UN registers 100 million refugees worldwide | DW News

Now a record 100 million people across

the world who have been forced

to flee their homes.

That's according to the latest UN figures.

The war in Ukraine as well as

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.

Now, to mark World Refugee Day,

which is today, we have this report

from the Croatian capital Zagreb

where volunteers have started a non-profit

to support refugees and the migrants.

The [unintelligible] free shop is
open twice a week

for refugees and the needy.

Here, people can get clothing
at no charge.

When we came here, we almost lost

everything just to came here.

Thousand of migrants arrive in Croatia

every year.

Many say after arriving, they were
again expelled,

forcibly and illegally back out of the EU,

across the Bosnian-Croatian border.

Yet some still make it here.

Okay.

In the whole route that they pass,

the whole journey that they had,

this is one of the rare places

where people like to come back.

Because nobody is judging them here.

Many people come back

not only for the donated goods,

but also just to drink coffee,

talk to each other, to play.

They come from Syria, Afghanistan, Cuba,

and other places.

But recently, we're told donations

for migrants died up.

The reason, many Croatians are

donating only for Ukrainian refugees.

In that way I know everybody forget

that we still have other people here,

refugees who also need help.

Even some Ukrainian refugees
bought donations,

because they themselves had
received too much.

Some of those donations went to Russians

who had fled to Croatia.

Most of the people that we talked with

are the mixed couples.

So Russian and Ukrainian.

Or people who just didn't agree with the

what is happening in Ukraine and Russia.

The free shop also wants to have

recent arrivals integrate into

the Croatian community.

Many donors are Croatian and

have been coming to help for years.

Such as Ivana Borosic.

It's in our human being that

we should help people who are in need.

The mood out in front of the free shop

is cheerful and relaxed.

After journeys that for some
have taken years,

it's a bit of normal life for people
far from home.

Matthew Saltmarsh works with the
United Nations Refugee Agency

and he joins me from Geneva
in Switzerland.

Hi Matthew, welcome to DW.

So an interesting observation

in the report we just saw.

Plenty of donations for
Ukrainian refugees.

But next to no donations for anyone else.

Is this something that
you've experienced too?

Well it's true that there has been a huge

outpouring of compassion and support

for Ukrainian refugees.

And of course we've seen that
with European countries

opening their borders,

allowing temporary protection,

and hundreds of thousands of people

across Europe and beyond

opening their doors and

giving financial support as well.

And that's been really positive
and we welcome that.

But we do have that concern

that came up in your report.

that other parts of the world,
refugee situations, refugee crises

in other regions, particularly Africa,
the Middle East, Central and South America

could be affected in the sense

that so much funding is going
to the Ukraine,

that there may well be less

at the end of the year for
those other situations.

And of course it is desperately needed

in many, many places.

Now what's the most realistic outlook

for Ukrainian refugees?

Well of course, it's
very difficult to say.

There is ive million who have
registered as refugees

and then there's approximately
seven million

who are displaced within the country.

And of course so much depends on

the fighting and the evolution
of the fighting,

how long that lasts,
whether it's contained

to those eastern areas,
or whether it spreads again.

So I think everything really depends
on that.

For the moment, some of the refugees

have chosen to go back.

Some of them have jobs, and they're
in safer areas, they've gone back

to check their houses, and so on.

But a lot of the time, that's
not sustainable,

and there are still people who are
going back

and then coming back across the borders

to stay in Europe.

Let's talk a little bit about
this distinction that we touched

on before between Ukrainian refugees

and people fleeing from other places.

How are you looking at it

and how are you approaching it
and dealing with it?

Well, obviously, there's been

this huge outpouring of support,

particularly in Europe.

It's the neighboring countries,

it's the neighboring region to Ukraine,
that makes sense.

But our overriding message for this

World Refugee Day, which is today
as you mentioned,

is that everyone has the right to

claim asylum, no matter where they are,

no matter what they do,

no matter how they travel or move.

And of course we've seen examples

in the past, in Europe
but also in other regions

of refugees not being given that access
to asylum.

So our overriding message really is,
of course

provide that asylum to anyone
who needs it,

and who's seeking it.

And that's the best thing

that can be done by states for refugees.

Now Matthew,

you've mentioned that before there's been
this outpouring of compassion

towards Ukrainian refugees
amidst this exodus.

But how optimistic are you that

this trend will continue?

Well, we dearly hope, of course,

that it will. I think that we've shown
the potential

of support for refugees.

And of course, it's now

up to those countries to welcome

the refugees, to allow them to integrate.

And so far the signs are very positive

that that is happening.

The countries in Europe are offering

access to services, to education,
to health, and so on.

Of course there's the concern,

that over time, the longer
that a situation drags on,

that welcome could wear a bit thin.

But so far, we haven't seen that.

But of course let's not forget

that there are so many other protracted
refugee situations

where the outlook for refugees is

particularly dire.

We think of Syria, more than 11 years now
of conflict.

We think of Afghanistan,
four decades of conflict.

And then we look across to Africa,

Ethiopia and other regions.

So there's still big concerns
in those areas.

Matthew Saltmarsh, with the
United Nations Refugee Agency.

Thank you.

Thank you.