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The number of people fleeing war, violence, persecution and human rights abuses reached

82.4 million in 2020

, according to the recently released annual report of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The figure represents an increase of 4% compared to 2019, when a historical maximum was reached, with 79.5 million.

Although the impact of Covid-19 on refugee trends beyond the country and internal displacement has yet to be studied with sufficient perspective, the UNHCR report shows that

the number of new refugees and asylum seekers fell in most of the countries. the regions of the planet

. The United Nations agency estimates that without the pandemic there would have been 1.5 million more people who would have crossed borders to find refuge. "The data reflects how many human beings have not been able to seek international protection during 2020," the document says.

"Likewise, the UN estimates that the pandemic has been able to reduce the number of international migrants by around two million globally during the first six months of the year. This corresponds to a 27% decrease in the expected number of international migrants since July 2019 to June 2020 ", adds the text.

At the peak of the pandemic, during 2020, UNHCR recalls that

more than 160 countries closed their borders

and of those, 99 States made no exceptions to admit refugees.

This impediment to flee outside the borders of the country itself may be behind the increase in the number of internally displaced people, which grew by more than 2.3 million.

The crises in Ethiopia, Sudan, the Sahel, Mozambique, Yemen, Afghanistan and Colombia were affected by this flow.

The vast majority of the world's refugees, almost nine out of 10, are hosted in neighboring countries and in countries with medium and low resources, UNHCR highlights.

"The least developed countries provide asylum to 27% of all" refugees.

This Sunday marks

World Refugee Day

to draw attention to their situation and urge world leaders to increase their efforts to "prevent and resolve conflicts and guarantee respect for human rights," in the words of the High Commissioner. for Refugees, Filippo Grandi.

Despite the coronavirus,

the trend in the last decade has been a continuous increase in the world of refugee situations and internal displacement due to violence and persecution

. Today, 1% of the world's population is displaced. In 2012, UNHCR quantified 45 million people forcibly fleeing their homes around the world. Almost 10 years later, the figure has almost doubled. "Based on this trajectory, the question is no longer whether the forcibly displaced will exceed 100 million people, but rather when," the report draws attention.

More than two-thirds of all refugees in the world come from

five countries

: Syria (6.7 million), Venezuela (four million), Afghanistan (2.6 million), South Sudan (2.2 million) and Burma ( 1.1 million). When the numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons are considered, Syria and Venezuela once again top the list, although due to different realities. The Arab nation drags ten years of brutal armed conflict while the Latin American country is immersed in a serious political, social and humanitarian crisis.

UNHCR statistics do not include the

more than 5.7 million Palestinian refugees

, who depend on another UN agency, UNRWA, but who represent almost a quarter of the world's refugee population, in addition to being the group of population that has been in forced exile for the longest time.

"Behind each number there is a person forced to leave their home and a history of displacement, uprooting and suffering. They deserve our attention and support, not only through humanitarian aid, but also through the search for solutions to their difficult situation," he says. Filippo Grandi.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Coronavirus

  • Afghanistan

  • Venezuela

  • Burma

  • Syria

  • Colombia

  • Yemen

  • Refugees

  • Covid 19

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