The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) has
estimated that the number of people fleeing war, persecution and
conflict exceeded 70 million in 2018.
The estimate captured in UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report, released
on 18 June, is the highest level the UN Refugee Agency has ever seen.
UN High Commissioner for Refugee Filippo Grandi speaking on the
occasion of the World Refugee Day, marked on June 19 said “what we are
seeing in these figures is further confirmation of a longer-term rising
trend in the number of people needing international protection.”
Mr. Grandi further noted that there was an outpouring of generosity and
solidarity, especially by communities who are themselves hosting large
numbers of refugees.
“We are seeing unprecedented engagement by new actors including
development actors, private businesses, and individuals,” he said.
In view of the Global Compact on Refugees, he urged that “we must build
on these positive examples and redouble our solidarity with the many
thousands of innocent people who are forced to flee their homes each
day.”
Within the 70.8 million figure in the Global Trends report are three main groups.
The first is refugees, meaning people forced to flee their country because of conflict, war or persecution.
In 2018, the number of refugees reached 25.9 million worldwide from which every second was a child.
The second with 3.5 million is asylum seekers – people outside their
country of origin and receiving international protection – but awaiting
the outcome of their claim for refugee status.
The third and biggest group – at 41.3 million – is people displaced to
other areas within their own country, a category commonly referred to as
Internally Displaced People or IDPs.
Although the best solution for refugees is being able to return home
voluntarily, only some 593,800 refugees were able to do so.
Other solutions include being integrated into the host community or being resettled to a third country.
Grandi highlights “solutions and removing obstacles for people being
able to return home is complex work in which UNHCR is constantly engaged
but which also requires all countries to come together for a common
good. It is one of the great challenges of our times.”
In Ghana for instance, the UNHCR works with the Ministry of the
Interior, the Ghana Refugee Board (GRB), and other relevant government
departments and ministries as well as Partners in providing services to
the persons of concern.
Ghana is host to about 13,500 refugees and asylum seekers from different countries of origin.
Worldwide displacement exceeds 70m – UNHCR
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