The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) published an interim report on the situation of refugees in the world. According to the document, in the first half of 2014, the number of refugees from armed conflicts worldwide reached the highest level since 1996 – 13 million people. At the same time, the number of internally displaced persons rose to 26 million. In total, for the first six months of 2014, UNHCR provided support to 46.3 million people (including those in voluntary return and resettlement programs). This record figure exceeded the mid-2013 results by 3.4 million.
The largest refugee contingent in 2014 were Syrians (23% of the total), surpassing Afghans, who had led in this sad indicator for over 30 years. However, 2.7 million Afghans remain the world's largest group of so-called 'long-term refugees' (according to UNHCR classification, this category includes persons deprived of the opportunity to return home for at least 5 years). After Syria and Afghanistan, the countries of greatest outflow are Somalia (1.1 million), Sudan (670,000), South Sudan (509,000), Democratic Republic of the Congo (493,000), Myanmar (480,000), and Iraq (426,000).
The UNHCR report does not mention refugees from Ukraine. However, according to the Russian Red Cross, as of the end of September 2014, nearly 390,000 Ukrainian refugees were registered on the territory of the Russian Federation, living in Russian families and in temporary accommodation centers.
Pakistan remains the world leader in hosting refugees, sheltering 1.6 million Afghans. Other countries with large refugee numbers include Lebanon (1.1 million), Iran (982,000), Turkey (824,000), Jordan (737,000), Ethiopia (588,000), Kenya (537,000), and Chad (455,000).
Germany from January to November 2014 accepted 181,453 refugees – mainly from Syria, Serbia and Eritrea. This is 57% more than in the same period of 2013. The largest number of asylum seekers was received in North Rhine-Westphalia (21.2%), the smallest – in Bremen (0.9%). According to the forecasts of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), in 2015 about 200,000 more refugees from crisis regions of the planet are expected. For their reception, accommodation, care and medical treatment, the Federal Government allocated 500 million euros.
«In 2014 we saw that the number of persons under our care rose to an unprecedented level,» comments the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres. «While the international community cannot find a political solution to existing conflicts, nor prevent new ones, we will continue to deal with the dramatic humanitarian consequences of this. Given the above figures, the international community must unite even more to help these destitute people.»
Until 2010, Libya of Muammar Gaddafi, Egypt of Hosni Mubarak, Tunisia of Ben Ali, Syria of Bashar al-Assad, not to mention the earlier Iraq of Saddam Hussein, formed a so-called 'security belt', serving as a reliable barrier that protected the countries of the Old World from the invasion of millions of refugees and terrorist threats (for example, between the EU and Libya there was an agreement under which Gaddafi contained the flow of Muslim refugees to Europe). With the onset of the 'Arab Spring', this barrier no longer exists – instead, civil wars are raging there. And how to put an end to them – not only António Guterres does not know, but the entire international community.
Sergei DEBRER.
«Russkaya Germaniya»