UN: for the First Time the Number of Refugees Worldwide Exceeds 100 Million

Russia’s war against Ukraine and armed conflicts in other countries have contributed to the increase in the number of refugees and internally displaced persons who have fled their homes due to violence and human rights violations. The number of refugees and internally displaced persons forced to leave their homes due to violence and human rights violations worldwide has exceeded the 100 million mark for the first time in recorded history. These figures were released on Monday, May 23, in Geneva by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and other armed conflicts have contributed significantly to the situation, the UNHCR stated. UN: The reasons forcing people to flee must be eliminated One hundred million is a number that is equally sobering and disturbing, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “It should be a wake-up call to resolve and prevent devastating conflicts, end persecution and address the root causes that force innocent people to flee,” he pointed out. The number of forcibly displaced people worldwide increased to 90 million by the end of 2021 because of new waves of violence or protracted conflicts in countries such as Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to new UNHCR figures. War in Ukraine led to the displacement of 8 million people within that country in 2022. In addition, more than 6 million refugees have been registered as having left Ukraine. Attitudes toward Ukrainian refugees are overwhelmingly positive Meanwhile, the international response to people’s need to flee the war in Ukraine “has been overwhelmingly positive”, Grandi noted. Compassion lives in people, and it takes something like this to overcome crises around the world, the UN refugee chief summed up. DW