The UN Refugee Agency’s latest annual Global Trends Report has revealed a record 82.4 million people displaced from persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and disaster events – more than double the number from last decade (41 million in 2010).
The report, launched for World Refugee Day (Sunday June 20), also found an estimated 11.2 million people newly displaced. More than two thirds (68 per cent) of all refugees or internationally displaced people came from just five countries: Syria (6.7 million), Venezuela (4 million), Afghanistan (2.6 million), South Sudan (2.2 million) and Myanmar (1.1 million). Almost one million children have been born as refugees since 2018.
Australia for UNHCR National Director Naomi Steer described how the increased frequency of climate change disasters was found to significantly drive internal displacement and create more vulnerable situations for those already forced to flee.
“The dynamics of conflict, poverty, food insecurity and climate change are increasingly interconnected, and we’re finding more people displaced from a combination of these key drivers in search of safety, security or more hospitable environments,” she said.
“2020 saw disasters trigger more than 30 million new internal displacements, the highest number in a decade.”
The ongoing magnitude and severity of food crises were also identified as a huge humanitarian threat for displacement-affected countries such as South Sudan, Syria and the Central African Republic – at risk of turning into famine as protracted conflicts, extreme weather and the economic fallout of COVID-19 continue to exacerbate pre-existing situations.
The global pandemic created its own unique impact on human movement, presenting new challenges for displaced people. Necessary measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, such as community lockdowns and closure of borders, made it considerably harder for people fleeing war and persecution to reach safety.
Only 34,400 refugees were resettled to third countries in 2020, two-thirds of them assisted by UNHCR. This marks a dramatic 69 per cent decline from the previous year.
“I can think of little worse in a global pandemic than to be a refugee, an internally displaced person, or someone who is stateless and potentially lacks protection and access to health and other care,” said Adrian Edwards, UNHCR’s Representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
“COVID has dramatically magnified the risks in the past year, including many people stuck in desperate situations and finding it difficult to get proper help. It’s clear the impact on displaced people will be with us for years to come.”
These impacts will mainly be socio-economic vulnerabilities for displaced people and refugees, with many losing access to essential services and employment or livelihood opportunities last year, and an unprecedented number of people estimated to be pushed into extreme poverty by the World Bank.
“Refugees and displaced people are still the most vulnerable among us in this ongoing uncertain time, and the inclusion of refugees in national vaccination rollouts is essential to ensure not only their safety, but the safety of the wider community. Last year showed us that we’re truly all in this together and, globally, we need to share the responsibility of supporting displaced people,” said Ms Steer.
“Governments, the private sector, corporations and individuals all have a part to play in keeping refugees safe. Since 2000, generous Australians have donated over $320 million to UNHCR’s work – and at a time when their own safety was at stake, we saw supporters step up and make our COVID-19 appeal last year Australia for UNHCR’s largest fundraising feat yet… however there is still a long way to go.
“We’re in desperate need of emergency shelter and medical provisions as a first priority, along with funds to support UNHCR’s cash assistance program that is literally keeping refugees alive in some cases by allowing them to feed their families and pay for essential medicines.”
To learn more about UNHCR’s COVID-19 response and operations, please visit: unrefugees.org.au/covid19
Read the full 2020 Global Trends Report
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More from UNHCR’s Global Trends Report
Developing countries hosted 86 per cent of the world’s refugees. Turkey hosted nearly 3.7 million refugees, the largest population worldwide. Colombia was second with more than 1.7 million, including Venezuelans displaced abroad – followed by Pakistan (1.4 million), Uganda (1.4 million) and Germany (1.2 million).
Afghanistan, Somalia, Bangladesh and Yemen continued to be hotspots, while conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) stretched into its tenth year with more than half of its population still forcibly displaced, representing by far the largest forcibly displaced population worldwide (13.5 million, including more than 6.7 million internally displaced).
In the Sahel region of Africa, nearly three-quarters of a million people were newly displaced in what is perhaps the most complex regional crisis worldwide. In Ethiopia, more than one million people were displaced within the country during the year, while more than 54,000 fled the Tigray region into eastern Sudan.
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