UN registers 100 million refugees worldwide | DW News
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0:01 - 0:03Now a record 100 million people across
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0:03 - 0:04the world who have been forced
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0:04 - 0:05to flee their homes.
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0:05 - 0:08That's according to the latest UN figures.
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0:08 - 0:09The war in Ukraine as well as
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0:09 - 0:12new or continuing emergencies in places
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0:12 - 0:15such as Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and Congo
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0:15 - 0:18have all contributed to
this staggering figure. -
0:18 - 0:19And more often than not,
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0:19 - 0:22it's private initiatives
that help those fleeing. -
0:22 - 0:24Now, to mark World Refugee Day,
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0:24 - 0:26which is today, we have this report
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0:26 - 0:28from the Croatian capital Zagreb
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0:28 - 0:31where volunteers have started a non-profit
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0:31 - 0:33to support refugees and the migrants.
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0:35 - 0:37The "are you serious?" free shop is
open twice a week -
0:37 - 0:39for refugees and the needy.
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0:39 - 0:43Here, people can get clothing
at no charge. -
0:43 - 0:45When we came here, we almost lost
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0:45 - 0:49everything just to came here.
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0:49 - 0:52Thousand of migrants arrive in Croatia every year
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0:52 - 0:55Many say after arriving, they were
again expelled, -
0:55 - 0:58forcibly and illegally, back out of the EU,
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0:58 - 1:00across the Bosnian-Croatian border.
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1:00 - 1:03Yet some still make it here.
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1:05 - 1:06Okay.
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1:06 - 1:09In the whole route that they pass,
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1:09 - 1:11the whole journey that they had,
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1:11 - 1:14this is one of the rare places
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1:14 - 1:16where people like to come back.
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1:16 - 1:19Because nobody is judging them here.
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1:19 - 1:21Many people come not only for the donated goods,
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1:21 - 1:23but also just to drink coffee,
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1:23 - 1:25talk to each other, to play.
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1:25 - 1:28They come from Syria, Afghanistan, Cuba,
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1:28 - 1:29and other places.
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1:29 - 1:33But recently, we're told donations for migrants dried up
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1:33 - 1:37The reason, many Croatians are
donating only for Ukrainian refugees. -
1:39 - 1:42In that way I know everybody forget that we still have
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1:42 - 1:44other people here,
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1:44 - 1:46refugees who also need help.
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1:46 - 1:49Even some Ukrainian refugees
bought donations, -
1:49 - 1:52because they themselves had
received too much. -
1:52 - 1:53Some of those donations went to Russians
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1:53 - 1:55who had fled to Croatia.
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1:56 - 1:58Most of the people that we talked with
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1:58 - 2:00are the mixed couples.
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2:00 - 2:02So Russian and Ukrainian.
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2:02 - 2:05Or people who just didn't agree with the
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2:05 - 2:09what is happening in Ukraine and Russia.
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2:10 - 2:11The free shop also wants to have
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2:11 - 2:13recent arrivals integrate into
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2:13 - 2:15the Croatian community.
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2:15 - 2:16Many donors are Croatian
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2:16 - 2:18and have been coming to help for years.
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2:18 - 2:20Such as Ivana Borosic.
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2:24 - 2:26It's in our human being that
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2:26 - 2:30we should help people who are in need.
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2:30 - 2:32The mood out in front of the free shop
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2:32 - 2:34is cheerful and relaxed.
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2:34 - 2:37After journeys that for some
have taken years, -
2:37 - 2:40it's a bit of normal life for people
far from home. -
2:42 - 2:46Matthew Saltmarsh works with the
United Nations Refugee Agency -
2:46 - 2:49and he joins me from Geneva
in Switzerland. -
2:49 - 2:51Hi Matthew, welcome to DW.
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2:51 - 2:53So an interesting observation
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2:53 - 2:54in the report we just saw.
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2:54 - 2:56Plenty of donations for
Ukrainian refugees. -
2:56 - 2:59But next to no donations for anyone else.
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2:59 - 3:01Is this something that
you've experienced too? -
3:03 - 3:04Well it's true that there has been a huge
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3:04 - 3:07outpouring of compassion and support
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3:07 - 3:08for Ukrainian refugees.
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3:08 - 3:11And of course we've seen that
with European countries -
3:11 - 3:12opening their borders,
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3:12 - 3:14allowing temporary protection,
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3:14 - 3:16and, you know, hundreds of thousands of people
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3:16 - 3:18across Europe and beyond
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3:18 - 3:19opening their doors and
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3:19 - 3:21giving financial support as well.
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3:21 - 3:24And that's been really positive
and we welcome that. -
3:24 - 3:25But we do have that concern
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3:25 - 3:27that came up in your report.
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3:27 - 3:32that other parts of the world,
refugee situations, refugee crises -
3:32 - 3:37in other regions, particularly Africa,
the Middle East and Central and South America -
3:37 - 3:39could be affected in the sense that
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3:39 - 3:42so much funding is going
to the Ukraine, -
3:42 - 3:44that there may well be less
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3:44 - 3:46at the end of the year for
those other situations. -
3:46 - 3:48And of course it is desperately needed by--
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3:48 - 3:50in many, many places.
