UN Says 110 Million Now Displaced Worldwide
2023-06-15
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1The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, says more people have been displaced from their homes than ever before.
2Recent conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine forced millions of people from their homes and pushed the number of displaced people to 110 million, the most ever.
3Other conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, and Ethiopia added to the total.
4The latest number includes refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people and, what the UNHCR calls, other people in need of international protection.
5At the end of 2022, the number was just over 108 million,
6but the conflict in Sudan pushed another 2 million people away from home since April.
7The fighting in Ukraine was the main reason for a 19 million-person increase in 2022.
8"It's quite an indictment on the state of our world," said Filippo Grandi.
9He is an Italian diplomat and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
10He called solutions to the problem "increasingly difficult to even imagine."
11Of the total number of refugees needing protection, he said half of them came from only three countries: Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine.
12Many people are seeking safety within their own countries but about 35 million are officially refugees because they are in other countries.
13He called the causes of displacement "the usual," which include fighting, persecution, violence and climate change.
14He also called for some countries to think about their position on accepting refugees.
15He said many countries signed documents offering acceptance and protection in 1951.
16However, those countries are now "reluctant" to accept them.
17He called restrictions on new immigrants and asylum seekers "pushback," and he criticized those nations for "blaming them for everything that has happened."
18Grandi said most refugees are in low-to-middle income countries in Africa and Asia.
19He said rich countries in Europe and North America are not accepting as many.
20Turkey and Iran have received over 3 million each.
21The UN says there are 5.7 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe and beyond.
22Grandi said the U.S. received the most new asylum claims in 2022 - over 730,000.
23However, it is also the country with the longest delays in its system.
24"One of the things that needs to be done is reforming that asylum system so that it becomes more rapid, more efficient," Grandi said.
25Grandi did offer some praise. He said Kenya is working to find answers for the refugees within its borders.
26He also praised a deal reached recently by European Union leaders to share responsibility for migrants and refugees.
27I'm Dan Friedell.
1The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, says more people have been displaced from their homes than ever before. 2Recent conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine forced millions of people from their homes and pushed the number of displaced people to 110 million, the most ever. 3Other conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, and Ethiopia added to the total. 4The latest number includes refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people and, what the UNHCR calls, other people in need of international protection. At the end of 2022, the number was just over 108 million, but the conflict in Sudan pushed another 2 million people away from home since April. 5The fighting in Ukraine was the main reason for a 19 million-person increase in 2022. 6"It's quite an indictment on the state of our world," said Filippo Grandi. He is an Italian diplomat and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He called solutions to the problem "increasingly difficult to even imagine." 7Of the total number of refugees needing protection, he said half of them came from only three countries: Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine. 8Many people are seeking safety within their own countries but about 35 million are officially refugees because they are in other countries. 9He called the causes of displacement "the usual," which include fighting, persecution, violence and climate change. 10He also called for some countries to think about their position on accepting refugees. He said many countries signed documents offering acceptance and protection in 1951. However, those countries are now "reluctant" to accept them. 11He called restrictions on new immigrants and asylum seekers "pushback," and he criticized those nations for "blaming them for everything that has happened." 12Grandi said most refugees are in low-to-middle income countries in Africa and Asia. He said rich countries in Europe and North America are not accepting as many. Turkey and Iran have received over 3 million each. The UN says there are 5.7 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe and beyond. 13Grandi said the U.S. received the most new asylum claims in 2022 - over 730,000. However, it is also the country with the longest delays in its system. 14"One of the things that needs to be done is reforming that asylum system so that it becomes more rapid, more efficient," Grandi said. 15Grandi did offer some praise. He said Kenya is working to find answers for the refugees within its borders. He also praised a deal reached recently by European Union leaders to share responsibility for migrants and refugees. 16I'm Dan Friedell. 17Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by Reuters and the Associated Press. 18____________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20indictment -n. an expression of disapproval 21persecution -n. being unfairly treated because of race, religious or political beliefs 22reluctant -adj. unwilling to do something 23rapid -adj. happening fast 24____________________________________________________________________ 25We want to hear from you. Do you think the number of refugees will decrease in the near future? 26Here is how our comment system works: 27Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.