The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has urged people across the world not to relent on their efforts to help refugees whenever necessary.
In a statement on Tuesday June 20, commemorated as World Refugee Day across the globe, Mr Grandi said various developments in the world “require opening our minds, hearts and communities to refugees”, adding: “It requires a whole-of-society approach – joining up students, business leaders, athletes, activists, religious leaders, politicians, and artists – to share responsibility.”
Mr Grandi said the world honours the resilience and courage of more than 65 million people who have been forced to flee war, persecution and violence, explaining that it is also a moment to recognise those communities and people around the world who receive refugees and the internally displaced in their midst, offering them a safe place and welcoming them in their schools, their workplaces, and their societies.
There are some 11,865 refugees and some 1,371 asylum seekers, making it a total of 13,236, currently living in various camp settlements across Ghana. Majority of these refugees are from Cote d’Ivoire and Togo, according to data from the Ghana Refugee Board (GRB).
Mr Grandi, who was worried about the situation, noted: “Today we live in a world in which uncertainty often abounds; economic instability, political upheaval and violence close to home can make us want to shut our eyes or close our doors.
He noted that “fear and exclusion will not lead us to a better place but only lead to barriers, alienation and despair”, emphasising that “it is time to change this trajectory for the better”.
He said in countless communities around the world, including in the poorest countries that host the vast majority of the world’s refugees, business people, faith communities, teachers, journalists, and many more are joining together to provide refuge to the displaced and foster their inclusion in their societies.
Through UNHCR’s work – often on the frontlines of conflict – we witness the courage, tenacity, and brilliance of refugees every single day.
Having lost their homes, their work, and sometimes their families, they don’t give up – they find a way to start again. Striving to belong, and to contribute, they reach out to their new neighbours, building connections and creating new opportunities. Given the right environment, our experience is that refugees bring solutions, not problems.
“There are outstanding examples of this in villages, towns, and cities in countries on every continent. In big and small ways, communities around the world are standing together #WithRefugees – recognising that when people work together, everyone wins,” he stated.
“So on World Refugee Day, when we pause to contemplate the fate of the millions of people who cannot return to their homes tonight because of war or persecution – it’s also a moment to ask ourselves what each of us can do to overcome indifference or fear and embrace the idea of inclusion, to welcome refugees to our own communities, and to counter narratives that would seek to exclude and marginalise refugees and other uprooted people.
“Because, when we stand together #WithRefugees, we also stand for respect and diversity for all,” he added.
Source:Ghana/AccraFM.com
