World Refugee Day - June 20th

For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own Refugee Days and even Weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day. The UN General Assembly, in December of 2000, adopted the resolution that marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. The General Assembly therefore decided that June 20th would be celebrated as World Refugee Day.

People honour the spirit and courage of millions of refugees worldwide on World Refugee Day and it is a day to recognize the contributions of refugees in their communities. Organizations such as Amnesty International and the International Rescue Committee often get involved in various activities for the day.

Some communities dedicate an entire week to encourage people to think about the lives of refugees and the human right necessary to a secure place that one can call “home", while screenings of films about the lives of asylum seekers living in a western country are common. Regardless of how one commemorates World Refugee Day,  being aware of the grim fact that currently 60 million human beings worldwide are being forced to flee their homes due to war, conflict and persecution and how one can help them sits at the day's core. CIES will keep you updated on community events coming next month.