, where he鈥檚 been visiting the vast Kakuma refugee camp, the current UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said that the world should step up investment and 鈥渃ommit to including refugees in our communities at all levels 鈥� in our schools, workplaces, health-care systems, and beyond.鈥�
In a tweet, Mr. Grandi deplored the fact that this year鈥檚 World Refugee Day coincided with the news that听more than half a million people have now fled Sudan听to neighbouring countries. 鈥淕uns must fall silent if we want this exodus to stop,鈥� he said.
Pushed into hunger
The UN migration agency听,听听honouring the strength and resilience of those forced to flee from conflict, announcing that since 2001, agency teams have provided orientation training for more than one million on the move.
This includes some 700,000 refugees being resettled.
The head of the World Food Programme Cindy McCain tweeted that conflict and climate shocks were pushing more and more people into hunger and homelessness.
鈥溙齣s working with partners like UNHCR to deliver critical aid to millions of refugees听in 40-plus countries. Today and every day, they deserve our continued support.鈥�
