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UNHCR report shows a record 800,000 people forced to flee across borders in 2011A report released today by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees shows 2011 to have been a record year for forced displacement across borders, with more people becoming refugees than at any time since 2000. UNHCR's 2011 Global Trends report details for the first time the extent of forced displacement from a string of major humanitarian crises that began in late 2010 in Côte d'Ivoire, and was quickly followed by others in Libya, Somalia, Sudan and elsewhere. In all, 4.3 million people were newly displaced, with a full 800,000 of these fleeing theircountries and becoming refugees. Worldwide, 42.5 million people ended 2011 either as refugees (15.42 million), internally displaced (26.4 million), or in the process of seeking asylum (895,000). Despite the high number of new refugees, the overall figure was lower than the 2010 total of 43.7 million people, due mainly to the offsetting effect of large numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs) returning home: 3.2 million, the highest rate of returns of IDPs in more than a decade. Viewed on a 10-year basis, the report shows several worrying trends: One is that forced displacement is affecting larger numbers of people globally, with the annual level exceeding 42 million people for each of the last five years. Another is that a person who becomes a refugee is likely to remain as one for many years - often stuck in a camp or living precariously in an urban location: Of the 10.4 million refugees under UNHCR's mandate, almost three quarters (7.1 million) have been in protracted exile for at least five years awaiting a solution. Overall, Afghanistan remains the biggest producer of refugees (2.7 million) followed by Iraq (1.4 million), Somalia (1.1 million), Sudan (500,000), and Democratic Republic of the Congo (491,000). Of the 42.5 million people who were in a state of forced displacement as of the end of 2011, not all fall under UNHCR's care: Some 4.8 million refugees, for example, are registered with our sister agency, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Among the 26.4 million internally displaced, 15.5 million receive UNHCR assistance and protection. Overall, UNHCR's refugee and IDP caseload of 25.9 million people grew by 700,000 people in 2010. For more information please contact UNHCR in Central Asia (727) 258-45-98 kazal@unhcr.org www.unhcr.kz 18.06.2012 |
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