WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2024 (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: World Refugee Day is observed worldwide every June 20th to raise awareness about the plight of refugees and celebrate their resilience and contributions to society.

World Refugee Day 2024

• About: It is dedicated to the millions of people who have been forced to escape their homes due to war, persecution, or natural catastrophes.
• History: The first ever World Refugee Day was celebrated on June 20, 2001.

oIt commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

oPreviously known as Africa Refugee Day, it was officially declared an International Day for Refugees by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2000.

• Theme 2024: 'For a World Where Refugees Are Welcomed.'

Refugee

• Definition: According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is someone who cannot return to their homeland due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
• Refugees often flee their homes because of conflict, persecution, violence, or other human rights violations.
• They arrive in host countries with little to no belongings, seeking safety and a new beginning.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: UNHCR is a worldwide organization committed to saving lives, protecting rights, and fostering a brighter future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless individuals.
• Refugee Convention 1951: It is relating to the Status of Refugees, is the main international treaty concerning refugee protection. 
• It was adopted in July 1951 and was initially drafted to meet the needs of refugees in the aftermath of World War II.

oIndia has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol.