UN: Global Displacement Exceeds 70 Million Mark
According to the latest UN report, the number of refugees and displaced persons in 2018 has doubled compared to two decades ago. Last year, the number of people forcibly displaced from their homes reached 70 million and 800 thousand.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees stated in its latest report that the number of displaced persons and refugees last year reached an unprecedented record in the past seventy years and since the establishment of this agency in 1950.
According to this report, which was released on Wednesday, June 19 (Khordad 29) on the eve of the International Day of Refugees and Displaced Persons, nearly 71 million people around the world were away from their homes and settlements last year for various reasons, and this number was 2 million and 300 thousand more than the previous year.
War, climate change, poverty, and disease are considered among the most important causes of displacement and migration. Violence and insecurity are factors in the displacement of nearly 26 million people around the world, and their numbers last year were half a million more than the year before.
The most displaced people globally in 2018 were citizens of war-torn countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Somalia. The number of Syrian displaced persons was recorded at 6 million and 700 thousand.
41 Million Internally Displaced
The latest UN report indicates that internally displaced persons, numbering 41 million and 300 thousand, constitute the largest group of displaced persons. These are citizens who, due to reasons such as civil war, disease outbreaks, and climate change, have been forced to leave their homes and seek refuge elsewhere in their countries.
The smallest group of displaced persons consists of 3 million and 500 thousand, who have primarily sought refugee status by reaching developed countries.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told the French news agency that statistics and information recorded by this agency show that the number of people displaced due to war, ethnic and religious conflicts, and persecution is increasing.
A decade ago, the number of displaced persons and refugees worldwide was 43 million and 300 thousand, and two decades ago it was approximately half the number of displaced persons in 2018.
Turkey First, Germany Fifth, Iran Sixth
Among the world’s countries, Turkey ranks first by accepting 3 million and 700 thousand displaced persons and refugees. Pakistan with 1 million and 400 thousand, Uganda with 1 million and 170 thousand, and Sudan with 1 million and 70 thousand follow in subsequent positions.
In the latest UN report, Germany ranks fifth by accepting 1 million and 60 thousand people, and Iran ranks sixth with 980 thousand. The next three countries are Lebanon, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia respectively, each hosting more than 900 thousand displaced persons and refugees.
Most of those who have taken refuge in Iran are citizens of Afghanistan. The Refugee Commissioner’s Office states that last year, 35 thousand and 800 Iranians applied for refugee status in other countries, and the number of Iranians whose refugee application status is still undetermined is more than 87 thousand.
Decrease in Refugee Arrivals to Germany
The number of refugees entering Germany last year decreased for the fourth consecutive year, reaching nearly 162 thousand. This number was slightly more than 189 thousand a year before. In 2015, approximately 890 thousand refugees entered Germany, and in the year after that, 280 thousand.
The statistics of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees include displaced persons and refugees from previous years as well. Of the nearly 71 million people currently considered displaced, 13 million and 600 thousand are new displaced persons of 2018.
UN assessments show that approximately one-fifth of displaced persons have been away from their homeland for at least twenty years, and four-fifths of them for at least four years.
Source: DW
