The refugee crisis is a complex and ongoing issue that affects people who have been forced to leave their homes because of persecution, conflict, natural disaster, or severe socio-economic deprivation. This group of people need international protection and must be hosted by countries with the capacity to provide them with basic services – such as food, water, education, health care and livelihoods.
The current situation is largely due to protracted conflict in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa. The ongoing crisis in South Sudan, Ukraine and Afghanistan also contributed to the growth in the global refugee population this year.
More than half of the world’s refugees are now living outside their home countries – mainly in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan in what are known as the “frontline states” on the border with Syria. The rest are in other countries, including the EU, Germany, Uganda and Colombia.
While there are some rich countries that take in large numbers of refugees, many others – including some of the world’s largest economies – treat them as someone else’s problem. This must change.
The solution must be a global one. That means more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing, addressing root causes of displacement in countries of origin, creating durable solutions, and making it easier to return home. It must also involve investing in people and building resilience within communities of origin, as well as establishing a system for registering refugees, identifying their needs and providing them with appropriate opportunities to live in dignity and contribute to their hosts’ economies.