June 20: World’s refugees remembered
Published: Friday, June 20, 2008
15:42GMT—11:42AM/EST
REFUGEES – UN
Washington, 20 June (IranVNC)—The international community is taking time today to observe World Refugee Day, and acknowledging the persecution and suffering of those driven from their homelands, a US State Department press release said.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is holding events in 116 countries to mark the occasion, including experiencing the life of a refugee in a UNHCR tent outside the Place des Nation in Geneva, Switzerland.
“The UNHCR has made refugee protection the theme of this year’s events. All refugees should have access to basic life-sustaining assistance, including shelter, food, water, sanitation, health, and nutrition,” said the press release.
According to Fars News Agency, the United Nations World Food Program has praised Iran for its acceptance of more than 1 million refugees from Afghanistan and for providing humanitarian aid to Iraqi refugees.
Iran, Pakistan, the U.S., Syria, and Germany are the top five countries of asylum for the world’s refugees, while Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Congo, and Burundi were the top countries of origin.
New statistics provided by the UN show that at the end of 2007 there were 11.4 million refugees outside their countries and 26 million others displaced internally by conflict or persecution.
Sources: Fars News Agency, UNHCR website, State Department website
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