Nearly 68.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to war, violence and persecution last year, notably in places like Myanmar and Syria, the UN said on Tuesday.
“This is a global phenomenon that requires international solidarity and cooperation on a global scale,” Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told Al Jazeera from the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
“And this is what the rising figures tell the world.
“Refugees are fleeing violence, war and persecution. We have an obligation to help them,” Grandi said.
The annual figures, released on Tuesday by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, saw five countries accounting for two-thirds of all refugees (excluding those defined as long-term Palestinian refugees): Syria (6.3 million); Afghanistan (2.6 million); South Sudan (2.4 million); Myanmar (1.2 million) and Somalia (986,400).
Approximately 53 percent of the total displaced are children, including many who are unaccompanied, according to the Global Trends report.
UNHCR said the figures debunk a flawed perception that a refugee crisis has affected more developed countries in the “Global North”.
Earlier, Grandi urged for a “new and far more comprehensive approach” to deal with the refugee situation. He alos stated that these neighbouring countries – such as Turkey, Pakistan and Uganda – which host the majority of refugees need to be helped.
“Let’s not forget that of the 68.5 million refugees and displaced, 85 percent of them are not in rich countries,” according to him.
> Shiuly Rina
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