What is the News? The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has released the Global Trends Report on Forced Displacements.
About Global Trends Report:
- The Global Trends Report is an annual report. UNHCR publishes this report.
- Purpose: The report counts and tracks the numbers of refugees, internally displaced people. It also tracks people who have returned to their countries or areas of origin, asylum-seekers, stateless people, and other populations of concern.
Key Takeaways from the Report:
- Around 82.4 million people were forcibly displaced, by the end of 2020. Reasons behind that were, persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, and events seriously disturbing public order.
- This is a 4% increase in forcibly displaced people when compared to 2019.
- Countries: More than two-thirds of all people who fled abroad came from just five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar.
- Turkey is hosting the largest refugee population worldwide for the seventh year in a row, It was followed by Colombia, Pakistan, Uganda, and Germany.
- Climate Change: Climate change is also driving displacement and increasing the vulnerability of those already forced to flee.
- Demographics: Children are particularly affected during displacement crises, especially if their displacement drags on for many years. They account for 30% of the world’s population, but an estimated 42% of all forcibly displaced people.
- Covid-19: As of May 2021, more than 165 million people worldwide have been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 since the first case was recorded in December 2019. People who have been forcibly displaced have been among the hardest-hit groups among them.
Source: UNHCR
