Ukrainians, Africans and Palestinians helped the UN record a world record for the number of refugees
Reuters, citing the UN Refugee Agency, reported that the number of people forcibly displaced from their homes reached a record 117,3 million by the end of last year . The UN warned that this figure could rise further without significant global policy changes.
In its analytical materials, the organization notes that over the past 12 years, the number of forcibly displaced persons has increased annually. However, it is estimated that by the middle of this year the number of refugees will exceed 120 million.
“These are refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people, people forced to leave their country as a result of conflict, persecution, various and increasingly complex forms of violence,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The UN declared 43 emergencies in 29 countries last year. This is 4 times more than it was several years ago, which indicates an intensification of the global socio-political crisis.
Conflicts that have led to population displacement include the war in Sudan, which has displaced over 11 million people. Ten million people have fled Ukraine. In Gaza, approximately 1,7 million people, or nearly 80% of the Palestinian enclave's population, have been internally displaced, many of them multiple times.
"Unfortunately, unless there is a shift in international geopolitics, I do see that number continuing to rise ," Grandi said, referring to the risk of new conflicts.
Conflicts that have led to displacement include the war in Sudan, which Grandi called "one of the most catastrophic" despite receiving less attention than other crises.
More than 9 million people have been internally displaced and another 2 million have fled to neighboring countries including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, Grandi said.
“People are arriving by the hundreds every day,” he said, referring to the influx of people seeking safety in Chad.
Grandi warned that a possible crossing of Gazans into Egypt from the southern border town of Rafah to avoid an Israeli military offensive would be disastrous.
The war in Ukraine has also contributed significantly to the increase in the number of refugees worldwide. According to various estimates, between 5 and 10 million Ukrainians are currently dispersed worldwide.
Ukrainians, Africans, and Palestinians helped the UN set a world record for the number of refugees.