The Global Trends Report published by the UNHCR outlines that the number of people repatriating voluntarily has fallen to its lowest while those uprooted from their home countries count the highest in 2009.
Around 43 million people are forcefully displaced worldwide which is the highest since mid-1990 according to the report. The majority of those came from Afghanistan and Iraq which alone contributed to about 45% of the refugees in the care of UNHCR. The report further says that the number of refugees remain stable at 15.2 million with only 21,51,000 being able to go home compared to 60,40,000 in 2008 while the average number of repartees used to be a million.
“Majority of conflicts such as those in Afghanistan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo show no signs of being resolved,’’ said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres. “Conflicts that had appeared to be ending or were in the way to being resolved, such as in southern Sudan or in Iraq, are stagnating. As a result, last year was not a good year for voluntary repatriation. In fact, it was the worst in twenty years”. The report also mentions that 1,24,000 refugees are admitted for resettlement in 19 different countries of the world at the end of 2009.
The report puts the figure of the Bhutanese refugees resettled in various countries of the west in 2009 at 17,500.
The Global Trends Report published by the UNHCR outlines that the number of people repatriating voluntarily has fallen to its lowest while those uprooted from their home countries count the highest in 2009.
Around 43 million people are forcefully displaced worldwide which is the highest since mid-1990, according to the report. The majority of those came from Afghanistan and Iraq which alone contributed to about 45% of the refugees in the care of UNHCR.
The report further says that the number of refugees remain stable at 15.2 million with only 251,000 being able to go home compared to 604,000 in 2008 while the annual average of returnees used to be a million.
“Majority of conflicts such as those in Afghanistan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo show no signs of being resolved,’’ said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres. “Conflicts that had appeared to be ending or were in the way to being resolved, such as in southern Sudan or in Iraq, are stagnating. As a result, last year was not a good year for voluntary repatriation. In fact, it was the worst in twenty years”.
The report also mentions that 124,000 refugees are admitted for resettlement in 19 different countries of the world at the end of 2009.
The report puts the figure of the Bhutanese refugees resettled in various countries of the west in 2009 at 17,500.
