United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message on World Refugee Day (June 20), said 42,500 people became refugees, asylum seekers or internally displaced every single day in 2014. “On this World Refugee Day, let us remember the plight of the millions of people worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of conflict and persecution. At the end of 2014, 59.5 million persons – the highest number on record – were forcibly displaced around the globe. This means that one in every 122 human beings today is either a refugee, internally displaced or seeking asylum.” The ongoing conflict in Syria, as well as crises in Iraq, Ukraine, South Sudan, Central African Republic, northeastern Nigeria and parts of Pakistan, have led to a staggering growth and acceleration of global forced displacement. Protracted asylum situations now last for an average of 25 years, he said, reports IRNA.
