Russia’s war in Ukraine for the first time in history has exceeded 100 million displaced people around the world, the UN said on Monday.
“For the first time in history, the number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights abuses and persecution has surpassed a staggering 100 million, caused by the war in Ukraine and other deadly conflicts,” said UNHCR. Refugee Agency.
A UNHCR statement said the “alarming” figure should shake the world and end conflicts, forcing a record number of people to flee their homes.
UNHCR has said the number of forcibly displaced people has risen to 90 million by the end of 2021, caused by violence in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, and since then more than eight million people have been displaced inside the country, while more than six million refugees have fled across the border.
‘anxious’
“One hundred million is a serious figure – sober and alarming alike. It’s a record that should never have been set,” said UNHCR chief Philip Grandi.
“This should serve as an alarm bell to resolve and prevent destructive conflicts, end harassment and eliminate the root causes that force innocent people to leave their homes.”
The figure of 100 million is more than one percent of the world’s population. Only 13 countries have more populations than the number of displaced people in the world.
These figures include refugees, asylum seekers, and more than 50 million people who have been displaced within their countries.
“The international response to people fleeing the war in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly positive,” Mr Grandi said.
“Compassion is alive, and we need similar mobilization for all crises around the world. But ultimately, humanitarian aid is palliative, not medical.”
“To reverse this trend, the only answer is peace and stability, so that innocent people are not forced to play between the acute danger of home or shaky flight and exile.”
UNHCR will present full data on forced displacement in 2021 in its annual report on global trends, due to be published on 16 June.
“It’s never been so bad”
More than two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 20 countries continue to deny access to asylum to people fleeing conflict, violence and harassment – based on anti-virus measures.
Mr Grandi on Friday called on those countries to lift any remaining restrictions on asylum related to the pandemic, saying they were contrary to fundamental human rights.
“I am concerned that the measures taken in response to COVID-19 are being used as a cover to exclude and deny asylum to people fleeing violence and persecution,” he said.
A joint report last week by the Center for Internal Displacement Monitoring (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said that in 2021, about 38 million new internal displacements had been registered. Some were forced to flee several times during the year.
The figure marks the second largest annual number of new domestic movements in ten years after 2020, when a record movement was observed due to a number of natural disasters.
Last year, the number of new domestic displacements, in part due to the conflict, rose to 14.4 million, a 50 percent jump from 2020, the report shows.
“It’s never been so bad,” NRC chief Jan Egeland told reporters.
“The world is falling apart.”
Natural disasters continued to account for the majority of new internal displacements, resulting in 23.7 million such displacements in 2021.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/wake-up-callunited-nations-says-more-than-100-million-people-forcibly-displaced/e5kjp48fu
