How many refugees are there worldwide?
At the end of 2004, the number of people “of concern to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was 19.2 million (UNHCR Geneva, 2005). The United Nations estimates that approximately eighty percent of these refugees are women and children. In addition, there are also 20-25 million Internally Displaced Persons (people forced from their homes but still within their own country)(Brisbane Refugee & Asylum Seeker Health Network, 2002).

Which country of origin has the largest number of refugees?
Afghanistan is the country of origin with the largest number of refugees under UNHCR care. Approximately 2.1 million Afghan refugees were hosted by 78 Asylum countries (UNHCR Geneva, 2005). This is 23% of the global refugee population.

Which worldwide refugee populations are increasing?
In 2004, many refugee populations grew in size due to increasing conflict and political disarray in their countries of origin. The number of Sudanese refugees increased by almost 125 000 persons (+21%). Russian Federation refugees also increased significantly by 11 000 (+25%). Indonesian and Colombian refugees increased by more than 11 000 (+72%) and 9000 (+25%), respectively (UNHCR Geneva, 2005).

Which countries are host to refugees?
In 2004, 15 countries received refugees resettled under UNHCR. Some of these were USA (63%), Australia (19%), Canada (13%), Sweden (2%), Norway (1%), Finland (1%), and Denmark (1%). The largest number of refugees resettled with UNHCR assistance departed from Kenya, Cote d Ivoire, Egypt, Turkey and Thailand (UNHCR Geneva, 2005).
Immigration countries don’t only resettle refugees through UNHCR. They resettle them through other governmental means as well. Taking both these resettlement paths into account, the US admitted the largest number of refugees (52, 900) followed by Australia (16000) and Canada (UNHCR Geneva, 2005).

Where are most refugees hosted?
Africa and CAWANAME hosted 30% of the global refugee population at the end of 2004. Europe hosted 25% of all refugees. Asia and the Pacific hosted 9% and Americas hosted 7% (UNHCR Geneva, 2005). The Islamic Republic of Iran became the primary asylum country for refugees under the UNHCR, hosting 11% of all UNHCR refugees. The United Republic of Tanzania and the USA are the 4th and 5th largest asylum countries (UNHCR Geneva, 2005).

Do all refugees have the opportunity to integrate locally?
Many countries give refugees the opportunity to integrate locally however there are countries where refugees are confined to camps where they can only rely on international aid and assistance for survival (UNHCR, Basic Facts, 2005).
Naturalisation, which is the final step to obtaining the full protection of the host country is not available to refugees in all asylum countries. The provision of citizenship is extremely rare (UNHCR, Basic Facts, 2005).

In which countries does the UNHCR help? The following information has been summarised and compiled from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Basic Facts internet site. For a more detailed report, please refer to the website: http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home

Europe
Immigration and asylum issues remain controversial and highly politicised in Europe. Through political influences tougher national laws have been introduced to attempt to reduce the inflow of refugees and asylum seekers. On the wider European Union level, member states have completed the first stage of reshaping the EU's immigration and asylum legislation.

The Balkans
Many people were forced to flee the Balkans due to wars and fighting in the 1990s. Although much has progressed since then to bring peace and healing to the country, major problems still remain. More than 2 million civilians returned home after the fighting ceased. An increasing number of people continue to return to parts of The Balkans where they are forced to live among their former enemies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is estimated that 600,000 people from the Balkans remain displaced across the region.

North Caucasus
After years of political negotiations in attempt to resolve the war in the separatist Russian Republic of Chechnya, there appears no sign of any breakthrough. An estimated 250,000 people fled the original Russian offensive against separatists in 1999. There are still approximately 50,000 displaced civilians in the country who continue to be assisted by UNHCR and other agencies in neighbouring Ingushetia.

The Palestinian Issue
The U.N Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is an organisation primarily responsible for providing assistance and support to the Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. More than 4 million Palestinian refugees are reported worldwide, the vast majority under the care of UNRWA. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees helps more than 400,000 Palestinian refugees living outside UNRWA's operational zone.

Iraq
During Saddam Hussein's rule more than 3 million Iraqi civilians were forced into exile and a further 1 million people were internally displaced within the country. When the U.S led war began in Iraq, the UNHCR began helping the people of Iraq return to their homeland. The UNHCR also helps 100,000 refugees of other nationalities inside Iraq, the largest group being Palestinians.

Afghanistan
Although Afghanistan remains a country of political unrest and fighting, more than 3.5 million Afghan refugees and displaced persons have been able to return to their home country since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. However, at least 2 million refugees remain in Pakistan and Iran and continue to constitute the largest single group anywhere in the world 'of concern' to UNHCR.

