Number of world's refugees double that of ten years ago | DW News

The number of people fleeing wars, violence or civil disorder rose again last year even as the coronavirus pandemic brought much of the world to a standstill.
By the end of 2020 there were 82.4 million people forcibly displaced from their homes. That's according to the United Nations' Refugee Agency. It is double the number a decade ago.
More than two thirds of those officially recognized as refugees came from just 5 countries. Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar.
Now, for the first time, Pakistan is registering Afghan refugees residing in the country.
Registered refugees are issued a biometric identity card. Many children born here have never been registered at all. It's hoped the data will give international aid agencies a clearer picture of the needs in the refugee community.

Pakistani authorities have tried to encourage refugees to return home. Families are being interviewed to determine if they are ready to make the move after NATO troops leave Afghanistan. Their new ID cards are only valid until 2023.
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They are the "caminantes" or walkers. Millions of them have left Venezuela, fleeing the country's humanitarian crisis.
Now some of them are going back.
The pandemic and political turmoil in neighboring Colombia has prompted a wave of Venezuelans worn down by economic hardship to make the journey home.
Luis Arias just made it back to Venezuela after walking for two weeks with his family from the Colombian capital, Bogota.
They survived on goodwill along the way but that dried up when they crossed the border. NGOs say that the country needs much more international aid to stave off crippling hunger. Even the aid that does reach Venezuela is hard to distribute. Activists’ efforts are often hampered by fuel shortages, violence, corruption and political meddling.
According to the World Food Program, Venezuela is among the top four countries in the world suffering from food insecurity. And the UN predicts that by the end of the year the Venezuelan diaspora could reach 7 million people making it the second largest migration after Syria. Yet humanitarian aid for Venezuela is at its minimum.
Andreina Bermudez thought about joining the exodus but says the risk was and is too high with young children. Through her eldest daughter's institute, her family received food and school supplies from UNICEF until December, now they are hoping more aid can restart the program.
To make ends meet this stay-at-home mom relies on what she can find. Today a neighbor has extra eggs for sale, but the supply of cheap food is sporadic.
That is the Venezuela the Caminantes are walking home to. A country still ravaged by economic decline. Its people still struggling to feed themselves, still waiting for international help.

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#Refugees #Pakistan #Venezuela

Now the number of people fleeing wars,

violence, or civil disorder rose again

last year, even as the coronavirus

pandemic brought much of the world

to a standstill.

By the end of 2020, there were

82.4 million people who were forcibly

displaced from their homes.

That's according to the
United Nations Refugee Agency

and as you can see that is double

the number that it was a decade ago.

More than two-thirds of those

officially recognized as refugees

came from just five countries:

Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan,

South Sudan and Myanmar.

Our next report takes us to Pakistan

which has hosted hundreds of thousands

of Afghan refugees

for four decades.

Bahauddin Khan runs a small grocery store

in this refugee camp in Pakistan.

Every day he checks his income

and expenses.

He was about the same age as this child

when his family fled Afghanistan

some 40 years ago.

Today it's a distant memory.

We had to get out of Afghanistan.

There was a war going on.

So when the situation became worse,

we fled.

Pakistan took us in.

We've been able to live here

ever since.

Haji Bahadur also fled Afghanistan

after the Soviet invasion in 1979.

He has lived in the camp ever since.

It's one of 20

in this province alone.

More than a

million Afghans live in Pakistan,

they're largely on their own.

I would be lying if I said we got

financial support.

The truth is we don't get any aid

from the Pakistani government.

Now, for the first time, Pakistan is

registering the Afghan refugees residing

in the country.

Registered refugees are issued

a biometric identity card.

Many children born here have never been

registered at all.

It's hoped the data will give

international aid agencies
a clearer picture

of the needs in the refugee community.

This exercise, we are collecting

a most updated information

of Afghan refugees such as

education level, vocational

skills, also maybe language,

also vulnerability.

And this updated information is also

going to assist us

to better design from our activities,

not only in Pakistan but in Afghanistan

when they return to Afghanistan.

Pakistani authorities have tried to

encourage refugees to return home.

Nadeen Ejaz is interviewing families to

see if they're ready to make the move

after NATO troops leave Afghanistan.

Their new ID cards are only valid

until 2023.

In a questionnaire, they're asked if the

situation in Afghanistan normalizes,

then do they want to leave?

Ninety percent of the refugees answer with a no

They do not want to go back to

their home country.

For Bahauddin Khan, one thing is clear:

he will only return home

if there's peace.

They are the caminantes or walkers.

Millions of them have left Venezuela,

fleeing the country's
humanitarian crisis.

Now some of them are going back.

The pandemic and political turmoil in

neighboring Colombia has prompted

a wave of Venezuelans

worn down by economic hardship to make

the journey home.

I left with the goal of succeeding

and helping my family, but now

prices are too high in Colombia.

I could not make ends meet.

Luis Arias just made it back to

Venezuela after walking for two weeks

with his family from the Colombian capital Bogota.

They survived on goodwill along the way

but that dried up

when they crossed the border.

The situation at home is dire.

NGOs say that the country needs much more

international aid

to stave off crippling hunger.

