United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon drew attention to the “plight of the millions of people worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of conflict and persecution,” adding at the end of 2014, 59.5 million persons were forcibly displaced around the globe.” This means that one in every 122 human beings today is either a refugee, internally displaced or seeking asylum.
The UN Chief touched upon the ongoing conflict in Syria, as well as crises in Iraq, Ukraine, South Sudan, Central African Republic, northeastern Nigeria and parts of Pakistan, saying such conflicts have led to a “staggering growth and acceleration of global forced displacement.”
“In 2014, 42,500 people became refugees, asylum seekers or internally displaced every single day – a rate that has quadrupled in only four years. ; At the same time, many long-standing conflicts remained unresolved,” he said in his message.
Noting the dangerous means refugees use to find a safe haven, Ban Ki-moon called on governments and societies around the world to provide refuge and safety to those who have lost everything to conflict or persecution.
“With 86 percent of all refugees living in the developing world, and with the humanitarian response system increasingly overstretched, international solidarity and burden-sharing are crucial in meeting the needs of displaced communities as well as their hosts,” he said.
“On this World Refugee Day, let us recall our common humanity, celebrate tolerance and diversity and open our hearts to refugees everywhere,” the message concluded.