Through his official Twitter account, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for continued support for these people around the world. “Whoever they are. Come where they come from. Whenever they are forced to flee. Everyone has the right to seek safety,” he said.
The headline also shared on Twitter images of a recent visit to refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan living in New York, the city where the multilateral organization’s headquarters are located.
Like millions of refugees around the world, they help bring new life, prosperity and rich diversity to their host communities, the Portuguese diplomat wrote.
At the end of his visits, Guterres called on developed countries to make more efforts in this regard, reminding them of the fundamental role they must play in welcoming refugees and giving them the opportunity to start over in a safer environment with better conditions. of life.
As the official UN news site reports, the Secretary-General recalled moments from his tenure as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
According to the multilateral organization, the global refugee population has doubled in the past decade, and children make up almost half of the total.
Likewise, more than a third of displaced children live in sub-Saharan Africa (3.9 million), a quarter in Europe and Central Asia (2.6 million), and 13 percent in the Middle East and North Africa (1.4 million).
As the number of displaced children and refugees reaches record numbers, access to basic assistance and services — such as healthcare, education and protection — is inadequate, according to the United Nations’ official news site.
World Refugee Day is observed every June 20th to celebrate the strength and courage of those who have been forced to leave their homes to escape armed conflict, violence or persecution.
This date was observed in 2001 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
The theme of this year 2022 underlines that everyone has the right to seek protection, no matter who they are, where they come from or when they had to flee.
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