Financing has been

way below what is necessary in regards

to the dimensions of the crisis
in the country.

The numbers are shameful.

Even the aid that does reach Venezuela

is hard to distribute.

Activist efforts are often hampered by

fuel shortages,

violence, corruption,
and political meddling.

According to the World Food Program,

Venezuela is among the four

worst countries in the world
with food insecurity.

And the UN predicts that by the end of this year

seven million people could have left Venezuela,

making it the second largest migration

after Syria, yet humanitarian aid for Venezuela

is at its minimum.

Andreina Bermudez thought about joining the exodus

but says the risk was and is too high

with young children.

Through her eldest daughter's school,

her family received food and educational

supplies from UNICEF until December.

Now they're hoping more aid can restart the program.

I noticed that when we received the aid,

many parents were happy and thankful,

mostly for the food because we could give the

children in our school a balanced meal.

To make ends meet, this stay-at-home mom

relies on what she can't find.

Today a neighbor has extra eggs for sale

but the supply of cheap food is sporadic.

We cannot buy imported products in

regular supermarkets at dollar prices,

so we have to settle for small markets

near home,

vegetable merchants and places that sell

at better prices.

That is the Venezuela the caminantes

are walking home to,

a country still ravaged
by economic decline.

Its people still struggling to feed

themselves, still waiting for

international help.

We can speak now to Chris Melser,

he's a spokesperson for the UN's refugee agency.

Good morning, Chris, thank you
for joining us.

We just saw a report

there with Afghans who fled conflict.

And your report shows
there's been mentioning again

that the number of people

who have been forced
to flee their homes rose again

despite the pandemic, so

what are the biggest drivers behind this rise?

Yes, this is indeed, these were
very, very depressing numbers

and you already mentioned that more than

two-thirds of the refugees are only from

from five countries and

the most of the refugees are

still from Syria, 6.7 million.

Another hotspot is for example is Venezuela where

also millions of people flew that country

Afghanistan, South Sudan, these are all

these drivers of the development.

The plus is this year is not

that big like in other years but

yes, 82.4 million, this is the

complete, all the inhabitants of Germany

or one percent of the human kind is

now refugee or internal displaced person.

And Chris, where are the majority of

these refugees ending up

and are they able to stay

where they end up?

Well the last question is a very important question.

Still the biggest host country for refugees is Turkey

with 3.7 million refugees who found

protection there, most of them from Syria.

Colombia is another country

who accepted millions of people.

Pakistan, as you mentioned
in the report.

Uganda and Germany is

number five with 1.2 million refugees

finding protection in Germany.

But don't make a mistake.

86% of all the refugees,

86% are in developing countries

and these are very often also countries

who also suffer of problems with

malnutrition and other things.

But anyway, they are hosting

almost 9 out of 10 refugees.

Another staggering number, Chris, is that

more than 40 percent of those who are

fleeing are children.

Many are born as refugees,

many are stateless.

What kind of impact does that have on

these children's futures?

This is also depressing and I was in many

refugee camps in Bangladesh.

I'm just returned from Ethiopia

and I've heard from several

refugees around the world actually,

parents telling me,

forget us, we are a lost generation,

but do something for our children.

Give them education, then they have a chance.

Well we don't want to give up the

parents' generation as well, but indeed,

education is the key factor for

the children so these refugees

will not stay refugees though,

they become engineers, pilots,

doctors, whatever. Handyman.

But at least that they have a future,

and that's why this is also priority for us.

Unfortunately, quite often,

we do not have enough money

to give more than just basic education.

Yeah, that is indeed troubling, and Chris,

I want to ask you about something we saw

in a report, the prospect
of refugees returning

back to their home countries.

We've also seen Denmark, for example,

declare parts of Syria safe for refugees

to return so they're canceling
residency permits.

So what happens to refugees
who do return?

So what are conditions like for them?

Well this is very very different from

from country to country.

When it comes to Syria,

we don't think that Syria is in any way

a safe place again that you can

return refugees against their will to Syria

In other places, it might be possible, for

example, about a quarter million of

refugees returned last year

and this is of course a glimmer of hope.

But unfortunately for

most of the refugees,

and about three quarters of all refugees

stay in the neighboring countries
always and hope to

go back where they come from

very soon.

For many of them, this is unfortunately

not a near-time solution.

And I do want to

come back to Germany because you

mentioned that this is a country
that also hosts

millions of asylum seekers.

It did register fewer
asylum seekers last year

but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Philippa Grandia said inclusion is key

so just briefly if you can, Chris,

what is needed here to, these tools that

are needed to make refugees in

Germany feel at home?

We just talked to Paul Landfield,

he's a refugee in Austria,

but I think it's the same thing,

who came from Hungary
more than 60 years ago

and he's now a well-known journalist

in Austria and he said,

integration is a key

because refugees are a treasure.

So that's why refugees learn the language,

try to use your chances that also

the host community, Germany,

or that case, Austria

use this treasure, integrate the people,

teach refugees language and so on and then

this is the best you can do because

integration is one part of the solution

for the worldwide refugee problem.

Chris Melzer from the UNHCR, thank you for

sharing your insights with us today.