122 million forcibly displaced worldwide 'untenably high': UN
The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes worldwide has dropped slightly from a record high but remains "untenably high", the United Nations said Thursday.
A record 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes at the end of 2024, said UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.
But that figure dropped to 122.1 million by the end of April this year, as Syrians began returning home after years of turmoil.
Nearly two million Syrians have been able to return home from abroad or from displacement within the war-ravaged country.
But the UNHCR warned that how major conflicts worldwide played out would determine whether the figure would rise once again.
The agency said the number of people displaced by war, violence and persecution worldwide was "untenably high", particularly in a period when humanitarian funding is evaporating.
"We are living in a time of intense volatility in international relations, with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering," said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
"We must redouble our efforts to search for peace and find long-lasting solutions for refugees and others forced to flee their homes."
- Sudan overtakes Syria -
The main drivers of displacement remain sprawling conflicts like those in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine, UNHCR said in its flagship annual Global Trends Report.
Syria's brutal civil war erupted in 2011 but president Bashar al-Assad was finally overthrown in December 2024.
The report said the first months of this year saw rising numbers of Syrians returning home.
As of mid-May, more than 500,000 Syrians are estimated to have crossed back into the country since the fall of Assad, while an estimated 1.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their areas of origin since the end of November.
UNHCR estimates that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million IDPs may return by the end of 2025.
Sudan is now the world's largest forced displacement situation with 14.3 million refugees and IDPs, overtaking Syria (13.5 million), which is followed by Afghanistan (10.3 million) and Ukraine (8.8 million).
"During the remainder of 2025, much will depend on the dynamics in key situations," the annual report said.
"This includes whether peace, or at least a cessation in fighting, is possible to achieve, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Ukraine."
It also depends on whether conditions for returns improve in Afghanistan and Syria.
Another factor was "how dire the impact of the current funding cuts will be" on responding to displacement and creating conditions for safe and dignified returns.
- One in 67 -
The number of people forced to flee persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order has almost doubled in the last decade.
The figure of 123.2 million worldwide at the end of last year was up seven million compared to the end of 2023.
"One in 67 people globally were forcibly displaced at the end of 2024," UNHCR said.
In total, 9.8 million forcibly displaced people returned home in 2024, including 1.6 million refugees -- the most for more than two decades -- and 8.2 million IDPs -- the second highest ever.
"We have seen some rays of hope over the last six months," said Grandi.
But countries such as the DR Congo, Myanmar and South Sudan saw significant new forced displacements as well as returns.
Two-thirds of refugees stay in neighbouring countries.
Iran (3.5 million), Turkey (2.9 million), Colombia (2.8 million), Germany (2.7 million) and Uganda (1.8 million) host the largest refugee populations.
rjm/vog/jj
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
a day ago
- The Australian
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accuses Hamas of killing five of its Palestinian staffers
The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is the only organisation distributing aid in Gaza, has accused Hamas of killing five of its staffers and possibly taking others hostage. The organisation, which has replaced the UN in the Strip, said in a statement that around 10pm local time (4am AEST) 'a bus carrying more than two dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation team … were brutally attacked by Hamas.' 'We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,' the GHF said. In an email to AFP the group said all the passengers on the bus were Palestinian and all were aid workers, who were en route to GHF's distribution centre in the area west of Khan Younis. 'We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,' the group said. 'These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others.' The organisation recently accused Hamas of threatening its drivers and staff. The Times of Israel reports the militants' threats forced GHF to close operations at its four sites on Saturday. The privately funded aid group GHF began operations on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, aiming to prevent Hamas from stealing aid and selling it back to Palestinians to finance its war against Jerusalem. While the plan was hailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a key turning point in the conflict, the rollout has been marked by violence and disorder, with accusations the Israeli military shot into crowds of civilians attempting to pick up aid. Israeli authorities and the GHF – which uses contracted US security – deny any such incident took place, and some Gazans said the shooting had come from Hamas militants, not the Israeli side. Two weeks ago, as the first two distribution sites opened, Israeli media reported that Hamas had placed barriers to block access to the sites in the southern city of Rafah and falsely told Gazans Israelis were arresting residents near those areas. The group also threatened Palestinians they would 'pay the price' if they co-operated with the organisation, and told Palestinians to stay home, claiming Israel was using the company to collect intelligence information. 'Do not go to Rafah. Do not fall into the trap. Do not risk your lives. Your homes are your fortress. Staying in your neighbourhoods is survival, and awareness is your protection,' a statement published by the Hamas-linked Home Front said. The US-based non-profit organisation Centre for Peace Communications last week released a video of a Gazan accusing the militant organisation of killing Palestinians at aid sites run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The man in the CPC video stresses: 'No one has an interest in (carrying out) these attacks except Hamas. 'Hamas would rather we die of hunger than let the American aid distribution system succeed.' The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to co-operate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The Wall Street Journal A senior Israeli official warns a strike could come as soon as Sunday unless Iran agrees to halt production of fissile material that can be used to make an atomic bomb. The Wall Street Journal Tehran's move casts shadow over nuclear talks while Donald Trump says an Israeli strike 'could very well happen' but urges Israel not to attack.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Richard Gere opens up about new life in Spain after quitting US
