World Refugee Day

The United Nations declared June 20 to be World Refugee Day – a global event launched to recognize the desperate situation that approximately 43.7 million refugees, internally displaced and stateless people around the world face. On World Refugee Day, USA for UNHCR asks you to make a difference by spreading the word about the challenges refugees face and sharing their stories. We need your help to raise awareness. Please take the pledge, and explore your other options to get involved.

Why Do We Recognize Refugees on World Refugee Day?

World Refugee Day is an opportunity to honor the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence.

Refugees flee with nothing but the clothes on their back. The UN Refugee Agency implements the most important international protection tool, the 1951 Refugee Convention, ensuring that innocent people caught up in conflict are safe. Without the work of UNHCR millions of people would have nowhere to go and would risk on-going persecution and violence.

UNHCR delivers essential humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable people in the world. UNHCR provides families with tents, blankets and mattresses, so mothers can tuck their children in at night. UNHCR provides safe food and clean drinking water to help nourish families back to health and municipal services like sanitation, medical care and refugee registration. Most importantly UNHCR helps reunite families.

With 33.9 million men, women and children around the world under UNHCR’s care, the needs are great. We draw on the kindness of compassionate supporters to help meet the needs of refugees.