“The world cannot watch passively as if unimportant lives are lost …”

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi’s Message on World Refugee Day

Every year on 20 June, UNHCR Commemorates World Refugee Day in order to shed light on the courage and resilience of families, who were forced to flee war and persecution. Every year, our global statistical data released by the UNHCR in trying to find a glimmer of hope to show that the world has found a solution to recover the refugee wounds, the pain they are still living. But this year, it is difficult to find signs of hope.

Today the number of conflicts in the world, their complex and long-term nature talk about the fact that since the foundation of the United Nations the deportation reached unprecedented levels. More than 60 million people scattered all over the world. Every day we witness another refugee tragedy happening in mass media; these appeared in the hot spots of the tragic events are children, mothers and fathers who lost their lives during the desperate attempt to escape the violence.

On the phone of the image of ongoing tragedies divisive political oratorical speeches on asylum and migration issues and reaching high levels of xenophobia are a real threat to the international agreements that are designed to protect people fleeing persecution and war.

However, there is a reason for hope. Unlike the tragic stories circulating in the media repeatedly, often we see the host communities, the generosity shown by individuals and families who have opened their doors to house refugees.

Full text in Armenian