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The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has called on the international community to strengthen support for the nearly 42 million people worldwide who have fled their home countries to escape conflict, violence or persecution.<\/p>\nThe UN High Commissioner for Refugees has called on the international community to strengthen support for the nearly 42 million people worldwide who have fled their home countries to escape conflict, violence or persecution.<\/p>\n
Barham Salih highlighted the contributions refugees make to their host communities as workers, students, neighbours, artists, athletes, entrepreneurs and leaders. <\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the opportunity, they rebuild their lives and help strengthen the societies around them<\/strong>,\u201d he said ahead of World Refugee Day, observed annually on 20 June. <\/p>\n UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres issued a message calling for stronger support for people forced to flee and the communities that have welcomed them. <\/p>\n Tweet URL <\/p>\n \u201cAs divisions deepen across our world, new and protracted conflicts are compelling millions of women, children and men to seek safety far from home,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n He stressed that \u201cthese turbulent times\u201d call for renewed solidarity and robust action to protect refugees.\u202f <\/p>\n \u201cFleeing home to seek safety is one of the hardest choices anyone can make. I know that from personal experience<\/strong>,\u201d said Mr. Salih, who as a young man fled repression in Iraq. <\/p>\n The High Commissioner insisted that \u201cwhile a person may, for a time, be defined as a refugee, becoming a refugee should not define a person\u2019s life.\u201d <\/p>\n He warned that millions of refugees \u201cfind themselves trapped in dependency, relying on a dwindling amount of aid for their daily survival.\u201d <\/p>\n Although humanitarian assistance remains indispensable to saving lives during emergencies, too many refugees can spend years, or even decades, in prolonged displacement. <\/p>\n \u201cBeing a refugee is meant to be a temporary condition, not a lifelong fate<\/strong>,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cThat is why I have set out an ambitious goal: to cut by half, within ten years, the number of refugees living in protracted displacement and reliant on humanitarian assistance.\u201d <\/p>\n Efforts will focus on low and middle-income countries that host the majority of refugees. <\/p>\n \u201cAchieving this target\u2026would vastly improve the lives of millions of people. It is how we can move from merely managing displacement to resolving it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n This year\u2019s observation of World Refugee Day also marks the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention. <\/p>\n The 1951 treaty, adopted in the aftermath of the Second World War, enshrined that anyone forced to flee war, conflict, or persecution has the right to seek safety and protection. <\/p>\n \u201cWe must continue to uphold that promise. Until everyone is safe, none of us are safe,\u201d said Mr. Salih. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is not merely a statement of solidarity but a call to action<\/strong>. Because the right to seek safety was made for times like these, and it is up to all of us to defend it.\u201d <\/p>\n The High Commissioner heads the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, which is rallying young people to stand with refugees and defend asylum under the World Refugee Day theme Until Everyone is Safe.\u202f <\/p>\n The campaign challenges stereotypes about refugees and emphasises that the right to seek safety goes beyond merely escaping war or violence. <\/p>\n It also complements the goal to reduce the number of refugees in long-term displacement by half by 2035 \u2013 first outlined in UNHCR\u2019s recent Global Trends Report. <\/p>\n The 50 by 35 vision aims to boost refugees\u2019 access to work opportunities, national education, health, and social protection systems in efforts to foster self-reliance and reduce dependency on aid.<\/p>\nTurbulent times<\/strong> <\/h2>\n
A difficult choice<\/strong> <\/h2>\n
Tackling prolonged displacement<\/strong> <\/h2>\n
Landmark anniversary<\/strong> <\/h2>\n
Stand up for refugees<\/strong> <\/h2>\n