World Refugee Day – an annual holiday celebrated around the world on June 20, established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 4, 2000 (resolution 55/76). It commemorates the courage and strength of refugees around the world.

In 2001, the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1951). At the same time, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) supported the initiative that Refugee Day falls on the same day as African Refugee Day, i.e. June 20. Since 2001, this day has been celebrated as World Refugee Day.

Celebrations, cultural events and training, as well as conferences, family and children’s programs are held in more than one hundred countries to understand the needs of refugees around the world.

On World Refugee Day, it is worth recalling that the number of forced migrants is constantly growing. The UN Refugee Agency recently reported that the total number of people around the world who have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict, violence, fear of persecution and human rights violations has exceeded 100 million in 2022.

This means that 1 in 78 people in the world have been forced to flee – a dramatic milestone that hardly anyone would have expected a decade ago.

World Refugee Day shines a light on the rights, needs and dreams of refugees, helping to mobilize political will and resources so refugees can not only survive but also thrive. While it is important to protect and improve the lives of refugees every single day, international days like World Refugee Day help to focus global attention on the plight of those fleeing conflict or persecution. Many activities held on World Refugee Day create opportunities to support refugees.

And all those opportunities to support refugees are well implemented into the activity of the FBE and its Human Rights Commission.

on behalf of the FBE HRC,

Artur Wierzbicki

President of the Human Rights Commission

FBE