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World Refugee Day

On Dec. 4, 2000, the United Nations General Assembly, via Resolution 55/76, decided that World Refugee Day will be celebrated annually on June 20. World Refugee Day was first celebrated in 2001, the 50 anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

According to the United Nations, every minute 24 persons leave their homes to escape war, persecution or terror. 

The UN defines a refugee as, "someone who fled his or her home and country owing to 'a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion', according to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention". 

But it also recognizes that there are several types of forcibly displaced persons. They include asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, stateless persons, and returnees.

If You Watch One Thing

Read these

Protestors hold placards during a rally supporting refugees worldwide and in reaction to Trump's travel ban, outside the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv.
Protestors hold placards during a rally supporting refugees worldwide outside the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv.

teleSUR spoke with three leading voices on immigrants’ rights who have dedicated their careers to working on the ground with those who have experienced the darkest side of immigration policy. READ MORE.

LGBT Refugees, Undocumented More Vulnerable Under Trump

"The number of LGBT people who make it through the system alive and request resettlement is small," Neil Grungas, executive director of ORAM said. READ MORE

As Many People Fleeing Central America Now as 1980s Wars: UNCHR

The report also found the current number of those forcibly displaced in the world equivalent to 20 people every minute of 2016, or 28,300 every day. READ MORE

Deadliest Year on Record For Refugees

The year 2016 was the deadliest year on record for refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, with more than 3,800 people dying during the dangerous trip. READ MORE.

In Numbers

World Refugee Day
Refugee Day in Numbers

The Global Welcome For Refugees Is Unbalanced

The EU’s external borders are rapidly becoming untenable. Rather than resist, Europe should embrace its future as a continent of great diversity. READ MORE.

The Making of the Migration Crisis

To mark International Refugee Day, teleSUR re-publishes Harsha Walia's still relevant piece on the deliberate and forced nature of global migration. READ MORE

Growing Numbers of Refugees Turn to the Caribbean: UNHCR

The Caribbean is becoming an attractive destination for refugees and the region should play its part in dealing with the issue, according to the United Nations. READ MORE

Documenta 14: Tales of a Refugee

Hiwa K, is a Kurdish-Iraqi,who has examined his experience as a refugee through his art. Documenta 14 is his latest art installation in Kassel, Germany. Hiwa believes capitalism is the root cause of the world's largest humanitarian crisis, which is the crisis of the refugees.

Boliva´s Climate Refugees

Once again, in Bolivia, Indigenous people are bearing the brunt of climate change.

 
  • title='The German-born anti-refugee group PEGIDA has staged anti-immigration marches across Europe, including the U.K.' width="798" height="449">

    The German-born anti-refugee group PEGIDA has staged anti-immigration marches across Europe, including the U.K. | Photo AFP

  • title='Germany has seen a xenophobic backlash to the record influx of migrants with a rise of arson attacks on refugee shelter.' width="798" height="449">

    Germany has seen a xenophobic backlash to the record influx of migrants with a rise of arson attacks on refugee shelter. | Photo AFP

  • title='Fires blaze in October 2016 as authorities evacuate and bulldoze the refugee camp, known as the Jungle in Calais, France. After the evacuation, human rights organizations claimed one in three children had gone missing, possibly kidnapped by sex traffickers.' width="798" height="449">

    Fires blaze in October 2016 as authorities evacuate and bulldoze the refugee camp, known as the Jungle in Calais, France. After the evacuation, human rights organizations claimed one in three children had gone missing, possibly kidnapped by sex traffickers. | Photo Reuters

  • title='President Barack Obama has already earned the damning nickname “Deporter in Chief” for kicking out of the country more than 2.5 million undocumented people during his two terms in office. Fear of deportation has sharply escalated since Trump’s election.' width="798" height="449">

    President Barack Obama has already earned the damning nickname “Deporter in Chief” for kicking out of the country more than 2.5 million undocumented people during his two terms in office. Fear of deportation has sharply escalated since Trump’s election. | Photo Reuters

  • title='The death toll in the Mediterranean has surged this year to 4,621 as of Nov. 14, compared to 3,777 in the whole of 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration.' width="798" height="449">

    The death toll in the Mediterranean has surged this year to 4,621 as of Nov. 14, compared to 3,777 in the whole of 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration. | Photo Reuters

  • title='The death toll in the Mediterranean has surged this year to 4,621 as of Nov. 14, compared to 3,777 in the whole of 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration.' width="798" height="449">

    The death toll in the Mediterranean has surged this year to 4,621 as of Nov. 14, compared to 3,777 in the whole of 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration. | Photo Reuters

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