On Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed that the number of displaced people globally, driven by war, persecution, violence, and human rights violations, reached a staggering 114 million by the end of September last year.
The report highlights that the primary drivers of forced displacement in the first half of 2023 were the conflict in Ukraine, conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, as well as droughts, floods, and insecurity in Somalia and the situation in Afghanistan.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, pointed out that while the world’s attention is currently focused on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, it reveals that conflicts worldwide are increasing or escalating, endangering the lives of innocent people and causing mass displacement.
He emphasized that the international community’s failure to resolve conflicts or prevent new ones leads to displacement and suffering. Grandi called for collective action to end conflicts and allow refugees and displaced individuals to return to their homes or rebuild their lives.
The report indicates that by the end of June last year, 110 million individuals had been forcibly displaced worldwide, marking an increase of 1.6 million from the end of 2022.
It also noted that over half of those forced to flee never cross international borders.
Furthermore, the report reveals that the number of displaced individuals continued to rise from June to the end of September 2023, increasing by 4 million to reach a staggering 114 million.
It underscores that low and middle-income countries hosted 75% of refugees and other individuals in need of international protection.
The report also highlighted that 1.6 million new individual asylum applications were registered during the first six months of the current year, the highest number ever recorded.
