UN: Global Displaced Persons Reach 71 Million
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported in its latest report on forced displacement and displacement of 70 million and 800 thousand people until 2018 following wars, persecution and harassment, as well as conflicts, stating that this figure represents the highest rate in the past 70 years.
According to the report published on Wednesday, June 19, on the website of this international body, in comparison, the number of displaced persons 20 years ago was half this figure.
The report adds that last year 130 thousand people sought refuge in Iran: “In total, there are over 979 thousand refugees in Iran, of which 951 thousand are Afghan.”
The report particularly refers to the critical situation in Venezuela, stating that according to official statistics from host countries, approximately four million Venezuelan citizens have left the country and sought refuge in other countries.
Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has divided the displaced into three groups.
The first group consists of those forced to flee abroad due to wars, conflicts and lack of security, numbering 25 million and 900 thousand people.
The second group consists of those who have left their home country to seek refugee status, numbering 3.5 million people. Finally, the third and largest group, with a population of 41 million and 300 thousand, consists of those who have left their place of residence and been displaced to other parts of their own country.
Of all those displaced last year, only seven percent were able to find resettlement, with the rest living in homelessness.
The world’s largest displaced populations are from Syria (6.7 million), Afghanistan (2.7 million), South Sudan (2.3 million), Myanmar (1.1 million), and Somalia (900 thousand). All these countries are either engaged in civil wars or facing crises of ethnic and religious conflicts.
The annual number of globally displaced persons has consistently increased since 2009 when it was 43 million and 300 thousand people, with the vast majority of this growth occurring between 2012 and 2015, particularly due to Syria’s civil war.
The report states that only in 2018, approximately 13.6 million people were displaced, of which 2.6 million were forced to flee abroad.
16 percent of the displaced went to developed countries and 80 percent sought refuge in neighboring countries.
Of course, the return of refugees to their place of residence in 2018 was about 2.9 million people.
Turkey currently hosts 3.7 million refugees, Pakistan 1.4 million, Uganda, Sudan, and Germany each host over 1.1 million refugees. Iran ranks in the next position.
Iran is the sixth largest host country for foreign refugees in the world.
Also, the number of Iranians who have recently sought refugee status from other countries is 35 thousand and 800 people. In total, the number of Iranians who have sought refugee status in foreign countries and have not yet received a response has reached over 87 thousand people.
Source: Radio Farda
