World Refugee Day

On 2000 December 04, the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/76 decided that, from the year 2000, day of June 20 would be celebrated as World Refugee Day. In this resolution, the General Assembly noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. It is commemorated to honor all refugees, raise awareness and solicit support.

African Refugee Day had been formally celebrated in several countries prior to 2000. The UN noted that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on June 20.

Each year on June 20 the United Nations, United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and countless civic groups around the world host World Refugee Day events in order to draw the public’s attention to the millions of refugees and Internally displaced persons worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes due to war, conflict and persecution.

The annual commemoration is marked by a variety of events in more than 100 countries, involving government officials, humanitarian aid workers, celebrities, civilians and the forcibly displaced themselves.

Many countries, specially European countries and Australia, are facing refugees crisis. Instead of helping people, they have decided to get involved in dehumanizing them. They closes their borders and there’s a lot of reports that these countries have left many refugees in distant areas from the countries or keep them homeless to die.

Just in April 2000, five boats carrying approximately 2000 migrants to Europe sank in the Mediterranean Sea, with the combined death toll estimated at more than 1,200 people.