The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called for more financial support for refugees in Africa and elsewhere.
Development Diaries reports that the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, made this known in his message to mark World Refugee Day on Tuesday.
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the world.
Grandi noted that Kenyans have set an example by generously hosting refugees for over 30 years.
He said, ‘Including refugees in the communities where they have found safety is the most effective way to help them restart their lives and contribute to the countries hosting them.
‘In real terms, this means ensuring that refugees can apply for jobs, enroll in schools, and access services like housing and health care. It also means fostering a sense of belonging and welcome that gives hope to refugees uprooted from their homes.
‘It is time for us all to commit to including refugees in our communities at all levels – in our schools, workplaces, health-care systems, and beyond, as the Kenyan government is doing, so that refugees can regain hope away from home.
‘Unfortunately, in today’s divided world, long-term solutions for people forced to flee remain pitifully scarce, leaving many of the world’s 35 million refugees in limbo.
‘That is why, on World Refugee Day, I conclude by calling leaders to live up to their responsibility to broker peace so that violence stops, and refugees can return home safely and voluntarily’.
He further called on governments to increase resettlement opportunities for refugees desperately in need.
According to UNHCR’s figures, 44 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are displaced, up from 38.3 million at the end of 2021.
Source: UNHCR
Photo source: UN
