On this World Refugee Day, the UNHCR reports that, by the end of 2019, an unprecedented 79.5 million people had been displaced. This is the highest total reported by the agency since its inception in 1950.
More than 100 million people have been forced to flee their homes in the past decade, and while the 1990s saw around 1.5 million returning each year, that number has now fallen to 385,000.
The continued lack of political will or the desire to explore long-term resolutions guarantees that the prospect of return for displaced people will remain low. The Syrian refugee crisis is now in its tenth year and displacement in Afghanistan is in its fifth decade.
Filippo Grandi, the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees, explains to The Independent: “Public support for asylum has wavered in recent years. And in many cases communities that host refugees have felt overwhelmed or forgotten. But refugee flows are ‘crises’ only when we let them become so, by thinking short term, by failing to address them in a comprehensive manner and by neglecting the communities they arrive in.”
Countries shouldering the burden of the displaced, unable to provide adequate housing or shelter, education or livelihood opportunities, must receive support while sustainable, long-term solutions can be found.
“Refugees flee life-threatening situations, discrimination, persecution and danger. They are not the source of danger. Regrettably, in certain parts of the world, including Europe, the narrative around refugees and migration has been deliberately politicised in recent years with very negative consequences. Those who stir up public opinion against refugees and migrants have a responsibility in creating a climate of xenophobia that is very worrying.”
Many refugees arriving in Europe who fled civil unrest or war in their country, possess a great diversity of skills and some are highly qualified professionals; teachers, lawyers, dentists, engineers and doctors, many of whom have been working on the front line in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Countries need to adopt a policy of inclusion. “Integrating refugees into our labour market is a major challenge. Everyone talks about how they want to help refugees but the process needs to be simplified,” explains Willem van der Schalk, managing director of German international freight forwarder A.Hartrodt.
“Can we really blame refugees, political or economic, who are unable to provide for themselves or their families? No, we cannot. We have to change our mindset and start to see the potential of these people to our economy. We need to support and empower them to become role models and inspire the refugee community, which will help facilitate successful integration.”
While several European countries restricted entry to refugees predominantly from Africa and the Middle East in 2015 and 2016, German chancellor Angela Merkel changed legislation to allow 1.4 million to apply for asylum, of which half were Syrian.
“On World Refugee Day, it’s important to recall the courage and resilience of refugees and displaced people around the world, and to remember the communities that shelter them with compassion and humanity. They have sometimes hosted and protected refugees for years or even generations, and continuing to uphold these values in a time of pandemic is a powerful message of hope and solidarity,” Grandi concludes.
You can donate to UNHCR’s coronavirus emergency appeal here
