World Refugee Day
The
United Nations' (UN) World Refugee Day is observed on June 20 each
year. This event honors the courage, strength and determination of
women, men and children who are forced to flee their homeland under
threat of persecution, conflict and violence.
What Do People Do?
People honor the spirit and courage of millions of refugees worldwide
on World Refugee Day. It is a day to recognize the contributions of
refugees in their communities. Organizations such as Amnesty
International and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) often get
involved in various activities for the day. They may include:
- Activist protests against using former prisons to detain migrants and asylum seekers.
- Screenings of films about the lives of asylum seekers living in a western country.
- Organization members visiting asylum seekers in detention to offer moral support.
- Letters or petitions to governments on the treatment of asylum seekers in detention.
Some communities dedicate an entire week that includes World Refugee
Day to encourage people to think about the lives of refugees and the
human right to a secure place to that one can see as “home”.
Background
For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own
events similar to World Refugee Day. One of the most widespread events
is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on June 20 in many countries.
the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to express its solidarity
with Africa on December 4, 2000.
The resolution noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the
1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees, and that the
Organization of African Unity (OAU) agreed to have International Refugee
Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on June 20. The Assembly therefore
decided that June 20 would be celebrated as World Refugee Day from 2001
onwards. This day was designated by the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees to bring attention to the plight of approximately 14 million
refugees around the world.
Symbols
The UN Refugee Agency's (UNCHR) logo is often associated with the
day. The colors used are either white on a blue background or blue on
white background. The logo features olive branches that symbolize peace
surrounding or protecting two hands facing each other, and in the middle
a figure of a person protected by these hands. The logo is sometimes
featured with the words “UNHCR”, followed by “The UN Refugee Agency” in
smaller text to mark the logo.
The UNHCR in Canada uses a special World Refugee Day logo that
features two figures – one smaller figure on the left and a taller
figure on the right. They are protected by brackets or half circles. The
words “World Refugee Day” are placed at the centre top of the figures,
and “20 June” is placed at under the figures at the centre. All elements
of the logo are the one color – green.
