Together we can achieve anything
World Refugee Day 2021 focuses on the power of inclusion.
The shared experience of COVID-19 has showed us that we only succeed if we stand together. We have all had to do our part to keep each other safe and despite the challenges, refugees and displaced people have stepped up.
Given the chance, refugees will continue to contribute to a stronger, safer and more vibrant world. Therefore UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency's World Refugee Day campaign this year is calling for the greater inclusion of refugees in health systems, schools and sport. Only by working together can we recover from the pandemic.
Together we heal, learn and shine.
UN Chamber Music Society Virtual Concert in Celebration of World Refugee Day
Sunday, 20 June 2021
9:00 a.m. EST (New York Time)
4:00 p.m. EST (Mafraq, Jordan Time)
Flyer
On the occasion of World Refugee Day the UN Chamber Music Society of the UN Staff Recreation Council (UNCMS), in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), is holding a pre-recorded virtual concert, which will also be broadcasted in Jordan. Refugees and other displaced populations belong to the most marginalized and vulnerable members of society. They are particularly at risk during the time of the coronavirus disease outbreak, because they often have limited access to water, sanitation systems and health facilities.
The music programme includes music featuring Jordanian Singer Leen Alfaqih; a world premiere of the Songs of Five Continents for the UN Chamber Music Society, composed by Yuko Uébayashi; and a repertoire composed and performed by classically trained Syrian musicians.
Watch the performance live on:
Background
Every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror. There are several types of forcibly displaced persons:
Refugees
A refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”, according to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention. Many refugees are in exile to escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters.
Asylum Seekers
Asylum seekers say they are refugees and have fled their homes as refugees do, but their claim to refugee status is not yet definitively evaluated in the country to which they fled.
Internally Displaced Persons
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people who have not crossed an international border but have moved to a different region than the one they call home within their own country.
Stateless Persons
Stateless persons do not have a recognized nationality and do not belong to any country.
Statelessness situations are usually caused by discrimination against certain groups. Their lack of identification — a citizenship certificate — can exclude them from access to important government services, including health care, education or employment.
Returnees
Returnees are former refugees who return to their own countries or regions of origin after time in exile. Returnees need continuous support and reintegration assistance to ensure that they can rebuild their lives at home.
UN Action
1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol
Refugees are among the most vulnerable people in the world. The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol help protect them. They are the only global legal instruments explicitly covering the most important aspects of a refugee’s life. According to their provisions, refugees deserve, as a minimum, the same standards of treatment enjoyed by other foreign nationals in a given country and, in many cases, the same treatment as nationals.
The 1951 Convention contains a number of rights and also highlights the obligations of refugees towards their host country. The cornerstone of the 1951 Convention is the principle of non-refoulement. According to this principle, a refugee should not be returned to a country where he or she faces serious threats to his or her life or freedom. This protection may not be claimed by refugees who are reasonably regarded as a danger to the security of the country, or having been convicted of a particularly serious crime, are considered a danger to the community.
The rights contained in the 1951 Convention include:
- The right not to be expelled, except under certain, strictly defined conditions;
- The right not to be punished for illegal entry into the territory of a contracting State;
- The right to work;
- The right to housing;
- The right to education;
- The right to public relief and assistance;
- The right to freedom of religion;
- The right to access the courts;
- The right to freedom of movement within the territory;
- The right to be issued identity and travel documents.
Some basic rights, including the right to be protected from refoulement, apply to all refugees. A refugee becomes entitled to other rights the longer they remain in the host country, which is based on the recognition that the longer they remain as refugees, the more rights they need.
Get involved!
Join us this year on World Refugee Day and support refugees across the globe to be protected and included in health care, education and sport.
Art Contest
Dreamball design contest
The theme of the 2021 art contest is “Together through sport”. It sheds light on the power of sport to bring people together and create a sense of hope.
Resources
Documents
- General Assembly Resolution 55/76 on World Refugee Day
- Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees
UN System Websites
- Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
- Relief Web
- Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)
- World Food Programme (WFP)
- UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