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3:50 - 3:53Now, what's the most realistic outlook
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3:53 - 3:56for Ukrainian refugees?
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3:58 - 3:59Well of course, it's
very difficult to say. -
3:59 - 4:02There is five million who have
registered as refugees -
4:02 - 4:05and then there's approximately
seven million who are displaced -
4:05 - 4:07within the country. And of course
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4:07 - 4:09so much depends on
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4:09 - 4:11the fighting and the evolution
of the fighting, -
4:11 - 4:15how long that lasts, whether
it's contained to those eastern areas, -
4:15 - 4:17or whether it spreads again.
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4:17 - 4:19So I think everything really depends
on that. -
4:19 - 4:22For the moment, some of the refugees
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4:22 - 4:23have chosen to go back.
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4:23 - 4:26Some of them have jobs,
and if they're in safer areas, -
4:26 - 4:28they've gone back to check
their houses, and so on. -
4:28 - 4:30But a lot of the time, that's
not sustainable, -
4:30 - 4:32and there are still people who are
going back -
4:32 - 4:34and then coming back across the borders
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4:34 - 4:36to stay in Europe.
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4:36 - 4:39Let's talk a little bit about
this distinction that we touched on -
4:39 - 4:42before, between Ukrainian refugees
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4:42 - 4:45and people fleeing from other places.
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4:45 - 4:46How are you looking at it?
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4:46 - 4:49How are you approaching it
and dealing with it? -
4:50 - 4:52Well, obviously, there's been this,
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4:52 - 4:54this huge outpouring of support,
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4:54 - 4:55particularly in Europe.
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4:55 - 4:56It's the neighboring countries,
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4:56 - 5:00it's the neighboring region to Ukraine,
and that makes sense. -
5:00 - 5:02But our overriding message for this
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5:02 - 5:04World Refugee Day, which is today
as you mentioned, -
5:04 - 5:07is that everyone has the right to claim asylum,
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5:07 - 5:08no matter where they are,
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5:08 - 5:09no matter what they do,
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5:09 - 5:11no matter how they travel or move.
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5:11 - 5:13And of course we've seen examples
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5:13 - 5:16in the past, in Europe
but also in other regions -
5:16 - 5:19of refugees not being
given that access to asylum. -
5:19 - 5:22So our overriding message
really is, of course -
5:22 - 5:26provide that asylum
to anyone who needs it, -
5:26 - 5:27and who's seeking it.
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5:27 - 5:29And that's the best thing that
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5:29 - 5:32that can be done by states for refugees.
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5:32 - 5:34Now Matthew, you've mentioned
it before, that there's been -
5:34 - 5:36this outpouring of compassion
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5:37 - 5:42towards Ukrainian refugees
amidst this exodus. -
5:42 - 5:44But how optimistic are you that this...
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5:44 - 5:46...this trend will continue?
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5:47 - 5:49Well, we dearly hope, of course, that it will.
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5:49 - 5:51I think we've shown the potential
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5:51 - 5:53of support for refugees.
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5:53 - 5:55And of course, it's now
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5:55 - 5:57up to those countries to welcome the refugees,
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5:57 - 6:00to allow them to integrate.
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6:00 - 6:02And so far the signs are very positive
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6:02 - 6:04that that is happening.
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6:04 - 6:07The countries in Europe are
offering access to services, -
6:07 - 6:09to education,
to health, and so on. -
6:09 - 6:11Of course there's the concern,
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6:11 - 6:14that over time, the longer
that a situation drags on, -
6:14 - 6:16that welcome could wear a bit thin.
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6:16 - 6:18But so far, we haven't seen that.
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6:18 - 6:21But of course let's not forget
that there are so many other -
6:21 - 6:23protracted refugee situations
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6:23 - 6:25where the outlook for refugees is
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6:25 - 6:26particularly dire.
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6:26 - 6:30We think of Syria, more
than 11 years now of conflict. -
6:30 - 6:33We think of Afghanistan,
four decades of conflict. -
6:33 - 6:34And then we look across to Africa,
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6:34 - 6:36or Ethiopia and other regions.
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6:36 - 6:39So there's still big concerns
in those areas. -
6:39 - 6:43Matthew Saltmarsh, with the
United Nations Refugee Agency. -
6:43 - 6:45Thank you.
-
6:46 - 6:47Thank you.
- Title:
- UN registers 100 million refugees worldwide | DW News
- Description:
-
A record 100 million people across the world have been forced to flee their homes, according to the latest UN figures. The war in Ukraine and new or continuing emergencies in places such as Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Congo, have all contributed to this staggering figure. And more often than not it's private initiatives that help those fleeing.
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- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- Amplifying Voices
- Project:
- Refugee Crisis and Solutions
- Duration:
- 06:55
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