Sri Lanka
Fighting between the Sri Lankan government forces and the Tamil Tiger rebels was one of the world's longest-running conflicts. In 2002, a Norwegian-brokered truce was made between the two parties and peace was forged. Approximately 300,000 internally displaced persons and 1,000 refugees from India have returned to their original towns and villages. However, 500,000 civilians remain uprooted.

Horn of Africa
This region has a vast number of refugees and IDP’s. More than 900,000 Somalis and southern Sudanese are in long-term exile in Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, awaiting the outcome of prolonged and ongoing peace talks. More recently, a further estimated 180,000 Sudanese fled to Chad following a new conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. UNHCR is also providing relief and assistance in Darfur itself where an estimated 1 million people have been displaced.

Central Africa
Fighting and political unrest remains in central Africa with more than 1.2 million refugees fleeing and scattering throughout several central states. New fighting erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo and approximately 20,000 refugees fled to Burundi, in addition to the 40,000 who had fled there in earlier years. Despite continued unrest, several refugees are gradually returning home in central Africa. Since 2002, more than 196,000 Burundians have voluntarily repatriated from Tanzania, while more than 55,000 Rwandan refugees have also gone home, mainly from Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Southern Africa
Southern Africa is home to one of the countries longest running wars. During this time of conflict, over 4 million Angolans were internally displaced and nearly 500,000 fled to neighbouring countries. After years of political peace talks a peace agreement was finally made in 2002 between the government and Angola's UNITA rebel movement. As a result, hundreds of thousands of civilians went home 'spontaneously’ and of their own accord. A UNHCR repatriation operation is continuing this mass backflow, recently helping some 90,000 refugees living in Namibia, Zambia and Democratic Congo to go home.

West Africa
Sierra Leone is a west African country recovering from a decade-long conflict amongst its people. Since the year 2000 when the conflict finally dissolved, over 300,000 refugees have returned to their country of origin. Liberia has also restored some degree of normality, raising hopes for the return of some 150,000 exiles. There are currently over 350,000 Liberian refugees displaced throughout West Africa.

Colombia
Conflict in Colombia continues to deteriorate despite ongoing political negotiations between the government and the paramilitaries to solve the worst humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere. Peace talks with the largest rebel group had not resumed since its collapse in 2002. As a result of its ongoing turmoil, more than 2 million people have been uprooted within Colombia, while tens of thousands have sought asylum abroad. The UNHCR works towards increasing Colombia's ability to cope, and assists displaced people to obtain identification documents, link up with humanitarian organisations and maintain their rights. UNHCR also helps neighhboring Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama which host many of the civilians forced to flee Colombia.

What rights does a refugee have by international law?
The UNHCR states that a refugee has the right to safe asylum (UNHCR: Basic Facts, 2005). International protection laws protect refugees and state that refugees should receive at least the same rights and basic help as any other foreigner who is a legal resident, including freedom of thought, of movement and freedom from torture and degrading treatment (UNHCR: Basic Facts, 2005). The UNHCR emphasises that ECONOMIC and SOCIAL RIGHTS are equally applicable and that refugees should have access to MEDICAL CARE, SCHOOLING and the RIGHT TO WORK.

What does ‘voluntary repatriation’ mean?
Voluntary repatriation is when a refugee who has been forced to flee their country of origin freely chooses to return home once the fighting and unrest in their country has diminished or resolved.

How is the UNHCR attempting to meet today’s challenges?
The UNHCR has established an Agenda for Protection; a series of guidelines for governments and humanitarian organisations to use in improving worldwide refugee assistance and protection. It has introduced a number of initiatives to meet the growing needs of refugees including calls for an expanded resettlement program, the wider integration of refugees in local communities, greater burden sharing among hosting countries and projects to eliminate the assistance 'gap', and long-term development for civilians and devastated communities (UNHCR: Basic Facts, 2005).

Where did this information come from?

References / Bibliography

• Brisbane Refugee & Asylum Seeker Health Network (2002) Myths and Facts About Refugees, http://members.optusnet.com.au/digger418/factsmyths.html
• Edmund Rice Centre for Justice & Community Education, Debunking the Myths About Asylum Seekers, www.erc.org.au
  UNHCR Geneva (2005) 2004 Global Refugee Trends. United Nations High Commissions for Refugees.
• United Nations High Commission for Refugees
  Basic Facts (2005), www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home
  United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 28 July 1951