More than 100 million people are leaving the world than ever before after World War II.
In Geneva, the UN refugee agency UNHCR spoke of a “dramatic milestone” reached as a result of the Russian war against Ukraine and the crises in Afghanistan and elsewhere. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grande has warned that this dire trend will continue unless the world community finds a way to resolve the conflict permanently.
Deportation from Ukraine has been the biggest and fastest growing crisis since the UNHCR was established in 1951, the Refugee Agency said in its World Refugee Report on Thursday.
Stunning numbers
By the end of December 2021, 89.3 million people had fled war, violence, persecution and human rights abuses, eight percent more than a year earlier. This number has been rising for many years, and by the end of 2021, more than twice as many people will have left as there were ten years ago.
Waves of violence or protracted conflicts in countries such as Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo have contributed to this. In addition, more than six million refugees have fled Ukraine.
After Turkey, Colombia, Uganda and Pakistan, Germany was the largest host country with 1.3 million hosts.
“The international community is coming together to do something about this human tragedy, to resolve conflicts and find lasting solutions, or this horrific trend will continue,” warns Filippo Grandi.
According to the UNHCR, the report contains a glimmer of hope. By 2021, the number of returning refugees and internally displaced persons will have reached pre-epidemic levels. The number of voluntary returnees increased by 71 percent.
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