Theme
World Refugee Day differs annually
and one such theme says, "every action counts."
Everyone can make a difference,
says the world body and it is the responsibility of each one of us to make sure
that no one is left behind.
Observance and Significance
World Refugee Day is observed on June
20th each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees
throughout the world. Devastating conflicts and persecution uproot thousands of
people from their homes and countries every year. According to the United
Nations, every minute, 20 people are forced to leave behind everything, and
escape conflict and war.
Everyone can make a difference,
says the world body. The focus is to bring about changes to make the world more
inclusive.
Who is a refugee?
According to the United Nations
1951 Refugee Convention, people who fled their homes and countries due to
"a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion,
nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political
opinion" is a refugee.
History
On December 4, 2000 the United
Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution relating to the status of
refugees, and decided that June 20 would be marked as World Refugee Day, to
spread awareness and honour the resilience of refugees.
The UNHCR is working with
governments to help the displaced people by stepping up sanitation and hygiene
services. It is also working with people to create awareness. It is important
to ensure that they are protected and get proper treatment if infected by the
deadly virus, says the global body.
Apart from refugees, there are other UN-designated displaced persons such as asylum seekers, internally displaced people, or IDPs, who have not crossed international borders and stateless people who do not have a nationality.