New Delhi: World Refugee Day is celebrated on June 20 every year to honour refugees worldwide. who have been forced to flee from their country to escape conflict or persecution.
"Refugees need global solidarity and the ability to rebuild their lives in dignity," said Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General on the United Nations High Commissioner Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency website.
"Over 33, 000 adults across 52 countries participated in the online survey in April and May, the largest on refugees by lpso, which aimed to improve understanding of refugee issues and examine the degree of public support for refugees. More than 120 million people were forcibly displaced globally by May 2024," UNHCR said in a statement.
It further stated, "Overall, 73 per cent of people across the 52 countries surveyed agreed that people should be able to take refuge in other countries including their own. However, support for providing refuge has dampened in a number of countries from the high levels in 2022 in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine."
As per the UNHCR website, currently, 75 per cent of refugees live in low-and middle-income countries, and 37 per cent said they believe that international aid for countries hosting refugees is insufficient. Overall, there are differences in attitudes, mainly by age, with younger people tending to be more positive about refugees than older people.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency posted on X, "In 2023, 158,700 refugees were resettled. We call on nations to stand with refugees by sharing responsibility and helping the most vulnerable people forced To flee"
This day provides an opportunity to show empathy and build trust and understanding for refugees to help rebuild their lives. Taking to social media X, UNHCR News posted, "LATEST: UN Refugee Agency reports forced displacement numbers rise to 120 million by May 2024; conflicts from Sudan to Gaza & Myanmar are creating new displacement and urgently require resolution."
In India, early this year, the first set of citizenship certificates after notification of Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 were issued and handed over certificates to some applicants in New Delhi.
The Government of India had notified Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 on March 11, 2024. The Rules envisage the manner of application form, the procedure for processing applications by the District Level Committee (DLC) and the scrutiny and grant of citizenship by the State Level Empowered Committee (EC).
In pursuance of these rules, applications have been received from persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have entered India up to December 31, 2014, on account of persecution on grounds of religion or fear of such persecution, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said earlier.
