World Refugee Day

Why in news?

• World Refugee Day is celebrated every year on 20 June.
• This day is dedicated to the millions of people who are forced to flee their homes due to war, violence, terrorism, religious or political persecution, or natural disasters in their country and are forced to take refuge in another country.
• This year the theme of World Refugee Day is “Solidarity with Refugees”.

Objectives:

• To spread awareness of the difficulties and struggles of refugees around the world.
• To increase global support for the protection of human rights of refugees.
• To increase efforts to provide facilities like education, health, livelihood and rehabilitation to refugees.
• To strengthen the spirit of tolerance, unity and humanity in the society.

Organizing body:

• The main event of this day is organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
• UNHCR is an international organization that works for the assistance, protection and rehabilitation of refugees, displaced persons and stateless people.

Beginnings and History

• World Refugee Day was started by the United Nations General Assembly on 4 December 2000.
• This day was first celebrated on 20 June 2001.
• Its timing was special because that year was the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Refugee Convention of 1951.

Global situation: Number of refugees

According to the United Nations UNHCR:

• By the year 2024, more than 12 crore people are forcibly displaced in the world.
• Of these, about 3.6 crore people are refugees, that is, they have gone outside the border of their country and taken refuge in another country.
• These include a large number of women and children.
• Main reasons for refugees: war (such as Syria, Afghanistan), ethnic violence (such as Rohingya of Myanmar) and political persecution.

India and Refugee Policy

• India has not yet signed the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol, but it has had a humanitarian tradition of sheltering refugees for centuries.
• The following refugee communities have been sheltered in India from time to time:
  • Tibetan refugees (since 1959)
  • Sri Lankan Tamil refugees (since the 1980s)
  • Afghan refugees
  • Tribal refugees from the Chittagong Hill Tracks (Bangladesh)
  • Rohingya refugees (from Myanmar)