Richard Gere has hit out at President Donald Trump over his political agenda, claiming he has created a 'violent, crude, and ignorant' world. The Hollywood star, who quit life in the US and relocated to Spain with his wife, Alejandra Silva, 42, and their children, has been outspoken about Mr Trump and his policies that he implemented in the US. 'If each of us were kind to each other, the world would be different and better,' the 75-year-old told El Pais. 'Not all of us respond to wisdom, but we all respond to kindness. 'Even in the case of Trump, I'm sure there is something kind about him. People say he's charming in private. 'Yet the world he's created around himself is violent, crude, and ignorant. Many of the things he's doing we've never seen before.' When asked whether he believes Mr Trump's second term in office could 'irreversibly change the values of US society,' Gere admitted he 'worries' about it — claiming the president is 'cut off from' society's natural sense of empathy. The Golden Globe winner's latest comments come after he slammed Mr Trump as a 'bully and a thug' while accepting the International Goya Award in recognition of his ongoing humanitarian work. 'We're all part of a universe of overlapping pain and sadness and joy. … I see this world that we're in now forgetting that,' he said back in February. 'This very foolish tribalism is starting to take us over, where we think that we're all separate from each other. 'And we have unfortunately elected officials that don't inspire us in the way that we want to be inspired. I'm coming from a place now … we're in a very dark place in America where we have a bully and a thug who is the president of the United States. 'But it's not just in the US, it's everywhere.' Still, Gere admits that there are plenty of things he misses about his life in the US — specifically, the people he left behind, including his adult son, Homer. 'I miss my family and friends. I was just in New York visiting my friends and my oldest son,' he shared. 'We went to Pennsylvania, to the small town where my father and mother came from, and we visited their grave. 'I need to somehow feel connected to my history, to my best friends, to stay in contact with all of it.' Gere moved to the European country with his family in November, after offloading their stunning Connecticut mansion in an off-market deal, Realtor reports. The 'Sommersby' actor noted that watching his wife 'blossoming' in Spain has been reward enough for making the move. The 'Pretty Woman' actor explained that he wanted to return the favour she did for him in upping sticks and joining him in the US when they began their romance. 'Alejandra gave me six or seven years in the US; she dropped everything to be with me and create a life together,' he said. 'But I could see it was important for her to come back, that she really missed her family and friends. She's blossoming here.' Although Gere noted that he has never lived permanently abroad, he said that he has created a sense of belonging in his new Madrid dwelling by ensuring that he has access to the creature comforts he needs most — specifically his 'office, piano, guitars, and books'. 'In a way, I've taken my world and put it here,' he said. While the family has quickly laid down roots in what El Pais described as a 'chalet in the exclusive Madrid neighbourhood of La Moraleja,' Gere's wife noted they are not set on spending the rest of their days in the city. She told the publication they plan to 'stay … for a few years,' describing Madrid as a 'city that has … a very special energy'. However, she has previously revealed the family had always planned to 'come back' to the US. She told the Daily Mail that they were already spending their time going 'back and forth' between the two countries in order to visit their loved ones regularly. 'For a few years [we'll live in Spain], and then come back. But we're always coming back,' she said. 'We'll come back here in the summer because we have the kids at camp. We just have to balance our lives there and here.' The family has retained a home base in the US, despite selling their permanent residence in New Canaan, Connecticut. That home is now set to be torn down in order to make room for a nine-plot subdivision. In his April 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, Gere revealed he planned to keep a property 'in the countryside in New York,' although he hesitated to share specific details about its location.
The Australian
2 days ago
- The Australian
122 million forcibly displaced worldwide 'untenably high': UN
The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes worldwide has dropped slightly from a record high but remains "untenably high", the United Nations said Thursday. A record 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes at the end of 2024, said UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. But that figure dropped to 122.1 million by the end of April this year, as Syrians began returning home after years of turmoil. Nearly two million Syrians have been able to return home from abroad or from displacement within the war-ravaged country. But the UNHCR warned that how major conflicts worldwide played out would determine whether the figure would rise once again. The agency said the number of people displaced by war, violence and persecution worldwide was "untenably high", particularly in a period when humanitarian funding is evaporating. "We are living in a time of intense volatility in international relations, with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering," said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. "We must redouble our efforts to search for peace and find long-lasting solutions for refugees and others forced to flee their homes." - Sudan overtakes Syria - The main drivers of displacement remain sprawling conflicts like those in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine, UNHCR said in its flagship annual Global Trends Report. Syria's brutal civil war erupted in 2011 but president Bashar al-Assad was finally overthrown in December 2024. The report said the first months of this year saw rising numbers of Syrians returning home. As of mid-May, more than 500,000 Syrians are estimated to have crossed back into the country since the fall of Assad, while an estimated 1.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their areas of origin since the end of November. UNHCR estimates that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million IDPs may return by the end of 2025. Sudan is now the world's largest forced displacement situation with 14.3 million refugees and IDPs, overtaking Syria (13.5 million), which is followed by Afghanistan (10.3 million) and Ukraine (8.8 million). "During the remainder of 2025, much will depend on the dynamics in key situations," the annual report said. "This includes whether peace, or at least a cessation in fighting, is possible to achieve, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Ukraine." It also depends on whether conditions for returns improve in Afghanistan and Syria. Another factor was "how dire the impact of the current funding cuts will be" on responding to displacement and creating conditions for safe and dignified returns. - One in 67 - The number of people forced to flee persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order has almost doubled in the last decade. The figure of 123.2 million worldwide at the end of last year was up seven million compared to the end of 2023. "One in 67 people globally were forcibly displaced at the end of 2024," UNHCR said. In total, 9.8 million forcibly displaced people returned home in 2024, including 1.6 million refugees -- the most for more than two decades -- and 8.2 million IDPs -- the second highest ever. "We have seen some rays of hope over the last six months," said Grandi. But countries such as the DR Congo, Myanmar and South Sudan saw significant new forced displacements as well as returns. Two-thirds of refugees stay in neighbouring countries. Iran (3.5 million), Turkey (2.9 million), Colombia (2.8 million), Germany (2.7 million) and Uganda (1.8 million) host the largest refugee populations. rjm/vog/jj
