Every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror. They are displaced within their own countries or in other countries, mostly neighbouring.
World Refugee Day falls every year on the 20th of June. It is an international day declared by the United Nations to respect, honour and care for refugees around the globe. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for the plight of our global colleagues.
In 2022 there were 110 million refugees displaced due to conflicts, wars, violence and disruptions. This population of refugees is more than the population of Portugal, the country of origin of Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General who interestingly was also a member of the socialist party in his country and curiously was United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees before becoming United Nations Secretary-General in 2017.
The number of refugees has risen by 23 per cent over the year 2022. Which countries support refugees from other countries? The largest refugee populations are not in developed countries but in developing and poor countries: Turkey, Iran and Colombia.
If the number of refugees continues to increase at this rate, the annual number of refugees globally would be about 1 billion. Add to that Climate refugees which are estimated to be 1.2 billion by 2050.
Youth all over the globe will be a substantial part of these numbers. The elders would not be able to leave and will perish in their own countries. It is the youth who would be persecuted and forced to leave their homes due to violence and sea level rise and due to other climatic disasters.
The inspiring compilation of practical examples by youth, called 'Stories of Universities and University of Stories' presented here could avoid part of this miseries if the youth engage in the 'Path-Finding' exercise. That's what SCCN intends to do (see www.sccnhub.com)
21st June, the next day, is International Yoga Day, also declared by the United Nations and proposed by India under the leadership of PM Modi! Hope that provides an ecosystem for youth to learn to live in harmony with nature and reduce the number of refugees by becoming carbon neutral by 2050. For that, we need a culture of 'walk the talk' demonstrated by Vice Chancellors of Brinell University, London, described in this 'Stories of Universities'. END
Dr Rajendra Shende
Former Director UNEP, IIT Alumni
Founder Director, Green TERRE Foundation
Prime Mover Smart Campus Cloud Network
Coordinating lead author of IPCC.