“Every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror.” —UN
In December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated an international day to be celebrated every year on the 20th of June honoring refugees around the globe.
The very first World Refugee Day was held globally on June 20, 2001, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees which was originally known as Africa Refugee Day.
Since June 20, 2001, World Refugee Day has become an international staple, being celebrated around the world, honoring the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
According to The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), at year end 2025, 117.8 million people find themselves forcibly displaced worldwide. 68.7 million are internally displaced. (Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre–IDMC). 65% of all refugees under UNHCR’s mandate originate from just five countries with Ukraine among them with the second highest statistic of 5.2 million people. Venezuela (6.5), the Syrian Arab Republic (4.9), Afghanistan (3.7), and Sudan (2.8) round out the rest. And according to UNICEF, 45.3 million children in the world are forcibly displaced, primarily due to conflict, violence and climate-related crises. Since June 20, 2001, each World Refugee Day has had a specific focus, i.e., Respect, Tolerance, Courage, Hope, Perseverance, Protection, etc.
In 2022, with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the focus seems to have a recurring theme, speaking directly to the many crises at hand which increase the number of refugees from year to year: 2022 - Whoever. Wherever. Whenever. Everyone has the right to seek safety. 2023 - Hope away from home. A world where refugees are always included. 2024 & 2025 - Solidarity with refugees – for a world where refugees are welcomed. This year, World Refugee Day 2026 focuses on the right to seek safety as a common safeguard for all of us — not only a recurring theme from 2022, but also a theme harkening back to a promise that was made after World War II.
A promise that was made by the ‘new world-order’ that all human beings have the right to freedom, to safety, to shelter, to live their lives in their home, on their own land. A promise that unfortunately has been broken time and time again, necessitating the creation of an international World Refugee Day. A day that reminds us all how fallible we are. A day that calls us all to action, no matter how big or small, to stand in solidarity for everyone’s right to live life with God-given dignity.
On this June 20, 2026, when so many forcibly displaced persons are facing uncertainty, are facing not only the possibility but the probability of deportation, let us heed the words of the UNHCR and “help keep the promise of safety alive. Stand with refugees. …Until everyone is safe, the work is not done.”
Marta N. Rubel
Social Outreach Director
Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia
