By Oluwaseun Sonde
World Health Organisation has said that World Refugee Day, June 20 is an occasion to raise awareness on the unique health needs of refugees and people on the move, challenges faced in accessing healthcare during their journeys and in the host country.
The Refugee Day, aim to set up to step up efforts worldwide to ensure everyone everywhere at any time is able to enjoy the right to health and access high-quality health services that are sensitive to their needs, and appropriate for each person’s culture and needs, without financial impediment.
The WHO appealed for policies that will promote the health of refugees and all people on the move in place, while refugees and migrants can contribute to the full and flourishing life of a country and to supporting the economy, culture and a diverse society.
Meanwhile the United Nations Agency for refugees UNHCR said number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution has now crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record, propelled by the war in Ukraine and other deadly conflicts.
According to new data from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide rose towards 90 million by the end of 2021, propelled by new waves of violence or protracted conflict in countries including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In addition, the war in Ukraine has displaced 8 million within the country this year, and more than 6 million refugee movements from Ukraine have been registered. At over 1 per cent of the global population, the overall figure is equivalent to the 14th most populous country in the world.
Which includes refugees and asylum seekers as well as the 53.2 million people displaced inside their borders by conflict, according to recent report from Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
"One hundred million is a stark figure, sobering and alarming in equal measure. It’s a record that should never have been set,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi.
He further said, "this must serve as a wake-up call to resolve and prevent destructive conflicts, end persecution, and address the underlying causes that force innocent people to flee their homes. The international response to people fleeing war in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Compassion is alive and we need a similar mobilization for all crises around the world. But ultimately, humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure. To reverse this trend, the only answer is peace and stability so that innocent people are not forced to gamble between acute danger at home or precarious flight and exile.”
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