UN registers 100 million refugees worldwide | DW News

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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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 "are you serious?" 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 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 dried 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, you know, 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 and 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 by--

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 five 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 if 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?

How are you approaching it
and dealing with it?

Well, obviously, there's been this,

this huge outpouring of support,

particularly in Europe.

It's the neighboring countries,

it's the neighboring region to Ukraine,
and 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

that can be done by states for refugees.

Now Matthew, you've mentioned
it before, that there's been

this outpouring of compassion

towards Ukrainian refugees
amidst this exodus.

But how optimistic are you that this...

...this trend will continue?

Well, we dearly hope, of course, that it will.

I think 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,

or 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.