Greater number of individuals forced to leave their homes than ever before.
The number of refugees is increasing rapidly, with a total of 114 million worldwide. The vast majority of them, around 76 million, have sought shelter within their own countries - a 50% increase from just five years ago. There are several factors contributing to this rise.
One major cause is the ongoing conflicts and wars that have led millions of people to flee their homes and seek safety elsewhere within their home country. As reported by the Geneva-based Internally Displaced Persons Monitoring Center (IDMC), by the end of 2023, 75.9 million individuals had been internally displaced. This marked a 7% increase from the previous year and a 50% increase compared to five years prior.
The countries with the highest number of newly displaced individuals in 2023 were the Gaza Strip, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition to these internally displaced people, the UN refugee agency UNHCR estimates that there were approximately 114 million people displaced due to wars, conflicts, or disasters, including those who fled to other countries. The agency projects this number may rise to 130 million by the end of the year.
The IDMC states that 90% of internally displaced individuals have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict and violence, while the remaining percentage were displaced due to natural disasters like floods, storms, earthquakes, and fires. At the close of 2023, approximately 7.7 million refugees had been displaced by various disasters and had found refuge Elsewhere in their home countries. The Liaison Office is working to assist nations in providing more aid to internally displaced people.
"The conflict and the aftermath of war leave millions unable to rebuild their lives for prolonged periods," IDMC Director Alexandra Bilak says. The high number of displaced individuals serves as a "scathing verdict on the failure of conflict prevention and peace-building," according to Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, which established the observatory.
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The escalation of wars and conflicts worldwide contributes significantly to the mass displacement of individuals, as seen in the case of the Gaza Strip, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Furthermore, climate change exacerbates misfortunes, leading to increased displacement due to natural disasters like floods and storms, contributing to the total of 114 million refugees globally.
Source: www.ntv.de
